Canada says Alberta animal may be its seventh BSE case
11.jul.06
Meatingplace.com
John Gregerson
http://www.meatingplace.com/MembersOnly/webNews/details.aspx?item=16197
Canada said it may have found its seventh case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in an Alberta cow born after 1997, when the country imposed feed restrictions to curb the spread of the disease.
Tests were being performed on tissue samples from the 50-month-old animal, a dairy cow, to confirm the presence of the disease, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency indicated Monday. No part of the animal entered the human or animal food or feed chain, CFIA said.
The cow died on a farm and was singled out for testing as part of an ongoing surveillance program for BSE. Preliminary tests for BSE failed to rule out the disease.
Though the investigation comes less than two weeks after Canada discovered its sixth case of the disease, "this detection is consistent with a low level of disease and does not indicate an increased risk of BSE in Canada," CFIA said in a statement.
USDA spokesman Ed Loyd told reporters he wouldn't discuss whether the discovery of another BSE case in Canada would affect beef and cattle trade with the United States until Canada has received results from the latest round of tests. He did, however, indicate that USDA had expected more cases of the disease from Canada
"It shouldn't have any impact on trade at all," said Canadian Cattlemen's Association spokesman Rob McNabb.
Last week, USDA indicated it would not send any experts to take part in Canada's investigation of sixth case of BSE, saying it was confident in Canada's food safety measures.
USDA is debating whether the United States should be allowed to import Canadian cattle older than 30 months of age.
