May 20, 2003
Case of mad cow disease found in Alberta.
The
Globe and Mail reports that a single case of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or "mad cow disease" has been found in a cow in Alberta, which has been destroyed and removed from the food chain. This is the second case in Canadian history, one being found in a cow in 1993. There have been no cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, the fatal brain disease one can catch from infected meat.
In response, the US has blocked the import of all Canadian beef products, hopefully a temporary move.
"USDA is placing Canada under its BSE restriction guidelines and will not accept any ruminants or ruminant products from Canada pending further investigation," the statement said. "We are dispatching a technical team to Canada to assist in the investigation and will provide more detailed information as it becomes available."
The inclusion of ruminants means that all shipments of sheep and goats are also banned.
