On January 2, 2005, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed that an older dairy cow from Alberta tested positive for BSE. The infected animal was born in 1996, prior to the country’s introduction of a feed ban in 1997. CFIA suspects the cow became infected by contaminated feed before the feed ban was in place.
The second positive case, announced January 11, was detected in an Alberta beef cow just under seven years of age. Based on preliminary information, feed produced prior to the introduction of the feed ban remains the most likely source of infection in this animal. No part of either animal entered the human food or animal feed systems.
Both infected cows were detected through Canada’s enhanced national surveillance program. In 2004, over 22,000 high-risk animals were tested for BSE. CFIA believes additional cases may be found as testing of these animals continues.
CFIA has determined the farms of origin for both infected animals and is continuing its investigation to identify any other animals of similar risk, specifically recently born offspring of the first infected animal and cattle born on the same farm within a year of that animal. The investigation of the second animal is being conducted independently of the first case.
Announcements of the BSE-infected animals came shortly following USDA’s release of a final rule that would ensure the continued protection of U.S. public and animal health from BSE, while removing prohibitions on the importation of certain animals and commodities from minimal-risk regions, of which Canada was the first country recognized. Prior to being able to import to the United States, each country must undergo a thorough risk assessment.
“We are committed to ensuring that our regulatory approach keeps pace with the body of scientific knowledge about BSE,” said Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman. “After conducting an extensive review, we are confident that imports of certain commodities from regions of minimal risk can occur with virtually no risk to human or animal health. Our approach is consistent with guidelines established by the World Organization for Animal Health, or OIE, and relies on appropriate, science-based risk mitigation measures.”
OIE recommendations provide guidelines for trade in cattle of any age, as well as beef and other cattle products, even from countries that are considered to be at high risk for BSE as long as appropriate mitigation measures are applied to protect both human and animal health.
As the first country recognized as a minimal-risk region, Canada will be eligible to export to the United States:
• live cattle for feeding or immediate slaughter under the age of 30 months, as long as they are slaughtered at less than 30 months;
• sheep or goats (ovines and ceprines) for feeding or immediate slaughter, as long as they are slaughtered at less than 12 months of age;
• meat from bovines, ovines, ceprines, and cervids (deer, elk, caribou, moose, and reindeer); and
• certain other products and by-products, including bovine livers and tongues, gelatin, and tallow.
Other restrictions spelled out in the 500-page rule, which takes effect March 7, 2005, include permanent marking of the animals as to their origin, requiring them to move in sealed containers to a feedlot or to slaughter, and not allowing them to move to more than one feedlot while in the United States.
USDA concluded that Canada meets the requirements for a minimal-risk region based on, among others, the following standards:
• prohibition of specified risk materials in human food;
• import restrictions sufficient to minimize exposure to BSE including stringent import restrictions since 1990 preventing the entry of live ruminants and ruminant products, including rendered protein products, from countries that have found BSE in native cattle or that are considered to be at significant risk for BSE;
• surveillance for BSE at levels that meet or exceed international guidelines since 1992 and surveillance at levels that exceed those guidelines for at least the past seven years;
• a ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban that has been in place and effectively enforced since August 1997, with compliance monitored through routine inspections;
• appropriate epidemiological investigations, risk assessment, and risk mitigation measures imposed as necessary.
USDA had no hesitation in continuing to implement the final rule in the wake of Canada’s most recent confirmed cases of BSE.
“USDA remains confident that the animal and public health measures that Canada has in place…combined with existing U.S. domestic safeguards and the additional safeguards announced as part of USDA’s BSE minimal-risk rule announced December 29 provide the utmost protections to U.S. consumers and livestock,” stated Ron DeHaven, administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, after Canada’s January 2nd announcement. “The extensive risk assessment conducted as part of USDA’s rulemaking process took into careful consideration the possibility that Canada could experience additional cases of BSE.
“According to the OIE guidelines, a country may be considered a BSE minimal-risk country if it has less than two cases per million cattle over 25 months of age during each of the previous four consecutive years,” DeHaven continued. “Considering Canada has roughly 5.5 million cattle over 24 months of age, under OIE guidelines, they could detect up to 11 cases of BSE in this population and still be considered a minimal-risk country, as long as their risk mitigation measures and other preventative measures were effective.”
DeHaven emphasized that the United States would be sending a technical team to Canada to evaluate the circumstances surrounding the recent discoveries.
Newsline - February 2005 Render