Canadian officials have enlisted a team of international experts from the US, Europe and New Zealand to investigate Canada’s first case of BSE to be detected in a decade.
Dr Brian Evans, chief veterinary officer of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said the inspectors would be finished by Monday, June 2 and stated that if the results of the report are positive it will be a major step towards resuming Canadian beef exports.
The US deputy administrator of veterinary services, Ron DeHaven, has applauded Canada for “going the extra mile” in assembling the group of four experts.
Since the single case was confirmed on May 20, 2003, a total of 18 farms have been quarantined in Western Canada. Four of the farms were removed from the list on Friday and more are expected to be taken off shortly. More than 2,000 cattle have been killed and tested and while several hundred tests are still to come back, there have been no further positive results.
Louise Greenberg, Saskatchewan's assistant deputy minister of agriculture, has meanwhile claimed that around 600 cattle from non-quarantined farms in Alberta and Saskatchewan have also been shipped for slaughter.
Dr Evans stated that the animals were taken off non-quarantined farms as they were suspected of either having a genetic connection to the infected cow or having eaten the same feed as she did back in 1995 and 1996.
