New Case of BSE
At a news conference held today, Health Canada stated this finding does not indicate an increased risk to food safety. Rather, the most important policy for protecting human health is one which requires the removal of specified risk material (SRM) from all animals entering the human food supply. SRM are tissues that, in infected cattle, contain the BSE agent. This measure is internationally recognized as the most effective means to protect public health from BSE.
The infected animal was born just after the feed ban was introduced 1997. However, at that time, there was no recall issued for feed already in the system. It is suspected that the animal became infected by contaminated feed produced before the feed ban.
This animal was identified through the national surveillance program which tested more than 22,000 cattle in 2004. The Government of Canada says it will not be surprised if there are a few additional cases of BSE, as increased testing for BSE will be from among those animals most at risk of BSE.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will keep Canadians informed of the latest information with regular updates. See links below for further details.
