Mad Cow Not in Canada

[ALICIA]

I heard from a friend that has a vet friend from that area and she told my friend that that lab was just a joke.

[cowman]

So I have to ask again was this a government lab or a private one? Do we even have any government labs left in Alberta? Seems like they privatized just about everything else.
Another question I have is how are they going to go about counting the cows when they bring in "cow registration"? I assume they just won't take your word for it? Who will count the cows? Will it be a sweetheart deal for someone? If you slip them a few bucks or a bottle will your cowherd suddenly grow?

[pandiana]

Some additional comment on testing:
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/heasan/disemala/bseesb/bsefaqe.shtml

"As part of CFIA’s active, targeted surveillance program for BSE, the provincial government in Alberta tested a cow that had been condemned at slaughter and found not suitable for human consumption. They notified the CFIA that their preliminary findings could not rule out BSE. Further tests were then performed by CFIA’s National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease in Winnipeg and final results were received from the World Reference Laboratory at Weybridge, United Kingdom on May 20, 2003 confirming the presence of BSE."
This would indicate that slides were evaluated in Alberta, Winnipeg and UK and all three would have to misread the tissue. I contend that the only possible skrew-up would be getting the wrong brain.

[grassfarmer]

Yes Pandiana, the original report of the incident that I got did suggest a brain mix up being the cause of the mis-diagnosis of BSE. Implication being that they actually had UK cattle brains in that lab to train staff on.

[cowman]

Well I guess we'll never know now. I mean if you screwed up and used the wrong brain would you admit it? Sort of like the story "Frankenstein" where Igor dug up the wrong body? Well that created a monster that couldn't be stopped...sort of like the monster we have today?

[rusty1]

As far as I know the Lab is the Prov. Govt. lab in Edmonton (original). Let's also recognize that the "herd of origin" was not found until some time in October. (so much for a tracing system) DNA testing does NOT need a dead animal to test -for one, neither does it take 5 mo. to get DNA testing and matching done. Those herds died for one reason only and that was to impress the WORLD. did it work? It's wime for an independent audit - may we should all email W-5 and tip them off.

[cowman]

Rusty 1: Wasn't the whole point of slaughtering those 2700 cattle about the chance that they might have been in contact with this cow and that they could have been fed the same feed? I don't think it was that they were necessarily related?
And in reality how could the traceback be perfect when we've only been tagging for about three years and mandatory tagging only since July 1, 2002?

[ALICIA]

just our point. They could not of traced the cow and they didn't because the cow was inported from usa. I belive when the catfish farmer first started to raise cattle. Just a thought.

[cowman]

Well Alicia I think he bought all his cows in Canada. But perhaps you could be right she originated in the US.
I remember a group of black heifers from the US being sold in the local mart. They announced it in the auction ring. I asked one of the employees of the mart why anyone would bring heifers from the USA way up here to sell. His reply: They came in on the restricted feeder program and the lot decided they could make more money selling them as breds!
So I guess so much for the restricted feeder program! I guess they never monitored it too good?

[kato]

And now they want to extend it to year round? I think not!

I hope the CFIA sticks to their guns. We've already seen how trustworthy the parties involved are.