One More Round

[pandiana]

New BSE case found? Press conference at Noon today

[SASH]

Canada finds new case of mad cow disease-source
11 Jan 2005 17:40:46 GMT

Source: Reuters

(Recasts with news that another case has been found, adds time of briefing)

By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Canadian veterinary officials will announce they have found a new case of mad cow disease in a briefing slated for 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT), an agricultural source told Reuters on Tuesday.

"The case is confirmed. They have the results of the 'gold standard' test," the source told Reuters, referring to the definitive laboratory test used to confirm mad cow disease.

The case would be Canada's third home-grown incidence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease.

No other details were immediately available on the case.

It comes as the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed signs it is looking to withdraw its plan to allow imports of young live cattle from Canada.

The trade ban has depressed Canadian prices and crippled ranches and feedlots. Cattle farmers have lost an estimated C$5 billion ($4.1 billion) since the first home-grown case was found in May 2003.

The USDA had announced plans to restart trade on March 7, after it learned about Canada's second case of the disease, which was confirmed on Jan. 2.

U.S. cattle farmers have said in recent days they thought the plan should be delayed.

A U.S. industry source said the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service was reconsidering the move on Tuesday.

"Career folks at APHIS are saying they are going to kill the rule," the industry source said.

A USDA spokesman declined comment.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said last week it would test nine old cattle related to the Jan. 2 case of mad cow disease.

Until 2003, North America had been considered free of the brain-wasting livestock disease, which has ravaged the cattle industry in Britain and other European countries.

Humans can contract a form of the disease from eating contaminated meat -- variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease -- and more than 100 people around the world have died from it, mainly in Europe.

The United States reported its first case of mad cow disease in December 2003, but traced it to a Canadian-born dairy cow.

All three North American cases were born before 1997 feed rules designed to prevent the spread of mad cow disease.

Canadian officials have warned they expected to find a few more cases of the disease as they dramatically increased tests of old and sick cattle.

Last year, the CFIA tested more than 23,500 cattle for the disease.

($1=$1.22 Canadian) (Additional reporting by Charles Abbott in Charlotte, N.C., Randy Fabi in Washington and Roberta Rampton in Winnipeg)

[farmers_son]

The animal was born after the implementation of the 1997 feed ban but it appears the feed was manufactured before the ban.

The seriousness of this case cannot be underestimated. North American was relying upon the feed ban to limit the incidence of BSE in our herd. We must be able to demonstrate that the feed ban was enforced and effective or our ability to be deemed a miminal risk country is compromised.

Again the time has come for our industry to pull together as we need to maintain the confidence of our consumers and trading partners.

I believe every effort to determine the source of the infected feed will be made. U.S. producers should be mindful that nearly 50% of Canada's animal protein came from their country before they start making irresponsible statements about the safety of our
beef.

[greybeard]

The other thing I noticed in the official announcement was the reference to a "beef cow" . I expected to see more dairy cows come up, as they get a much larger share of the prepared feed. So far we're 50/50. I'm soon going to be moving to the" test them all and lets get on with it" camp.
If I were selling shares in packing plants ,I would be on the phone today.
I have to admit to feeling a little discouraged. Nothing for a full year, then two within two weeks of a border announcement.

[blackjack]

...I share the same concerns as well greybeard...was just listening to a talk show on the radio while having lunch...our cattle associations had better figure out a way to stop the damage... many callers phoning in to question the science...we might end up like Japan yet as consumers turn to other red meats...

[Bez]

greybeard - I moved into the "test them all" camp some time ago. I fear we will have to get there quickly if we want to move the animals from the field to the plate. Otherwise we will have a huge population and no one to buy them.

Bez

[grassfarmer]

This is just like the UK crap - the famous announcement in March 1996 when they dropped the bomb that they "could no longer rule out a possible connection between BSE and vCJD.... BUT WITH THE PRECAUTIONS THEY HAD IN PLACE THE BEEF SUPPLY WAS SAFE." Removing the specified offals removes any minute risk - this is the science we must impress on the media and consumers not some half-assed theory that the problem is spread by feeding protein pellets - it is certainly not.
I'm reliably informed that neither the US or Canada were enforcing the feed ban rigorously until May 2003. I say it's time to investigate the plants producing the powder milk replacer and sue them if necessary - this is not a problem caused by farmers.

[intr3est]

TEST ALL, it's time! My question to the informed would be if we tested all animals before the meat from said animals is sold, does this mean the removing SRM's is neccessary? If not then why are we complaining about the $30/animal it would cost when it gains us 5% of total meat per animal saleable. On a $1000 animal this is $50, at least $20 per animal more, while testing that would restore/continue consumer confidence in the product. Jump on the boat now, we might just beat the US.

[intr3est]

One other comment! Science is great, but human error makes up for this ten fold! We continue to base our marketing on Science and rely on human competence. So why not have safequards in place to catch human error, TEST, everything.

[kpb]

I believe that this last announcement could be the final nail in the coffin for the border opening. The fact that this animal was born after the supplement ban is crucial I think because the Americans will now say that we apparently don't have a firm ban on feeding ruminant protein.
And who can blame them? They've lost more $ from losing their export markets than we have because of a cow that came from here. So no wonder they're a little reluctant to open their border to us. We talk a lot about the North American market being integrated but the plain fact is that we have now got three recent cases of BSE and they've got none despite the fact that they test more gross numbers of animals than we do.
I don't know how you account for that in an integrated market but the facts are there--we may think they have BSE in their herd but until they discover a case there is no way to prove it. And, meanwhile, we've done next to nothing to change our situation here--how about testing all animals or banning all animal protein fed to cows???
The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome.

[rkaiser]

I'm with you intr3est, but test if it makes a sale.
If we can enter the Japanese market by testing; TEST. If consumer confidence in Canada wains; TEST.

As far a SRM's. Japan has insisted on both testing and removal of SRM's as that is the protocal they use in Japan.

I'd say that a tested beast would allow for leaving SRM's in place, however, the only consise test we have is for dead animals, so SRM removal would likely have to remain due to time from slaughter to determination of test results.

[intr3est]

KPB, I totally agree, the US is very good at marketing and "cooking" the books. Maybe we as Canadians are too honest, but it does not hide the facts that we need to distant ourselves from the US and the way we market. Let's test everything, have a massive cull of animals born before 1997, or at least guarntee they will not hit the foodchain and get on with it.. If we have a problem, let's deal with it.

[intr3est]

Kaiser, they are now doing tests in the UK for $20/animal with a turn around time of 6 hours, no false positves as of yet. $20/head, increased markets(maybe) and we bitch about $4 tags! Enough is enough, let's get this ball rolling!

[kpb]

intr3est, Along with a few others on this board I believe a mass cull would be the best way to deal with a couple of problems. I think it will, in the long run, save the government money because they'd only have to subsidize farmers once instead of over and over again, it would reduce our domestic herd and therefore support prices for the producers and, I think, it would reinforce consumer confidence if it was done properly.
Suppose a mass cull was done on all cows born 1998 or before and this was done in conjunction with testing all remaining animals. I think that would go a long way to restoring confidence in the Canadian industry both at home and away. Because I think our next big problem will be in keeping the Canadian consumer behind us. They've been great so far but there's a limit to their support of our industry and I think that's coming up soon.
Like you I think we should face up to this problem and do what is needed to get over it. So far we've done little in 2 years to change anyone's perception of our domestic herd and these announcements take something out of our overall reputation. It's like getting pecked to death by a duck.

[intr3est]

KPB, good comments, to appease all purebred breeders, I would further suggest that a massive cull be voluntary, but with consessions. No cow born before or six months after the feed ban be allowed to enter the food chain. You would be allowed to hold onto those animals for as long as you want and keep calves off them, but your compensation would decrease for time kept. For eg. cull in first six months of program $500, next year $400 and $150 less per year after that.