Canada Discovers Seventh BSE Case

Canada Discovers Seventh BSE Case
July 13, 2006

Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns confirmed today the presence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a 50-month-old dairy cow from Alberta, Canada.

“… While the United States and Canada have a strong system in place to protect animal and human health, the diagnosis of BSE in an animal born roughly four and half years after the implementation of the 1997 ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban does raise questions that must be answered,” Johanns said.

According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the animal’s carcass has been incinerated and did not enter the human or animal feed systems. The agency has located the birth farm, and investigators are tracing other cattle born on the premises within 12 months before or after the birth of the affected animal.

“We need a thorough understanding of all the circumstances involved in this case to assure our consumers that Canada’s regulatory system is effectively providing the utmost protections to consumers and livestock” Johanns said. “I am dispatching a USDA expert to participate in the investigation of this case, particularly as it relates to how this animal may have been exposed to BSE-infected material. We have been assured by our Canadian counterparts that they welcome having our experts participate side-by-side with their investigators.”

CFIA reports it is cooperating with the owner of the affected animal and the province of Alberta. Information obtained through the investigation will be posted to the CFIA’s Web site, at www.inspection.gc.ca.

— compiled by Crystal Albers, associate editor, Angus Productions Inc.