Officials from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) have confirmed that a cow in Alberta did have BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy). This is the fourth case in Canada since 2003 (home-grown).
A laboratory for BSE located in Winnipeg confirmed the BSE infection.
BSE = Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy = Mad Cow Disease
The cow was a six-year old Holstein-Hereford cross-breed. CFIA officials said the animal did not enter the human food chain. The agency said the cow was detected on the farm where it was born and no part of it entered the food for human consumption or feed for animal consumption purposes.
Farmers are anxiously waiting to see whether this may lead to a fall in exports. A CFIA spokesperson said all animals less than 30 months old should not be affected by any exports.
Japan opened its market for USA beef exports recently and then quickly closed it up again.
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today