BSE Confirmed in Manitoba Cow

BSE Confirmed in Manitoba Cow
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/newcom/2006/
20060704e.shtml
July 4, 2006

Excerpt...

OTTAWA – Final test results have confirmed bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a mature cross-bred beef cow from Manitoba.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is conducting a comprehensive investigation. Officials have confirmed the animal was purchased by the owner as part of an assembled group of cattle in 1992. This means that the animal was at least 15 years of age and would have been born well before the 1997 introduction of Canada’s feed ban. As a priority, investigators are attempting to locate the birth farm, which will provide the basis needed to identify the animal’s herdmates and feed to which it may have been exposed at a young age. Given the animal’s age, investigative efforts may be constrained by few surviving animals and limited sources of information, such as detailed records. A calf born to the affected animal in 2004 is also being traced.

The safety of Canada’s food supply remains protected through the removal of specified risk material (SRM) from all cattle slaughtered for human consumption....On June 26, 2006, the CFIA announced regulatory enhancements to Canada’s feed ban, which further strengthen the animal feed system.