Suspected mad cow case detected, agency says
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Ottawa — The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it has detected what may be another case of mad cow disease, a potentially devastating hit to an already struggling Canadian beef industry.
The disclosure of the suspect case early Thursday came just hours after the United States announced sweeping plans for the reopening of its border in March to nearly all Canadian exports of beef and live cattle.
The border was closed 19 months ago when a cow in northern Alberta tested positive for mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
The CFIA released few details on the new suspect case, except to identify it as a 10-year-old dairy cow.
The preliminary testing results were completed on Wednesday, said the agency, adding that the testing was conducted after the cow was identified as a "downer" — unable to walk.
The finding is not definitive, but the CFIA says multiple screening tests have yielded positive results. No part of the animal entered the human food or animal feed systems, said the agency.
Samples are currently being analyzed at the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health in Winnipeg and confirmatory results are expected in three to five days.
Since confirming BSE in Canada in 2003, CFIA officials have stated that finding more cases in North America was possible.
The agency said U.S. authorities have been notified and added that it is the government's normal policy to report only confirmed results.
"However, given the unique situation created by the United States' border announcement . . . it was decided that the most prudent action would be to publicly announce the available information and provide stakeholders with a full understanding of the current situation," said the CFIA.
BSE is a chronic, degenerative disorder affecting the central nervous system of cattle. Since it was first diagnosed in Great Britain in 1986, there have been more than 180,000 cases.
If confirmed, the case could be a devastating blow to an already struggling beef industry that celebrated the U.S. announcement on Wednesday that it was finally reopening its border to most Canadian beef exports.
"Isn't that wonderful," whooped Mac McLean, owner of two feedlots near Lethbridge, Alta. "That's a big, big step. That's wonderful that they're going to do that."
If the U.S. decision stands, it would mean that about 95 per cent of the trade in beef and cattle could resume in the new year.
The beef industry has been struggling since May 20, 2003, when it was announced a single breeder cow in northern Alberta tested positive for BSE.
Before the trade ban, animals regularly crossed the border and Canada sold more than 70 per cent of its live cattle to the U.S. That market was worth $1.8 billion in 2002.
The second largest customer, Mexico, came in at $200 million and Japan imported $81 million worth.
More than 4,200 jobs related to the beef industry have been lost, say federal statistics, most in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. The border closure also included ruminants such as deer, elk, sheep, goats, caribou and bison.
It's estimated the closure has cost the Canadian industry and rural communities about $5 billion. Federal and provincial governments have spent a total of $1.6 billion on aid for producers.
While the U.S. opened its border to boneless beef from cattle less than 30 months old last September, plans to expand the opening were curtailed when a second mad cow case emerged in a Canadian-born cow in Washington state.
The United States consequently lost its major beef trading partners.
Globe and Mail Update E-mail this Article
Print this Article
Ottawa — The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it has detected what may be another case of mad cow disease, a potentially devastating hit to an already struggling Canadian beef industry.
The disclosure of the suspect case early Thursday came just hours after the United States announced sweeping plans for the reopening of its border in March to nearly all Canadian exports of beef and live cattle.
The border was closed 19 months ago when a cow in northern Alberta tested positive for mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
The CFIA released few details on the new suspect case, except to identify it as a 10-year-old dairy cow.
The preliminary testing results were completed on Wednesday, said the agency, adding that the testing was conducted after the cow was identified as a "downer" — unable to walk.
The finding is not definitive, but the CFIA says multiple screening tests have yielded positive results. No part of the animal entered the human food or animal feed systems, said the agency.
Samples are currently being analyzed at the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health in Winnipeg and confirmatory results are expected in three to five days.
Since confirming BSE in Canada in 2003, CFIA officials have stated that finding more cases in North America was possible.
The agency said U.S. authorities have been notified and added that it is the government's normal policy to report only confirmed results.
"However, given the unique situation created by the United States' border announcement . . . it was decided that the most prudent action would be to publicly announce the available information and provide stakeholders with a full understanding of the current situation," said the CFIA.
BSE is a chronic, degenerative disorder affecting the central nervous system of cattle. Since it was first diagnosed in Great Britain in 1986, there have been more than 180,000 cases.
If confirmed, the case could be a devastating blow to an already struggling beef industry that celebrated the U.S. announcement on Wednesday that it was finally reopening its border to most Canadian beef exports.
"Isn't that wonderful," whooped Mac McLean, owner of two feedlots near Lethbridge, Alta. "That's a big, big step. That's wonderful that they're going to do that."
If the U.S. decision stands, it would mean that about 95 per cent of the trade in beef and cattle could resume in the new year.
The beef industry has been struggling since May 20, 2003, when it was announced a single breeder cow in northern Alberta tested positive for BSE.
Before the trade ban, animals regularly crossed the border and Canada sold more than 70 per cent of its live cattle to the U.S. That market was worth $1.8 billion in 2002.
The second largest customer, Mexico, came in at $200 million and Japan imported $81 million worth.
More than 4,200 jobs related to the beef industry have been lost, say federal statistics, most in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. The border closure also included ruminants such as deer, elk, sheep, goats, caribou and bison.
It's estimated the closure has cost the Canadian industry and rural communities about $5 billion. Federal and provincial governments have spent a total of $1.6 billion on aid for producers.
While the U.S. opened its border to boneless beef from cattle less than 30 months old last September, plans to expand the opening were curtailed when a second mad cow case emerged in a Canadian-born cow in Washington state.
The United States consequently lost its major beef trading partners.
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