May 6, 2004

Canada To Quadruple Mad Cow Tests
 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it is planning a dramatic increase in the number of cattle it will test for ovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly called mad cow disease.

The agency will examine 8,000 cattle this year. This is up from the 3,000 it tested before the single case of the disease was discovered in Alberta a year ago.

But next year, 30,000 animals will be tested in an attempt to reassure the international community, as well as to open foreign borders to Canadian cattle exports once again.

Testing of Canadian cows for BSE will incorporate some of the same measures currently being done in Europe. The tests are designed so that cattle can be tested more quickly.

Veterinarian Dr. Gary Little says the tests will concentrate on cows older than 20 months. "There's no value in testing young animals," he said. "The bulk of the animals that we slaughter, for example, are slaughtered at less than 20 months of age. And in those animals there is no valid test to detect the presence of the disease."

Little says his agency will utilize the rapid screening test that is being used in Europe. "By introducing those tests we significantly reduce the time that's required to generate a test result. And in so doing, (we) increase significantly the capacity of our laboratory system."

Little says even though 30,000 animals will be tested next year, that is still less than one per cent of the six million cows in Canada.