A 12th Mad Cow Found In Canada
While we've all been focused on "downer" cows in the United States, Canada has actually found its 12th case of Mad Cow disease. The International Herald Tribune today (2/26/08) reports that:
"Canada confirmed a new case of mad cow disease on Tuesday, marking the country's 12th such case since the disease was first discovered there in 2003.
"The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said no part of the cow's carcass entered the human food or animal feed chains.
"The animal is a six-year-old cow from Alberta, born after the implementation of Canada's feed ban in 1997.
"The national monitoring program targets cattle most at risk for the disease, which is also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
"The food inspections agency said it expects to detect a small number of cases over the next 10 years as Canada moves toward its goal of eliminating the disease from its herds."
Two cases of mad cow disease have been found in the U.S. since 2003. U.S. agricultural officials says the finding of a 12th cow with the diease in Canada is "no cause for concern" and will not impact cross border trade. The Herald Tribune story can be found here.
