Older beef cow is latest BSE case; But the discovery of Canada's sixth case has not even raised eyebrows among USDA officials
11.jul.06
Ontario Farmer
Ian Cumming
Canada's sixth case of BSE, confirmed on July 4, is a 15 year old cross bred beef cow from Manitoba.
The animal was purchased in a lot of cattle in 1992, said a July 4 CFIA press release. Her advanced age will constrict the investigation since there will be, "few surviving animals and limited sources of information," said the press release.
A daughter of the cow, born in 2004, is being sought.
The fact that the cow was born well after the 1997 feed ban means, " it should not hold up," the publishing of the USDA rule to further open the border, says Rick McRonald from the Canadian Livestock Genetics Association.
Unconfirmed reports last week had the USDA written rule moving to the offices of Management and Budget, said McRonald. However past announcements of a Canadian cow with BSE have resulted in the U.S. using it as an excuse to not move along the rule publishing process, cautioned McRonald.
The fact that at the end of June Canada wholly opened its border to American cattle, "tells the world we're walking the talk," said McRonald. "We're taking a position of leadership here, enacting the OIE Code," he said.
The international BSE rules at the OIE for cattle movement are something that even Europe is not implementing yet, noted McRonald. "We commend the Canadian government for doing this," he said.
Jim Rodgers, a spokesperson with USDA, feels the latest case of BSE in Canada, "doesn't mean anything. We haven't even issued a statement," he said in a July 5 interview.
However there can be no fast track process to open the American border for all Canadian cattle, such as what Canada has in place now for allowing American cattle into this country, cautioned Rodgers. "Regulation change requires rule making," he said.
