Positive Test result in

[InAHurry]

BSE CONFIRMED IN SUSPECT ANIMAL, INVESTIGATIONS UNDERWAY

OTTAWA, January 2, 2005 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) today confirmed that an older dairy cow from Alberta has tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The infected animal was born in 1996, prior to the introduction of the 1997 feed ban. It is suspected that the animal became infected by contaminated feed before the feed ban.

No part of the animal entered the human food or animal feed systems. This finding does not indicate an increased risk to food safety.Canada's public health safeguards have been developed on the assumption that a low, declining level of BSE remains in North America. Canada requires the removal of specified risk material (SRM) from all animals entering the human food supply. SRM are tissues that, in infected cattle, contain the BSE agent. This measure is internationally recognized as the most effective means to protect public health from BSE.

Confirming BSE in this animal is not unexpected. Canada has in place a suite of risk mitigation measures to protect public and animal health, including the removal of SRM from the human food chain, the ruminant to ruminant feed ban, the national surveillance program and import restrictions. As a result, the United States continues to consider Canada as a minimal risk region. As stated in the United States Department of Agriculture press release of December 30th, 2004, the United States would not alter the implementation of its rule to resume trade with Canada.

The infected animal was detected through the recently enhanced national surveillance program. Additional cases may be found as testing of high-risk cattle continues. In 2004, the Government of Canada tested over 22,000 animals.

The CFIA is continuing its investigation and has determined the infected animal's farm of origin. Efforts are now underway to identify any other animals of similar risk. Specifically, the Agency is focusing on two categories of animals: recently born offspring of the infected animal and cattle born on the same farm within a year of the infected animal. This work is proceeding as quickly as possible.

The Agency has also launched a feed investigation to examine what the infected animal was fed early in its life, when infection was most likely to have occurred prior to the 1997 feed ban. Given the age of the animal, it may not be possible to definitively identify a particular feed source as the origin of infection. However, information gathered through investigations and analyses continues to suggest that the feed ban has limited the spread of BSE since its implementation.

In 1989, Canada banned further importation of cattle from the United Kingdom and traced all imported cattle to their Canadian farms of origin, where they were monitored and eventually destroyed. Before this time, when BSE had not emerged as a significant animal health threat, it is likely that some imported animals entered the North American feed system.

The CFIA will hold a technical briefing on January 3, 2005 at 11:00 EST. A media advisory will be issued with additional information.

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/newcom/2005/20050102e.shtml

[grassfarmer]

I thought she was a 10 year old cow in the initial announcement? Now she was born in 1996 - I hope CFIA are better at tracking than at math. Still they must be fairly good at math - better than the Americans anyway given that it is impossible with their statistically huger cattle population that they haven't had more than 1 BSE case. Still if you don't look.....

[grassfarmer]

I think that tracing dairy cattle is likely an easier task than tracing beef cattle. It will be interesting to see if the offspring of this animal are slaughtered and tested.

[pandiana]

It is also interesting that according to Ted Haney's annoucement, all three cows traced to Alberta came from around the same geographic area. (?)

I think Ted Haney did a very good job in keeping a positive spin on this while covering all aspects in an intelligent and comprehensive manner.

[pandiana]

I doubt that the area of Alberta is significant. The beef cow was a dealer cow that had travelled a lot of miles and been owned by numerous parties prior to ending up in the farm at Wanham. It sounds like the cases involving dairy cows are connected to what they were fed.

[PureCountry]

Yes, exactly - "...what they were fed."

Who will ever know which of those farms along the way fed the cow the contaminated feed? She could have contracted it on her 'birthfarm', or maybe from a couple nights feed waiting for a truck in an auction pen. I don't know how you figure that out, but it would be VERY interesting to know, then one could conclusively say if there is a correlation between geographic areas. I think it's a possibility, but who knows?

[PureCountry]

I assume that dairy cows travel as well, perhaps being raised on one farm and moving to another. If the trace back system works, then hopefully the origin of feed will eventually be known. Once the older cows are out of the system, maybe we will have this under control for good.

[wmoebis]

I don't know if this cow was found in the market place or not. But why are sick and/or downer cows allowed in to the market place. There must be enough healthy animals to consume. If sick cows were not allowed this should drive up the price of healthy ones and compansate for the financial loss of the sick. I am a grain producer and I can't/wouldn't sell poisened or contaminated into the food chain. I have 3000bus of grain that is contaminated with deer fecies that is suspected to have CWD it is up to me to destroy it and see to it that it doesn't get into the human food chain.

[wmoebis]

I imagine that this case of BSE was discovered as a result of the 4D program. Normally downer animals are sent to the coyote smorgasbord in the back forty, but since there was money available under the 4D program likely the producer had the cow put down and tested.

[pandiana]

I heard that this cow was indeed found under the 4D program. Apparently the vet was called when this older holstein cow, a family pet?, showed neurological signs for a week and then went down. The other info I heard was that it was found on a 200 cow mixed dairy and beef farm. No guarantee this is accurate. Time will tell.

[pandiana]

One reason to keep the 4D program in effect. There are only so many of the cows left in the system that may have been fed the suspect feed prior to 1997. Keeping the 4D program in effect will certainly encourage producers to have suspect cows put down and tested.

[drill7]

What is the 4D program you mentioned?

[cakadu]

Not to rehash old stuff, and more to refresh my memory, many threads ago grassfarmer didn't you say something to the effect of there not being a clear scientific understanding of how the BSE spread so quickly in the U.K.?

The reason I'm asking is if it was spread through feed, wouldn't it stand to reason that we would be seeing more of these older cattle with symptoms and more positive results?

The more you think you understand it, the more questions there are.

[cakadu]

Not to rehash old stuff, and more to refresh my memory, many threads ago grassfarmer didn't you say something to the effect of there not being a clear scientific understanding of how the BSE spread so quickly in the U.K.?

The reason I'm asking is if it was spread through feed, wouldn't it stand to reason that we would be seeing more of these older cattle with symptoms and more positive results?

The more you think you understand it, the more questions there are.

[cakadu]

drill7 the 4D program is part of the BSE program implemented to deal with downer cows. They must be downers, dead etc. to qualify. The farmer can get the vet to euthanize the cow, and sent the materials in for testing. They government pays the vet and the farmer as well as the rendering truck. This program was implimented because there weren't enough animals being sent for testing.