060134 USDA: Newest BSE Case No Surprise

Twin Falls,ID - The newest case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Canada will not alter the flow of Canadian beef and live cattle into the United States, contends the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Mike Johanns, USDA secretary, affirmed the department’s stance earlier this week, saying "I anticipate no change in the status of beef or live cattle imports to the U.S. from Canada under our established agreement (between the U.S. and Canada)."

Johann’s statement came after Canada announced on Monday that a 6-year-old cow from an Alberta dairy farm tested positive for BSE.

The degenerative nerve disease is thought to be transmitted to humans if they eat infected meat, resulting in the fatal human form of the disease, variant Creutz-feldt Jakob’s disease. Canadian officials said no part of the animal reached the food supply. The latest BSE discovery marks the fourth case in Canada since 2003. Canadian Food Inspection Agency spokesman Brian Evans said the case was "unwelcome but not unexpected."

"The geographic location and age of this animal are consistent with the three domestic cases previously detected," he said.

John Harrington, chief livestock analyst for the Data Transmission Network agreed the discovery of another BSE case was not "statistically surprising."

Harrington explained that after Canada’s initial outbreak in 2003, scientists measured the size of the Canadian cattle herd against the probability of how many cases were likely to surface after the ruminant feed ban was put in place.

"If you found one, you would probably find more," he said. "At the time, the OIE (World Organization for Animal Health said they would expect to find about 12 cases n eventually they would show up."

As long as no more than 12 cases are found, "we know it is related to defective feed and not a bigger problem," he said.

"If we get above 12, then we better go back to the drawing board," he said.

Idaho Cattle Association President Mike Webster said the latest Canadian episode will have little effect on Idaho producers, other than "we sure hate to see it in the news."

Although the Canadian cow was born after the feed ban was in place, Webster said he knows from experience that when truckloads of feed or supplements are delivered, old feed can get pushed to the back and fed as long as two years later.

"The important thing to remember is that the situation was taken care of like it was supposed to be," he said. "The producer followed procedure, the animal was tested and the whole carcass was destroyed. The system worked like it was supposed to."

However, Bill Bullard, chief executive officer for the Ranchers-Cattlemen’s Action Legal Fund USA, said Canada is not testing enough cattle based on the number of BSE discovered there.

"The OIE recommends nations that have not yet identified any cases of BSE should test at least 187,000 cattle consecutively ... regardless of the size of that country’s cattle herd," he said. "Canada has only tested approximately 90,000 head since the discovery of their first case of BSE in 2003. And even after discovering four confirmed cases of BSE, Canada tested only 57,000 cattle in all of 2005, an amount insufficient to meet the minimal testing requirements recommended by the OIE."

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO Terry Sokes said the United States only accepts beef and cattle under 30 months of age, an internationally recognized age marker for safety.

"The bottom line for our consumers n in the United States and around the world n remains the same: U.S. beef is safe," he said.

There are people who would argue both ways on the 30-month and older rule but "every time there is a case of BSE, it is a cause for concern," Harrington said.

"The government has a responsibility to respond to consumers’ concerns and must dot all the I’s and cross all the T’s when it comes to dealing with this," he said.

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