Canada's latest mad cow disease from 5-year-old cow

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed that the case of mad cow disease announced last week was a five-year-old Holstein cow from British Columbia.

As previously noted, no part of the animal's carcass entered the human food supply and no risk materials entered the animal feed system.

The animal's age is consistent with previous Canadian cases, which range from 50 months to 192 months of age. It also indicates that this animal was exposed to a very low amount of infective material, probably during its first year of life.

As the level of mad cow disease continues to decline, the periodic detection of a small number of cases is fully expected and in line with the experiences of other countries, the CFIA said. 

The CFIA continues to investigate and gather additional information about the animal's background, including tracing the animal's herdmates at birth, as defined by international BSE response guidelines. The CFIA will also undertake a comprehensive feed investigation to examine how this animal became infected.