Manitoba_Rancher
Well-known member
OTTAWA, March 9, 2007 - The Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board, today issued the following statement in response to the preliminary recommendation from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) that Canada be categorized as a Controlled Risk country for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). A final decision will be made at the OIE's General Assembly meeting in May.
"Canada's New Government is appreciative that international animal health experts have recommended that Canada be officially recognized as a country that is effectively controlling BSE risks. The OIE's science-based categorization system provides the framework for fair and standardized international trade based on the safeguards that trading partners have implemented.
"There is a high level of international confidence and respect for the effectiveness of Canada's BSE control measures and our commitment to protecting animal and public health. This has been demonstrated by the unprecedented market recovery achieved to date. Should the preliminary categorization be adopted, it would provide further proof, endorsed by animal health experts, that Canada has taken responsible actions to manage BSE that are internationally recognized."
"Canada's New Government is appreciative that international animal health experts have recommended that Canada be officially recognized as a country that is effectively controlling BSE risks. The OIE's science-based categorization system provides the framework for fair and standardized international trade based on the safeguards that trading partners have implemented.
"There is a high level of international confidence and respect for the effectiveness of Canada's BSE control measures and our commitment to protecting animal and public health. This has been demonstrated by the unprecedented market recovery achieved to date. Should the preliminary categorization be adopted, it would provide further proof, endorsed by animal health experts, that Canada has taken responsible actions to manage BSE that are internationally recognized."
