September 7, 2006

US group: Canadian BSE cow may have missed testing

For more than a year, the beef from Canada's youngest victim of mad cow disease would have been eligible for export to the US, and even at 50 months of age, she might not have been tested for the disease if she had not died of an unrelated malady, according to Canada's testing protocol.

Bill Bullard, CEO of R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America, in a release noted the technicality. While those specific parts of an animal thought to harbour bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, and transmit it to humans.

The small-rancher group has fought the US Department of Agriculture's efforts to re-open the border with Canada ever since a case of BSE was discovered in Canadian cattle in May 2003.

The 50-month-old cow died on the farm of the toxicity from mastitis, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said in its report on the case. The animal showed no symptoms of BSE and the CFIA said she probably would not have shown her first signs for another three to six months, after which it would have taken one to two months before veterinarians might have recognised it. The cow was diagnosed on Jul 13, 2003.

In an e-mailed response to questions, CFIA Veterinary Programme Specialist for BSE Darcy Undseth said Canada's BSE testing policy targets two sets of cattle: those that show signs of BSE, regardless of age, and those that are over 30 months of age and are either dead, diseased, distressed or down, meaning non-ambulatory.

Undseth said the cow in question qualified for testing because she was over 30 months of age, was a downer, and she was found dead.

However, had she been sent to slaughter at 50 months of age for some other reason, perhaps one that was economic in nature, she might not have been singled out for testing, Bullard said.

R-CALF USA has pushed for Canada to increase its BSE testing to prove its rate of BSE infectivity throughout its herd is low enough to be considered for export to the US. The cattlemen's group maintains the US border with Canada should be closed to all cattle and beef until this proof has been supplied.

The US currently allows beef and cattle that are under 30 months of age and aimed at slaughter before they reach 30 months of age to be imported.