Yea now our cattle industry will be Fu&ed again!

[grassfarmer]

wmoebis and braveheart we have to comply with OIE rules (the international governing body) - part of that is highlighting cases when they are discovered.
Not sure I follow your comment on not catching things before they hit the store shelves - all the ecoli in beef recalls have been identified in this manner.

food4U - It was "location, location" I think. Presumed cause of the CDN cases was cohorts of the original cow imported from the UK that got BSE in the 1990s. That stuff went into the rendering process, likely right here in AB and the milk replacer produced from it would be consumed locally. Don't think there is any conspiracy that there weren't cases in ON/QC.

Similarly I don't think they got the cases in North Africa that might have been expected using the British meat and bone meal because they used that in a different way - not in the manufacture of milk replacer which is the route of spread.

[wmoebis]

THX grassfarmer. My statement was referring to in the last 4 months there were 118 recalls but only 46 were made public.
Wasn't aware of protocols and compliance's that had to be followed.

[Braveheart]

Yes grassfarmer, thanks for the clarification. I agree that this is a non event. Therefore I wonder can highlighting a case be reporting the case to whatever reporting body without the media circus of a news conference?

[grassfarmer]

Yeah the OIE is a strange one - they seem to have so much power and transcend international borders yet I've never been aware of them involved in any issue as much as they have been with BSE.
Here is their response to the latest BSE case:

PARIS (Reuters) - Canada's discovery of a case of mad cow disease is in line with its "controlled risk" status and will not force a change in that status, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) said on Friday.

"The detection and notification of the new BSE case provides the international community with the assurance and evidence of the effectiveness of health surveillance systems in place, and Canada's commitment to meet its transparency obligations in terms of disease notifications to the OIE," an OIE spokeswoman said in an emailed response to Reuters.

On Friday, Canada confirmed its first case of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), since 2011 but said the discovery, which helped drive cattle prices higher, should not hit its beef export sector.

[foragefarmer]

Braveheart

Again, shouldn't the public know that CFIA is doing their job at ensuring food safety? How else can the public know this without media coverage? I, who buy Canadian beef want to know CFIA is doing their job. It is very reassuring.

[kato]

There is no option but to announce this. We fought long and hard to open borders based on our integrity and honesty about any cows we found. Who would you trust? A country that faces it and does what it takes? Or one that shoots shovels and shuts up.

To not make an announcement would be jumped all over by a certain protectionist pain in the butt outfit we are all familiar with as a rallying cry that we are covering things up. We do not want to hand those nuisances any ammunition. They have already bought too many American politicians as it is.

Just sayin'......

[Oliver88]

I hope our Ag groups are on top of this issue.

It's too bad a .308 didn't solve this issue sooner.....

[grassfarmer]

Nothing for the "ag groups" to be on top of or involved with. Dealt with properly through the appropriate channels.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

I wish posters would consider that this is a public forum, which can be read by our customers, our competition and our overseas customers. Posting such ridiculous comments will not help to instill confidence in our industries ability to provide safe beef. And certainly doesn't reflect well on producers. We are in a PR battle, and losing by my count. Please think about what impression you may be making before posting.

[westernvicki]

With provisions in place to insure the age of beef we sell, an inverted US dollar, lowest cattle numbers in history, I would see this as an in the normal occurrence of events in production of beef, and vigilant testing which is in place to insure food safety.

The animal did not enter the food chain.

If indeed this were to affect the industry to any degree a continuing decline of the herd would have the impact to further support beef values down the road.

The world will continue to eat beef, and we now export beyond the USA.

Take a breath.

[rkaiser]

Good Point AlbertaFarmer However, agriville has nothing compared to the role that is played by the mainstream media when allowing the conversation. There are still many theories on the whole BSE issue including the one grassfarmer supports. Mine is slightly different but if I do not stick to my own threads with my opinion , I am threatened to be banned from the site. LOL Maybe we could all focus our attention on the BSE class action where I have some personal reservation about the theory, but still support responsible action on the part of the fed and the media coverage that they also control.
If there is one positive to take from this recent case, it could be that we focus back on the ongoing class action suit, despite our individual opinions on theory.

[sumdumguy]

Has anyone heard how the cow got the disease? Last BSE had originated in Britain.

[kato]

Actually the first originated in Britain. That was back in the early 90's. Then the government dropped the ball, failed to keep track of other imports, chose not to implement a feed ban immediately, and we live with the consequences. All of this could have been prevented.

Therefore.... Class action suit.