| The
Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed that an older
dairy cow from Alberta has tested positive for bovine spongiform
encephalopathy. The infected animal was born in 1996, prior
to the introduction of the 1997 feed ban, CFIA said in a
release. It is suspected that the animal became infected
by contaminated feed before the feed ban.
No
part of the animal entered the human food or animal feed
systems. This finding does not indicate an increased risk
to food safety.Canada's public health safeguards have been
developed on the assumption that a low, declining level
of BSE remains in North America. Canada requires the removal
of specified risk material (SRM) from all animals entering
the human food supply. SRM are tissues that, in infected
cattle, contain the BSE agent. This measure is internationally
recognized as the most effective means to protect public
health from BSE.
Confirming
BSE in this animal is not unexpected. Canada has in place
a suite of risk mitigation measures to protect public and
animal health, including the removal of SRM from the human
food chain, the ruminant to ruminant feed ban, the national
surveillance program and import restrictions. As a result,
the United States continues to consider Canada as a minimal
risk region. As stated in a USDA press release, the United
States would not alter the implementation of its rule to
resume trade with Canada.
The
infected animal was detected through the recently enhanced
national surveillance program. Additional cases may be found
as testing of high-risk cattle continues. In 2004, the Government
of Canada tested over 22,000 animals.
"The
CFIA is continuing its investigation and has determined
the infected animal's farm of origin. Efforts are now underway
to identify any other animals of similar risk," the
Agency said. "Specifically, the Agency is focusing
on two categories of animals: recently born offspring of
the infected animal and cattle born on the same farm within
a year of the infected animal. This work is proceeding as
quickly as possible."
The
Agency has also launched a feed investigation to examine
what the infected animal was fed early in its life, when
infection was most likely to have occurred prior to the
1997 feed ban. Given the age of the animal, it may not be
possible to definitively identify a particular feed source
as the origin of infection. However, information gathered
through investigations and analyses continues to suggest
that the feed ban has limited the spread of BSE since its
implementation.
In
1989, Canada banned further importation of cattle from the
United Kingdom and traced all imported cattle to their Canadian
farms of origin, where they were monitored and eventually
destroyed. Before this time, when BSE had not emerged as
a significant animal health threat, it is likely that some
imported animals entered the North American feed system.
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