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Latest Case of Canadian BSE has U.S. WorriedTuesday, July 25, 2006CBC News On Thursday, Canada confirmed its seventh case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or “mad cow disease”). The 50-month old animal is the country’s youngest known victim of the disease, and was born after a limited ban on the inclusion of high-risk material in feed had been instituted. The animal’s age indicates there is a higher level of infectivity than assumed by both Canadian and U.S. authorities, given the disease incubation period. In December 2004, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recognized Canada as a "minimal-risk region." Under this classification, the U.S. will not again close its borders to Canadian beef unless there are two or more cases of BSE per one million cattle older than 24 months in each of four consecutive years. In other words, Canada can have up to 11 cases of BSE and still be considered a safe country for cattle exports. Canada is stepping up its safeguards. Last month the government announced that, next year, cattle tissues that could transmit BSE will no longer be allowed in pet foods, chicken feed and fertilizer. The U.S. feed ban is not as restrictive as Canada's, and the new case may cause foreign markets to question the effectiveness of North America's preventive strategies. The USDA said it is sending experts to Canada to investigate the finding. The seven Canadian cases do not include an imported British animal and another one born in Canada but discovered in Washington state. |