BSE origin confirmed

[pandiana]

No matter how you look at this, in the short term we are in trouble. For those of us we believed that "If you hold onto the cows tail she will pull you through" may be rethinking this strategy.

Without a doubt, the concensus in these threads has been that Canada should be testing every cow over 30 months. I wonder, however, how many of our politicians have been informed of this concensus. An interesting article in Cattlemen Research Makes Sense "Does One Made Cow Equal One Dead Industry?" outlines a presentation made by Jim Untershulz of the U of A on the economic impact of BSE in Canada. He concludes that "the Canadian beef industry appears to have 2 choices:
1. Continue to concentrate on commodity level exports to the U.S. Market.
2. Develop and lead in world standards of excellence for quality and safety in beef as part of an overall strategy of Canadian beef brand recognition. The latter can be achieved, in part by improving tracebacks for food safety and by BSE testing all mature alaughter animals."

Prior to BSE II is think the CFIA was reluctant to do this for just this reason, in case we did turn up another case. Assuming that this cow turns out to be Canadian, this would no longer be an issue. We need to stop waiting on the benevolence of other nations and take this matter into our own hands I think.

[cakadu]

Pandiana - is there a place online that you know of that a person could get a copy of the article which you refer to? It sounds pretty interesting and I would like to get a look at it if all possible?

Personally, I think it was premature to "Blame Canada" when the Americans don't really know anything definitive - facts you can deal with - innuendo is just that.

What I find hard to swallow (pun intended) is that the U.S. is telling their countryfolk that they have to believe the science and it isn't a health risk. What causes the science to change at the border?

No matter how you look at it, this is not good news at all. It is always better to take the high road, even in this instance we weren't quick to close the border or take extraordinary measures, but in light of what is happening, it is hard to keep doing that. Earlier it was stated that we need to quit relying on the benevolence of others - perhaps we have to get tougher to survive?!?!

[pandiana]

cakadu
Cattlemen/ December 2003 p 40
For more information cantact: James R. Untershultz, 529 Rural Economy, University of Alberta, Edm AB T6G 2H1 phone: 780 492 5439 Fax 780 492 0268 email jim.untershultz@ualberta.ca

[Bruce14]

Does anyone know where the facts can be found regarding the 1993 Canadian BSE case of the imported animal in ALberta? I believe it was either a purebred Charolais or Salers animal brought over from the U.K.

[grassfarmer]

Cowman I'd be interested to know the facts on your allegation of UK feed being imported into Canada in the early '90s. Sounds highly unlikely to me given that UK feeds whether grain, grain based pellets or other by-product based pellets cost 150 - 200% more than Canadian prices over there. Add on the shipping charges and your guys must have been buying some pretty expensive feed.

[grassfarmer]

Oops should have read "costs 50-100% more than Canadian"

[Muttley]

I kind of got a kick out of an Americain news cast last night. They were interviewing a person on the danger of BSE in the human food chain.
The person stated that there was no danger to Americains in eating beef as the chances of contracting a BSE related illness was next to none.

Amazing how safe BSE meat is when it's their cattle instead of ours in Canada.

[rodb]

I agree with many of the statements in this thread. I marvel at how the NCBA has stated since it was a Canadian cow that "we are still clear of BSE". The US needs to do a few things such as develope a SRM program and segregate 30 month and older cattle in their system. With all the Canadian Cattle that have gone down there in the last 6 years and if Canada is the possible source of their lone BSE case they need to do alot of things to bring up their standards. After all is said and done, at least our one confirmed case did not get into the human food chain as theirs did.

If we are to test every animal it should be every animal over 30 months of age, as the chances of it happening or being diagnosed in animals under 30 months of age is infintesamal.

Who beleives that the border should be shut to US beef products until the USA implements the same standards that they imposed on Canadian Beef?

[kato]

Personally, I don't think the US is off the hook yet.

Regardless of where it came from, they still had a BSE cow. We dodged the bullet with that cow back a few years ago by hunting down every animal that had been with it, and every imported animal in the country. I don't see anyone down south setting up appointments to kill any cattle yet. If they were to go to the same lengths we did with that British cow, they would track down every imported Canadian cow, and slaughter it. The simple fact is that they can not do it.

Over the last couple of years, I have heard from more than one cattle buyer that one of the first things that happens to our CCIA tags is that they get taken out and thrown away. "The Americans couldn't care less about our tag system" was the general opinion. I wonder if they care now?

[cowman]

Grassfarmer: I don't think I should give out a name as this farmer is quite a large purebred Limo breeder. Maybe I should have said the product was cheap in the sense that it was a high end product that he couldn't get here...or more bank for his buck kind of thing. He told me this sometime in June so I don't remember all the details...just that he was very concerned.
Rod: I think we've done the right thing by limiting the American imports to the same restrictions they have on us. The science supports it. Now if they stop our imports of boneless/under 30 mo. stuff then what can we do? There goes the science right out the window and we are in a trade war.
Hopefully the Americans will understand we are now in this together and we need to stand together not apart.

[jensend]

according to today's usda update the tag in question was a metal clip so i dont think were talking ccia here. it could still be traced to a particular farm depending on whats stamped on it. this thing has a long way to go before anybody's neck goes in the noose.

[cowman]

Bruce: The cow was an imported Salers cow. The owner was Ray Depalme just west of Red Deer Alberta. They slaughtered the whole herd and the adjoining neighbors too.
Depalme got some pretty decent compensation both from the federal government and from the All Breeds Association. I believe it was around $4,000/animal. Which was probably justified as he had perhaps the premier Salers herd in Canada. His son has repopulated the farm.