The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is continuing its investigation into the confirmed case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) earlier this month in a beef cow from northern Alberta. Despite the Canadian Agriculture Minister’s assurances the one case of BSE would not impact the Canadian beef trade, South Korea initiated a temporary ban on beef imports from the country on February 13.
CFIA will need to reassure the BSE case does not “pose a health hazard to the Korean people,” John Masswohl, director of government and international relations for the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association said in an email Sunday.
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) still classifies Canada as a controlled BSE risk country, but the CFIA is saying this case does not affect current exports of Canadian cattle or beef.
The CFIA stressed at a press briefing on Feb. 13 that the present case proves the “robustness” of the national BSE surveillance program Canada has in place. Paul Mayers, VP of policy and programs for the CFIA said the detection of a small number of cases out of the 30,000 samples taken annually is not unexpected as Canada continues its ongoing management of BSE.
SRM feed ban and feed investigation
In cattle infected with BSE, the virus concentrates in certain tissues, known as specified risk materials (SRM). These tissues are removed from all cattle slaughtered for human consumption. In an effort to limit the spread of the BSE, most proteins and SRM were banned from animal feed in 1997 by the Canadian government. In 2007, the regulations were further tightened, banning SRM from animal feed, pet food and fertilizers.
As part of the CFIA’s investigation, the age of the cow will be confirmed, as well as its history, including a focus on the feed it consumed during its first year. The agency will also be investigating all animals at an equivalent risk, and if any are found, they will be destroyed.
