It is pretty easy to put spin on the following report which helps to reassure Canadian producers. I wonder however, how the US will take the same information and put spin on it that supports their continued border closure?
Once again, the International Panel would seem to be chastising the US to "thus encourage the discontinuation of irrational trade barriers when countries identify their first case of BSE".
Sent: Wednesday, February 04, 2004 11:53 AM
Subject: International Panel Review/USA
Ladies and Gentlemen;
US Secretary Veneman's international panel on BSE released its preliminary report this morning. The full text of the report can be viewed at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/1pa/issues/bse/bse.html.
While we are continuing to review the findings, salient messages and recommendations include the following:
Investigation:
-conforms to international standards
-communication challenges exist (hold orders [ie. quarantines] convey that BSE is contagious)
-there are limitations of identification systems
Tracing:
-questions the recall of beef sold for human consumption
-extra precautions must be taken to ensure contaminated material (MBM) is destroyed
Termination of Investigation:
-50% of birth cohorts have been identified so far
-"the number of cattle actually infected on the farm of origin in Canada was probably small"
-"it is probable that other infected animals have been imported from Canada and possibly from Europe"
-"infected material has likely been rendered, fed to cattle, and amplified within the cattle population, so that cattle in the USA have also been indigenously infected"
-"therefore, animals that have not been identified from the birth cohort of the index case [in Washington State] do not represent significant additional risk for further propagation of BSE within the USA".
-"committee believes that the investigation should cease ... redirect resources to other measurers to protect human and animal health".
Response Actions:
-"The significance of this BSE case cannot be dismissed by considering it 'an imported case' "
-case "must be recognised as both being BSE cases indigenous to North America"
-policy actions must "reduce public health risk for consumer protection, limit recycling and amplification of the agent, establish the level of effectiveness of measures through surveillance, prevent any inadvertent introduction of BSE from abroad in the future, contribute to the prevention of the spread of the epidemic worldwide".
Specified Risk Materials (SRM):
-"removal of all tissues with demonstrated potential for accumulation of BSE agent and strict attention to preventing cross-contamination of the carcass through stunning, slaughter, and processing practices"
-'unless aggressive surveillance proves the BSE risk in the USA to be minimal (according to OIE standards), the sub committee recommends that the following SRM be exluded from both the human and animal feed chains':
-brain and spinal cord of all cattle over 12 months of age
-skull and vertebral column of cattle over 12 months age
-intestine - from pylorus to anus - from all cattle', BUT
-"in the meantime, until the level of BSE risk has been established, the committee concedes that the exclusion of CNS, skull, and vertebral column from cattle over 30 months and intestines from cattle of all ages, for use in human food is a reasonable temporary compromise"
-"contamination of the carcass with SRM (specifically CNS) ... should be avoided ... stunning procedures and mechanical deboning processes ... be brought into line with international standards"
-"processing of skulls and vertebral columns of cattle over 30 months by mechanically recovered meat (MRM) and advanced meat recovery (AMR) systems should be banned.
Downer cows:
-aggessive policy to remove downer cows from the processing system may retard the testing of such animals for BSE
Surveillance:
-"future surveillance programmes should be targeted to the population with highest risk of exposure to the BSE agent"
-"The subcommittee considers testing of all cattle slaughtered for human consumption to be unjustified in terms of protecting human and animal health"
Laboratory:
-committee "recommends the adoption of rapid immunodiagnostic assays as the primary screening tests for active surveillance"
Feed:
-"All SRM must be excluded from all animal feed, including pet food"
-"subcommittee believes the partial (ruminant to ruminant) feed ban that is currently in place is insufficient to prevent exposure of cattle to the BSE agent"
-"The prohibition of the use of all MBM (including avian) in ruminant feed is justified partly due to the issues of cross-contamination as well as the current problems in differentiating mammalian and avian MBM. It also prevents the inclusion of ruminant derived protein contained with the lumen of procine or avian intestines at slaughter in animal feed that may be used for ruminants"
Traceability:
-committee "encourages the implementation of a national identification system that is appropriate to North American farming"
Education:
-messages and dissemination to all stakeholders must be clear
Lessons Learned:
-intent of US to follow a science-based approach
-impacts of national social and financial impacts ... when importing countries fail to comply with international rules regarding trade
-"subcommittee recommends that the US should demonstrate leadership in trade matters by adopting import/export policy in accordance with international standards, and thus encourage the discontinuation of irrational trade barriers when countries identify their first case of BSE".
Preliminarily, from a Canadian perspective, there are several positive messages contained in the report. There is reinforcement of many actions already taken by Canada, eg. identification system, surveillance; there is also reinforcement of joint actions already taken, eg. SRM in food; and that, in particular, this is a North American issue requiring North American solutions, and that trade barriers ought to be rational.
Sincerely,
Herb McLane
Executive Vice President
Canadian Beef Breeds Council
Once again, the International Panel would seem to be chastising the US to "thus encourage the discontinuation of irrational trade barriers when countries identify their first case of BSE".
Sent: Wednesday, February 04, 2004 11:53 AM
Subject: International Panel Review/USA
Ladies and Gentlemen;
US Secretary Veneman's international panel on BSE released its preliminary report this morning. The full text of the report can be viewed at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/1pa/issues/bse/bse.html.
While we are continuing to review the findings, salient messages and recommendations include the following:
Investigation:
-conforms to international standards
-communication challenges exist (hold orders [ie. quarantines] convey that BSE is contagious)
-there are limitations of identification systems
Tracing:
-questions the recall of beef sold for human consumption
-extra precautions must be taken to ensure contaminated material (MBM) is destroyed
Termination of Investigation:
-50% of birth cohorts have been identified so far
-"the number of cattle actually infected on the farm of origin in Canada was probably small"
-"it is probable that other infected animals have been imported from Canada and possibly from Europe"
-"infected material has likely been rendered, fed to cattle, and amplified within the cattle population, so that cattle in the USA have also been indigenously infected"
-"therefore, animals that have not been identified from the birth cohort of the index case [in Washington State] do not represent significant additional risk for further propagation of BSE within the USA".
-"committee believes that the investigation should cease ... redirect resources to other measurers to protect human and animal health".
Response Actions:
-"The significance of this BSE case cannot be dismissed by considering it 'an imported case' "
-case "must be recognised as both being BSE cases indigenous to North America"
-policy actions must "reduce public health risk for consumer protection, limit recycling and amplification of the agent, establish the level of effectiveness of measures through surveillance, prevent any inadvertent introduction of BSE from abroad in the future, contribute to the prevention of the spread of the epidemic worldwide".
Specified Risk Materials (SRM):
-"removal of all tissues with demonstrated potential for accumulation of BSE agent and strict attention to preventing cross-contamination of the carcass through stunning, slaughter, and processing practices"
-'unless aggressive surveillance proves the BSE risk in the USA to be minimal (according to OIE standards), the sub committee recommends that the following SRM be exluded from both the human and animal feed chains':
-brain and spinal cord of all cattle over 12 months of age
-skull and vertebral column of cattle over 12 months age
-intestine - from pylorus to anus - from all cattle', BUT
-"in the meantime, until the level of BSE risk has been established, the committee concedes that the exclusion of CNS, skull, and vertebral column from cattle over 30 months and intestines from cattle of all ages, for use in human food is a reasonable temporary compromise"
-"contamination of the carcass with SRM (specifically CNS) ... should be avoided ... stunning procedures and mechanical deboning processes ... be brought into line with international standards"
-"processing of skulls and vertebral columns of cattle over 30 months by mechanically recovered meat (MRM) and advanced meat recovery (AMR) systems should be banned.
Downer cows:
-aggessive policy to remove downer cows from the processing system may retard the testing of such animals for BSE
Surveillance:
-"future surveillance programmes should be targeted to the population with highest risk of exposure to the BSE agent"
-"The subcommittee considers testing of all cattle slaughtered for human consumption to be unjustified in terms of protecting human and animal health"
Laboratory:
-committee "recommends the adoption of rapid immunodiagnostic assays as the primary screening tests for active surveillance"
Feed:
-"All SRM must be excluded from all animal feed, including pet food"
-"subcommittee believes the partial (ruminant to ruminant) feed ban that is currently in place is insufficient to prevent exposure of cattle to the BSE agent"
-"The prohibition of the use of all MBM (including avian) in ruminant feed is justified partly due to the issues of cross-contamination as well as the current problems in differentiating mammalian and avian MBM. It also prevents the inclusion of ruminant derived protein contained with the lumen of procine or avian intestines at slaughter in animal feed that may be used for ruminants"
Traceability:
-committee "encourages the implementation of a national identification system that is appropriate to North American farming"
Education:
-messages and dissemination to all stakeholders must be clear
Lessons Learned:
-intent of US to follow a science-based approach
-impacts of national social and financial impacts ... when importing countries fail to comply with international rules regarding trade
-"subcommittee recommends that the US should demonstrate leadership in trade matters by adopting import/export policy in accordance with international standards, and thus encourage the discontinuation of irrational trade barriers when countries identify their first case of BSE".
Preliminarily, from a Canadian perspective, there are several positive messages contained in the report. There is reinforcement of many actions already taken by Canada, eg. identification system, surveillance; there is also reinforcement of joint actions already taken, eg. SRM in food; and that, in particular, this is a North American issue requiring North American solutions, and that trade barriers ought to be rational.
Sincerely,
Herb McLane
Executive Vice President
Canadian Beef Breeds Council
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