Sunday, March 21, 2004
Mad Cow Disease
All right by popular demand I am back with yet another issue not directly related to politics like the last post, but this issue has both United States and Canadian politics centered around it. Mad Cow disease. Yes it’s been in the news for over a year now and living in Canada I can report to you from the Canada side of the border. Here is the latest news on the issue:
With the threat that bovine spongiform encephalopathy – also known as BSE, or mad cow disease – has begun to appear in the U.S., once again Canadians and Canadian cattle producers are worried about the potential impact on the economy and the culture.
For years, Canada had been virtually free of mad cow disease. But in May 2003, veterinary officials in Alberta confirmed that a sick cow sent to a slaughterhouse in January of that year had been inspected, found to be substandard, and removed so that it would not end up as food for humans or other animals. The carcass was, however, sent to a processing plant for rendering into oils. Its head was kept for testing. Samples were sent to the world testing laboratories in the U.K., which confirmed the case of mad cow.
Several ranches in Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan were quarantined as a precaution, including the infected cow's home ranch.
In an investigation into the source of the infection, 1,400 cows were slaughtered and tested for the disease. Only the single case was ever found.
Western premiers demanded $360 million compensation from the federal government for losses to the beef industry because of the mad cow scare. Ottawa would later offer $190 million.
Over the summer of 2003, cattle ranchers held barbeques across Canada to help promote Canadian beef.
In August, the U.S. reopened its borders to some Canadian beef, but the border was still closed to live cattle. By this time, a cow that would have normally sold for $1,300 was selling for $15. Canadian beef producers asked Ottawa to approve a mass slaughter of 620,000 cattle to reduce the size of the herd and prevent further damage to the industry.
In October, CBC News reported that the border would reopen to live cattle in December 2003. But on Dec. 23, 2003, the U.S. announced that it had discovered its first apparent case of BSE in a cow in Washington state.
Several countries banned beef from the U.S. soon after the announcement, but Canada restricted imports only on some products made from cattle and other ruminants. It still allowed the import of cattle destined for immediate slaughter, boneless beef from cattle under 30 months of age and dairy products.
DNA evidence later revealed that the cow was born in Canada, and the U.S. kept its border shut to live Canadian cattle.
Makes me wonder who is really to blame, one cow remember…. Hummm… does this make you wonder?
All right by popular demand I am back with yet another issue not directly related to politics like the last post, but this issue has both United States and Canadian politics centered around it. Mad Cow disease. Yes it’s been in the news for over a year now and living in Canada I can report to you from the Canada side of the border. Here is the latest news on the issue:
With the threat that bovine spongiform encephalopathy – also known as BSE, or mad cow disease – has begun to appear in the U.S., once again Canadians and Canadian cattle producers are worried about the potential impact on the economy and the culture.
For years, Canada had been virtually free of mad cow disease. But in May 2003, veterinary officials in Alberta confirmed that a sick cow sent to a slaughterhouse in January of that year had been inspected, found to be substandard, and removed so that it would not end up as food for humans or other animals. The carcass was, however, sent to a processing plant for rendering into oils. Its head was kept for testing. Samples were sent to the world testing laboratories in the U.K., which confirmed the case of mad cow.
Several ranches in Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan were quarantined as a precaution, including the infected cow's home ranch.
In an investigation into the source of the infection, 1,400 cows were slaughtered and tested for the disease. Only the single case was ever found.
Western premiers demanded $360 million compensation from the federal government for losses to the beef industry because of the mad cow scare. Ottawa would later offer $190 million.
Over the summer of 2003, cattle ranchers held barbeques across Canada to help promote Canadian beef.
In August, the U.S. reopened its borders to some Canadian beef, but the border was still closed to live cattle. By this time, a cow that would have normally sold for $1,300 was selling for $15. Canadian beef producers asked Ottawa to approve a mass slaughter of 620,000 cattle to reduce the size of the herd and prevent further damage to the industry.
In October, CBC News reported that the border would reopen to live cattle in December 2003. But on Dec. 23, 2003, the U.S. announced that it had discovered its first apparent case of BSE in a cow in Washington state.
Several countries banned beef from the U.S. soon after the announcement, but Canada restricted imports only on some products made from cattle and other ruminants. It still allowed the import of cattle destined for immediate slaughter, boneless beef from cattle under 30 months of age and dairy products.
DNA evidence later revealed that the cow was born in Canada, and the U.S. kept its border shut to live Canadian cattle.
Makes me wonder who is really to blame, one cow remember…. Hummm… does this make you wonder?
