Canadian officials confirm nation's fifth BSE case

Canada feed ban changes on the way;R-CALF leaders question beef safety

By Jeff Caldwell

Confirmatory tests conducted at Canada's National Center for Foreign Animal Disease in Winnipeg have verified infection of a cow suspected to be infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

The six-year-old dairy cow was non-ambulatory and euthanized before field tests indicated an initial positive result April 13. No part of the animal--discovered during routine testing as part of Canada's BSE surveillance program--entered either the human food or animal feed chains.

According to the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, the finding was expected and indicates no greater risk in the safety of Canadian beef. Canadian officials have tested almost 17,000 animals so far in 2006 as part of the nation's BSE surveillance program similar to the one in the U.S. Just under 58,000 head were tested for BSE in 2005.

"Diagnosis of a few additional cases of BSE in Canada is not unexpected and should not impact current trade in beef or live cattle," according to a CCA release.

While industry leaders and government officials indicated the BSE discovery was not unusual, the animal's age was: Being only six years old, the cow was born around three years after the implementation of a ruminant-to-ruminant feeding ban. According to CCA, this is still consistent with BSE prevalence around the world.

"While the animal was born after the introduction of the feed ban, almost every country with BSE has found and continues to find a few cases born after the introduction of feed controls," according to a CCA release.

Officials in the Canadian government agreed that there was no surprise in the infected animal's age.

"The age of this animal would be consistent with previous cases and exposure to a low level of BSE infectivity," according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. "Similar situations are common to almost all BSE-affected countries that have introduced feed controls."

Revisiting the feed ban, gauging beef trade effects

Despite the confidence Canadian officials showed in the nation's protocols for BSE protection, Canadian officials indicated they would soon be announcing tighter animal feeding regulations to strengthen the nation's existing feed ban.

"Although the design, implementation and compliance of Canada's feed ban have been rigorously assessed by a number of countries over the past several years, and have been described as robust and effectively enforced, the Government is committed to continuously making improvements where possible," according to an April 16 CFIA release. "An enhanced feed ban would accelerate the eradication of BSE in Canada. Accordingly, the CFIA has published proposed regulatory amendments, and following extensive consultations, is now in the process of finalizing their content."

Actions are also being taken to gauge the effects the new case may have on beef trade. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, while he did indicate there should be no effect on beef traded between the two nations, did say the U.S. officials had been invited to conduct their own investigation into the BSE case. This week, this investigation will be underway.

"With the confirmation of a new BSE case in Canada, Minister [of Agriculture and Agri-Food Chuck] Strahl has invited the United States to participate in the epidemiologic investigation. We will dispatch a USDA animal health expert to Canada on Monday [April 24]," Johanns said April 16. "Information gathered through this investigation will help us to determine what, if any, impact this should have on our beef and live cattle trade with Canada.

"Based on the information currently available, I do not anticipate a change in the status of our trade."

Johanns stopped short of indicating the low yet accepted prevalence of BSE in younger animals, as his Canadian counterparts. He did add, however, the system for surveillance and monitoring BSE in Canada is effective and leaves no doubt that food safety is unaffected by the disease.

"It is important to note that Canada's monitoring system identified this animal as one that should be removed from the food and feed supply chain, ensuring food safety continues to be protected," Johanns said.

One U.S. group cries foul

As both U.S. and Canadian food safety and agriculture officials voiced confidence in the beef supply despite the latest BSE case, members of the organization R-CALF USA painted a much different picture April 18. According to an R-CALF release, the group accused USDA of lax oversight and indicated there exists a real danger in the fact the latest BSE-positive animal is younger than the feed ban. According to R-CALF calculations, the actual numbers of BSE prevalence in Canada are misrepresented.

"This new case actually is Canada's sixth confirmed case of BSE in native-born cattle, not its fifth, as reported by USDA, which continues to overlook the December 2003 case found in Washington state in a cow imported from Alberta," according to the R-CALF release. "More worrisome is that this latest incident is Canada's fourth detected case in a little more than a year, and that Canada continues to test significantly fewer cattle compared to other BSE-affected countries."

R-CALF president Chuck Kiker, a stern opponent of the federal government's handling of BSE, said the feed ban is not sufficient to stem the spread of the disease, and "stronger measures" should be implemented to protect food safety.

"Half of all Canadian BSE cases confirmed so far were in animals born after Canada implemented its 1997 feed ban, a precaution USDA incorrectly assumed would halt the spread of the disease within Canada's feed system and its cattle herd," Kiker said. "USDA's previous optimistic assumptions are no longer valid."

As a result of this latest BSE case, according to R-CALF, the group's leaders have called upon USDA to place a moratorium on the importation of Canadian cattle and beef "at least until Canada adopts the minimal risk mitigation measures practiced in other BSE-affected countries that have identified BSE cases in cattle born after the implementation of a feed ban," according to a press release. The reason: According to Bill Bullard, R-CALF CEO, Canada is failing to meet international standards for BSE testing.

"Currently, Canada is testing fewer cattle than any other countries affected by BSE, including the United States, and is testing at a rate far below that recommended by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)," Bullard said.

R-CALF's claim, however, was rebutted by CCA officials who say Canadian testing protocols meet international food safety standards.

"Canada has been surveilling animals for BSE at levels above those recommended by international animal health authorities," according to a CCA release. "The purpose of the surveillance program is to measure the level of BSE in the Canadian cattle herd. Other measures, such as removal of specified risk materials from all cattle slaughtered, ensure food safety."

Jeff Caldwell can be reached by phone at 515-280-5405 or by e-mail at jcaldwell@mchsi.com.

Date: 4/21/06

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