02.07.07
BSE Confirmation in Alberta Bull
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has recently confirmed a diagnosis of mad cow disease (aka Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) in a mature bull from the province of Alberta.
The animal’s carcass is under CFIA control for BSE, and no part of it entered the human food or animal feed systems, the agency said in a release Wednesday.
In recent years, Canadian animals have been found with eight other confirmed cases of BSE, which includes five in 2006 which prompted a temporary ban on beef trade with the United States. Three cases of BSE have also been previously been reported in the USA.
It is important to note that this case was found as a result of the strict safeguards put in place to prevent spread of the disease. Canada has over 13 million cows and calves, and over 40% of them are in the province of Alberta. One isolated case, such as this, is nothing to panic over. The exact findings of the case are under review and will be made available to the public once their analysis is complete.
