Canada Blames Bad Feed for Latest Mad Cow Case
Date: 06-Mar-06
Country: CANADA
"There's no question now that the feed is the primary source of infectivity," said Dr. Gary Little, acting senior staff veterinarian for the agency, which concluded its investigation of the case Friday.
He said the agency could not determine at what stage the feed was contaminated.
"We know a cross-contamination could occur in the manufacturing of the product, during the transportation of the product distribution, or it could have occurred on the farm in the storage," Little said.
The discovery of mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, in an Alberta dairy cow in January triggered fears of another crisis in the North American beef industry. The agency assured consumers at the time that no part of the animal entered food for human or animal consumption.
The agency said it had found no more cases of mad cow after tracing two of the affected animal's offspring and 156 cattle born on the same farm as it 12 months before and after its birth.
The infected cow, Canada's fourth native-born BSE case, was born in 2000 after the Canadian government prohibited cattle from eating feed containing ruminant protein in 1997.
The ban followed Britain's mad cow outbreak and aims to limit the spread of BSE and eventually eradicate the disease.
"This conclusion is consistent with the experiences of most BSE-affected countries where BSE continues to be detected, in diminishing numbers, in animals born after the implementation of feed controls," the agency said.
The infected cow's feed was manufactured in Canada, Little said.
Feed inspections have increased over the last few years and feed mills will continue to be inspected more frequently, Little said.