BSE, Canada and the border

[Show Heifer]

I heard this morning that Canada had yet another bovine test positive for BSE. It was a bull, and although I didn't catch the age, the Canadian vet said "The bull was well  under by a few years ." Not sure if he was refering to the feed ban or the 30 month export limit.
Yet our Sec of Ag, Johnann (sp) stated this by no way threatened our importing beef under 30 months.
So how does everyone feel about this? And can my friends in Canada fill in my blanks, and explain THEIR view point.
I am not trying to point fingers, but am seeking information so that I can form an opinion. (Those that know me will find that funny - me not having an opinion!!)
It is warming a bit here, it is almost 20!!!! But a bit of wind so still cold!

 

[red]

Show Hef, I found this googling:

BSE CONFIRMED IN ALBERTA
OTTAWA, February 7, 2007 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the diagnosis of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a mature bull from Alberta. The animal's carcass is under CFIA control, and no part of it entered the human food or animal feed systems.

Preliminary information indicates that the age of the animal falls well within the age range of previous cases detected in Canada under the national BSE surveillance program. This signifies that the animal was exposed to a very small amount of infective material, most likely during its first year of life.

An epidemiological investigation directed by international guidelines is underway to examine what the animal was fed early in its life and to identify its herdmates at the time. All findings will be publicly released once the investigation concludes.

Under Canada's enhanced feed ban, which comes into effect on July 12, 2007, BSE should be eliminated from the national cattle herd within approximately 10 years. The CFIA expects the periodic detection of a limited number of cases to continue as the level of BSE continues to decline.

The finding of a mature animal should not impact Canada's BSE country categorization submission to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). The science-based BSE risk-level determination process requires that a country is able to demonstrate a full understanding of the pathways that resulted in BSE exposure and expression, as well as the implementation of appropriate comprehensive measures to block those pathways and protect human and animal health, leading to the eradication of the disease over time.

The animal was identified at the farm level by the national surveillance program, which has detected all cases found in Canada. The program targets the highest risk cattle populations and has tested roughly 150,000 animals since 2003. The surveillance results reflect an extremely low incidence of BSE in Canada.

- 30 -

 

[DL]

Oh this is a good one! I blame the media (how many times do we have to see that poor British Holstein staggering and falling or the British woman in end stage neurological disease) for creating mass hysteria regarding the safety of American and Canadian beef supply - and this mass hysteria lead to a series of onerous rules and regulations that had a disastrous effect on many aspects of the Canadian cattle industry. Add politics and pay backs to the mix and you have a mess. The media also did a real good job of confusing BSE with foot and mouth disease - the end result everyone thought all beef products were bad for one reason or another

The risk of getting BSE from  either  US or Canadian beef is so infinitesimally small that it is almost non existent. The risk of an animal less than 3 years of age having BSE is equally as small. I for one am annoyed that the border isn't opened fully - with the safeguards and testing in place that chance that a BSE animal will end up on our beef supply is so close to zero you can't see the difference. I miss my Canadian cattle friends and their cattle.

Now lets compare that to risks that we can all relate to and that somebody could do something about - drunk driving deaths or our soldiers killed in Iraq. If I remember correctly there have been less than 150 cases of early Jakob-Creutzfeld disease (the disease associated with the prion from BSE) in the entire world since we discovered the issue however many years ago that was.  Compare that to the number of drunk driving deaths per year or soldiers killed per month...

Should we ignore BSE - no -but IMHO currently it has minimal if any human health concerns and since the ban on ruminant proteins in cattle feed has been in place for a long time, testing has been ramped up and downer cows are no longer allowed to go to slaughter (which was also an excellent move from a welfare standpoint) it should hopefully become a non issue and maybe the media can focus on Paris Hilton or someone else who is employed as a celebrity!  ;D (and leave us cattle farmers alone!)

 

[Joe Boy]

I recently read that a vaccination has been made in Japan and another country had come up with it.  It was in the Farm Bureau magazine in January.  Did anyone else read it?

I am in agreement with DL and cannot understand why Japan and other countries have not opened their boarders to purchase our beef.

 

[genes]

Oh this is a good one! I blame the media (how many times do we have to see that poor British Holstein staggering and falling or the British woman in end stage neurological disease) for creating mass hysteria regarding the safety of American and Canadian beef supply

Glad to know I'm not the only one who noticed they only used that one image on every news story  :

Anyway, this is all I've read about this latest case as I've been away for a couple of days.  But I'm not very surprised.  I don't doubt that eating infectious material is a way of getting BSE, but I'm also inclined to think that it may not be the only way.  So now, because of all the issues, surveillance has increased so much, and they find these odd cases.  But I'm with DL, BSE is not what I worry about when I buy my beef.....between the low initial risks, the stepped up surveillance, and the removal of risky materials.

 

[garybob]

Because they are trying to get us to lower the price.  A few years ago, when I was working for Tyson, the Russians did the same thing. US-produced leg quarters were hurting the market for their domestic industry, but, they made all these bogus claims that the Chlorination used as a bacteriacide in the Post-evisceration Chilling Process was potentially harmful to human health. After all was said and done, they resumed business after Springdale lowered the price. It's all about the Benjamins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[garybob]

Because they are trying to get us to lower the price.  A few years ago, when I was working for Tyson, the Russians did the same thing. US-produced leg quarters were hurting the market for their domestic industry, but, they made all these bogus claims that the Chlorination used as a bacteriacide in the Post-evisceration Chilling Process was potentially harmful to human health. After all was said and done, they resumed business after Springdale lowered the price. It's all about the Benjamins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!