BSE investigation heads south from Canada
Probe tracks 15 herdmates of B.C. dairy cow that had rare nerve disease; location, breed and age of cohort cow that was found in Washington not made public
Tam Moore
Capital Press Staff Writer
It’s happened again: Replacement dairy cattle associated with a Canadian bovine spongiform encephalopathy case were shipped to the U.S., including at least one in Washington state.
Canadian and U.S. animal health officials announced the cross-border investigation as part of investigating animals that might have eaten the same rations fed to a BSE-positive cow at a dairy in Chilliwack, B.C. The purebred Holstein was confirmed with BSE in mid-April.
It was a Canadian import tested after slaughter in December 2003 that became the first U.S. BSE case. That animal was one of several dozen from an Alberta dairy dispersal sale that ended up at dairies in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. In 2005, herdmates of another Canadian BSE cow were traced to the United States; none tested positive for BSE.
This time 15 herdmates of the B.C. dairy cow were shipped to the United States, and investigators located one of those animals in Washington, said Jim Rogers, spokesman for the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Rogers declined to disclose where in the state the cow was found. He did not know the breed or age of the animal.
The cohort cow was euthanized on April 27, and BSE tests were negative on April 28, Rogers said. It was unclear where the test was performed. Investigators were still searching for the remaining 14 animals, Rogers said.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture declined to comment and referred questions to Rogers.
Jay Gordon, executive director of the Washington State Dairy Federation, said the livestock industry has been in contact with state veterinarian Leonard Eldridge and offered help and support. Gordon said the industry has “a lot of faith” in Eldridge and his ability to handle the situation.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency last week traced a total of 23 animals that shared rations with the reactor cow. Eight head remain in Canada and were quarantined for slaughter and BSE testing. The BSE cow was born in 2000, three years after both Canada and the United States put in place a ban on feeding ruminant-derived protein to cattle and other ruminant animals.
CFIA veterinarian George Luterbach said about 150 animals are sought in the wide-ranging investigation. They include animals and their offspring born one year before and one year after the BSE cow, and offspring of those cattle.
Scientists believe that rendered protein from BSE-infected central nervous system tissue is the way the rare disease is passed on to other animals. Typically, it takes about five years after a calf eats tainted food before physical symptoms of the fatal brain-wasting disease are observed. In the Chilliwack case, a local veterinarian and the owner observed BSE symptoms and put down the animal for testing.
Canadian Press, Reuters and staff writer Peggy Steward contributed to this report. Tam Moore is based in Medford, Ore. His e-mail address is [email protected]
Probe tracks 15 herdmates of B.C. dairy cow that had rare nerve disease; location, breed and age of cohort cow that was found in Washington not made public
Tam Moore
Capital Press Staff Writer
It’s happened again: Replacement dairy cattle associated with a Canadian bovine spongiform encephalopathy case were shipped to the U.S., including at least one in Washington state.
Canadian and U.S. animal health officials announced the cross-border investigation as part of investigating animals that might have eaten the same rations fed to a BSE-positive cow at a dairy in Chilliwack, B.C. The purebred Holstein was confirmed with BSE in mid-April.
It was a Canadian import tested after slaughter in December 2003 that became the first U.S. BSE case. That animal was one of several dozen from an Alberta dairy dispersal sale that ended up at dairies in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. In 2005, herdmates of another Canadian BSE cow were traced to the United States; none tested positive for BSE.
This time 15 herdmates of the B.C. dairy cow were shipped to the United States, and investigators located one of those animals in Washington, said Jim Rogers, spokesman for the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Rogers declined to disclose where in the state the cow was found. He did not know the breed or age of the animal.
The cohort cow was euthanized on April 27, and BSE tests were negative on April 28, Rogers said. It was unclear where the test was performed. Investigators were still searching for the remaining 14 animals, Rogers said.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture declined to comment and referred questions to Rogers.
Jay Gordon, executive director of the Washington State Dairy Federation, said the livestock industry has been in contact with state veterinarian Leonard Eldridge and offered help and support. Gordon said the industry has “a lot of faith” in Eldridge and his ability to handle the situation.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency last week traced a total of 23 animals that shared rations with the reactor cow. Eight head remain in Canada and were quarantined for slaughter and BSE testing. The BSE cow was born in 2000, three years after both Canada and the United States put in place a ban on feeding ruminant-derived protein to cattle and other ruminant animals.
CFIA veterinarian George Luterbach said about 150 animals are sought in the wide-ranging investigation. They include animals and their offspring born one year before and one year after the BSE cow, and offspring of those cattle.
Scientists believe that rendered protein from BSE-infected central nervous system tissue is the way the rare disease is passed on to other animals. Typically, it takes about five years after a calf eats tainted food before physical symptoms of the fatal brain-wasting disease are observed. In the Chilliwack case, a local veterinarian and the owner observed BSE symptoms and put down the animal for testing.
Canadian Press, Reuters and staff writer Peggy Steward contributed to this report. Tam Moore is based in Medford, Ore. His e-mail address is [email protected]