TORONTO (AP)--Some Canadian cattlemen and the Premier of the western Canadian province of Alberta are considering a cull of older cattle to restore international confidence in Canadian beef after two cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy have been found in recent weeks.

All four cattle in North America--three in Canada and one in Washington state--found since May 2003 with BSE have been traced to Alberta farms. The latest announcement on Jan. 11 has caused additional concern because it was born after a 1997 ban on feed believed to be the source of the brain-wasting illness.

Alberta Premier Ralph Klein said Jan. 12 he would be discussing a cull with federal Agriculture Minister Andy Mitchell and Alberta Agriculture Minister Doug Horner.

"Is a cull necessary? Yes," Klein said in Toronto. "I think the ranching industry will come to that conclusion and will devise a way to achieve that cull."

Once rejected as an extreme reaction, a cull is being considered to combat the illness and convince trading partners that Canadian beef is safe.

Stan Eby of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association says a cull would send a strong message to Canada's trading partners, especially the United States, where protectionist interests are fighting plans to reopen the border to Canadian cattle.

"The perception and reality would be that Canada is taking very aggressive steps to clean up a potential problem," said Eby.

The cull idea was discussed Jan. 13 during a meeting of beef industry officials in Ottawa, the nation's capital.

"It may gain momentum now," said Eby.

U.S. Department of Agriculture officials said Jan. 11 they are sending a team to Canada to evaluate the latest BSE case before deciding whether to change their plan to resume imports on March 7.

An association of U.S. meat packers said Jan. 12 that the border should be reopened on schedule.

"The U.S. should move forward with its decision to import live Canadian cattle and meat products because the firewalls to ensure BSE prevention and food safety are intact," said James Hodges, president of the American Meat Institute Foundation.

However, a group of U.S. cattlemen have sued to block the lifting of the ban. The cattlemen say allowing the trade will hurt U.S. producers and put consumers at risk.

Canadian officials have stressed there is no threat to Canada's food supply and that the positive tests are proof that increased surveillance is working.

A spokesman for Alberta's feedlots said the industry raised the issue of a cull to deal with older animals within months of the first cow testing positive for BSE in May 2003, but was rebuffed by government officials.

"We got tremendous push-back, that they weren't going down that road, so we backed off, but a cull has always been one of the strategies industry has talked about," said Ron Axelson of the Alberta Cattle Feeders.

The U.S. and some 30 other countries closed their borders to Canadian beef after that first case, a move estimated to have cost the Canadian industry at least US$3 billion.

The latest sick cow was born after a 1997 feed ban in Canada removed the use of animal remains in feed, commonly believed to be the cause of the disease.

However, Brian Evans, Canada's chief veterinarian said the cow was most likely exposed to feed that had been bought before the ban.

Date: 1/26/05

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