Alberta 'mad cow' did not enter food chain
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According to Canadian Press reports -- Alberta's latest case of mad cow disease involved a six-and-a-half year-old animal that was born and raised on the same farm where it died. It's the province's ninth case overall and it was confirmed last month. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a news release on the case, explaining that its investigation is nearing completion.
The release says the agency has directed "all necessary resources'' toward the tracing of cattle that may have been exposed to the same feed during the early part of their lives. The bull was born in 2000 and died in early February. It was detected as an "animal of interest'' through a national farm surveillance program. Provincial and federal tests then confirmed it had BSE. A ban on using cattle remains in feed in Canada went into effect in 1997 to guard against the spread of the disease. The food inspection agency has said the animal did not enter the food chain.
