The U.S. Agriculture Department says recent cases of mad cow disease in Canada have halted American plans for a major increase in Canadian beef and cattle imports.

Canada has found seven cows infected with mad cow disease, four of them this year.

Some were born after Canada took safety precautions related to cattle feed that should have prevented the animals from being infected.

The administration was poised to resume imports of older cattle, and beef from older animals.

But the department says today it's halted those plans, which were under final consideration by the White House.

They'll wait until an investigation into Canada's recent cases has been completed.