Mad Cow in Canada: The Science and the Story
(January 6, 2004 - CBC) With
the threat that bovine spongiform encephalopathy – also known as BSE, or
mad cow disease – has begun to appear in the U.S., once again Canadians
and Canadian cattle producers are worried about the potential impact on
the economy and the culture.
For years, Canada had been virtually free of mad cow disease. But in May
2003, veterinary officials in Alberta confirmed that a sick cow sent to a
slaughterhouse in January of that year had been inspected, found to be
substandard, and removed so that it would not end up as food for humans or
other animals. The carcass was, however, sent to a processing plant for
rendering into oils. Its head was kept for testing. Samples were sent to
the world testing laboratories in the U.K., which confirmed the case of
mad cow.
"What is important is that the system worked," said Alberta's
agriculture minister, Shirley McClellan. "We have a very thorough and
respected inspection system." She was insistent to remind the public
that the disease is not contagious within a herd.
But McClellan's assurances didn't stop the U.S., Japan, South Korea,
Australia and other countries from imposing temporary import bans of
Canadian beef.
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FACTS |
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Canada has close to 13.5 million cows and
calves. About 5.7 million (or 42 per cent) are in Alberta.
Canada's total beef exports amount to $2.2 billion
annually, and have risen sharply in recent years. Since
1991, beef exports have risen from 100,000 tonnes to about
500,000 tonnes. Growth in exports has been greatest to
Japan, South Korea and Mexico. Alberta's share of total
beef exports is 39 per cent (worth about $860 million a
year).
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Several ranches in Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan were quarantined as a
precaution, including the infected cow's home ranch.
In an investigation into the source of the infection, 1,400 cows were
slaughtered and tested for the disease. Only the single case was ever
found.
Western premiers demanded $360 million compensation from the federal
government for losses to the beef industry because of the mad cow scare.
Ottawa would later offer $190 million.
Over the summer of 2003, cattle ranchers held barbeques across Canada to
help promote Canadian beef.
In August, the U.S. reopened its borders to some Canadian beef, but the
border was still closed to live cattle. By this time, a cow that would
have normally sold for $1,300 was selling for $15. Canadian beef producers
asked Ottawa to approve a mass slaughter of 620,000 cattle to reduce the
size of the herd and prevent further damage to the industry.
In October, CBC News reported that the border would reopen to live cattle
in December 2003. But on Dec. 23, 2003, the U.S. announced that it had
discovered its first apparent case of BSE in a cow in Washington state.
Several countries banned beef from the U.S. soon after the announcement,
but Canada restricted imports only on some products made from cattle and
other ruminants. It still allowed the import of cattle destined for
immediate slaughter, boneless beef from cattle under 30 months of age and
dairy products.
DNA evidence later revealed that the cow was born in Canada, and the U.S.
kept its border shut to live Canadian cattle.
The British Connection
Previously, Canada had only one case of a cow infected with BSE. The
animal, reported on a farm near Red Deer, Alta., in December of 1993, was
imported from Britain. Agriculture Canada opted to destroy the animal and
its five herd mates.
Mexico, one of the largest importers of Canadian beef at the time,
temporarily banned imports of Canadian cattle after the incident. The
United States, another major consumer of Canadian beef, sent observers to
Canada to see how the incident was handled.
As a result, and because of the rumours of possible human health
implications circulating in Britain, the Ministry of Agriculture decided
to destroy any animal imported from Britain between 1982 and 1990, the
year a ban was placed on British beef imports to Canada. This slaughter
also included the offspring of any of those animals.
All told, 363 animals were destroyed and their owners compensated. Some
said the destruction was unnecessary, especially the farmers whose cattle
were killed, but the ministry said it was better to err on the side of
caution after seeing what was happening in Britain.
During the summer of 1995, the disease surfaced again. The Canadian Red
Cross Society revealed two of its donors had died of Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease, CJD. Two years later, concern over blood was raised again after a
man was found to be a carrier of a gene linked to a hereditary form of CJD.
In August 2002, doctors confirmed a man in Saskatchewan died from new
variant CJD – the human counterpart to mad cow disease. He had spent
some time in the United Kingdom and it appeared he acquired the disease
while he was there, doctors said.
The man had an endoscopic examination before he died and that equipment
was then used on other patients. However, because of disinfection and
cleaning procedures, the risk of cross contamination is minute. Public
health officials phoned patients who had received examinations with the
endoscope to inform them.
It's still not known if the disease can be transmitted through blood
products.
In 1996, the Canadian government suspended imports of British beef embryos
and semen. Agriculture Canada also began a review of the practice of using
meat meal and bone meal as a protein source in beef cattle feed. In 1997,
changes designed to keep animal parts out of animal feeds were
implemented.
Canada also doesn't import meat or bone meal from nations where cows have
been found to have BSE.
In spite of Canadian officials' confidence, a European Commission report
released in 2000 placed Canada in the second rank of risk for mad cow
disease. A top rank designates almost no risk.
The report cited the fact that, before 1992, mammalian meat and bone meal
were routinely fed to cattle. It also noted that material containing nerve
endings was rendered at temperatures too low to kill off the agent of mad
cow disease, and was still used for feed.
For these reasons, the report concluded a small element of risk is still
present for Canada's cattle. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it
will make an appeal to the EC's scientific steering committee, asking for
a better designation. |
