Agmates Editor Steve Truman writes:
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed yesterday that it had found a cow infected with the deadly mad cow disease in a cow that died on a farm in western British Columbia.
It is the 13th case of mad cow disease reported in Canada in the last three years.
The meat from the infected animal did not enter the food chain and presented no danger to human health.
The animal was detected through Canada’s national BSE surveillance program. The program has tested more than 220,000 cattle since 2003. All cattle found with BSE have been detected in western Canada.
The World Organization for Animal Health rates Canada’s beef herd as a “controlled risk” status. The new case is not expected to change it’s status.
Canada discovered its first case of mad cow disease in Alberta in 2003. Officials have said they expect to find a small number of additional cases until all the cattle exposed to residual contamination in the feed system are gone.
CFIA has traced Canada’s earlier cases to cattle feed produced before the country enacted a ban on feed containing rendered cattle or other ruminants in 1997. Additional feed restrictions were imposed last year.
Canadian cattle and beef products were banned from being shipped to the U.S. in May 2003, when BSE was first found in an Alberta cow.
After 26 months in July 2005, Canadian cattle producers were allowed to ship cattle younger than 30 months into the U.S.A.
The 26-month ban was prolonged in part by legal challenges from producer group R-CALF USA against the U.S. Department of Agriculture decision to open the U.S border to Canadian cattle.
The at times bitter and politically charged trade dispute cost Canadian cattle producers billions of dollars.
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Tags: Beef News
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