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Maybe this is why ....

Kato

Well-known member
Maybe there is a reason that the U.S. "does not have BSE". Could it be the surveillance system? Or lack of? :?

Thanks to some snippets from the CFIA website, here is a history of the Canadian BSE cases. See if anyone can spot a trend???

Case 1 May 2003

This cow was found and condemned at a slaughter plant because she was down. Interestingly she had been delivered to the plant by a former Missouri catfish farmer who had moved to Alberta. :wink:

Case 2 – Dec 2004

Preliminary BSE testing results completed late on December 29, 2004 have identified a suspect 10-year-old dairy cow. The suspect animal was detected through the national surveillance program, (aka - tested on the farm) implemented in co-operation with the provinces and the animal health community. Testing was conducted after the animal was identified as a downer, one of the high-risk categories targeted by the surveillance program.

Case 3 – Jan 2005

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) today announced that Canada’s national surveillance program has detected bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in an Alberta beef cow. The infected animal was detected through the recently enhanced national surveillance program. (aka - tested on the farm)


Case 4 – Jan 2006

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) today confirmed bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in an approximately six-year-old cross-bred cow born and raised in Alberta. No part of the animal entered the human food or animal feed systems. This finding is not unexpected and was identified through Canada’s national surveillance program, (aka - tested on the farm) which targets cattle at highest risk of being infected with BSE. The program has tested more than 87,000 animals since Canada’s first BSE case in 2003.

Are we starting to see a trend here? :!: :!: :!: :!:

Case 5 – April 2006

No part of the animal-an approximately six-year-old dairy cow-entered the human food or animal feed systems, and the entire carcass has been placed under control. The cow was identified on a Fraser Valley farm through the national BSE surveillance program. (aka - tested on the farm)

Case 6 – July 2006

Manitoba cow – turned out to be atypical. 16 years old. Tested on the farm.

Case 7 – July 2006

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a 50-month-old dairy cow from Alberta. This animal, along with all previous cases, was detected through the national surveillance program, which targets the highest risk animal populations. (aka - tested on the farm)

Case 8 – Aug 2006

On August 9, 2006, a commercial beef cow on a farm in northern Alberta died following a short history of neurological disease. The following day a private practitioner sampled the cow under Canada’s National BSE Surveillance Program. (aka - tested on the farm)


Case 9 – Feb. 2007

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the diagnosis of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a mature bull from Alberta. The animal's carcass is under CFIA control, and no part of it entered the human food or animal feed systems. The animal was identified at the farm level by the national surveillance program, which has detected all cases found in Canada.


Case 10 – April 2007

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the diagnosis of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a mature dairy cow from British Columbia. The British Columbia animal was identified at the farm level by the national surveillance program, which has detected all cases found in Canada. The program targets cattle most at risk and has tested about 160,000 animals since 2003. The surveillance results reflect an extremely low incidence of BSE in Canada.


Even a blind man 8) 8) could see that the reason we have found BSE in Canada is because we are actually looking for it. We are not denying it, and we are serious about tracking down every case.

Not one of these animals was processed, and only the first one left the farm. Other than in rural areas, they aren't even mentioned on the news any more. It's been a painful process, but we have kept our integrity, and we have kept consumer confidence.

After all, even if there is BSE in a national herd, the protocols implemented in the slaughter of animals are designed to protect consumers from risk. These protocols are in place in the U.S. too, aren't they? If so, then Canadian cattle pose no risk to American consumers either. To protest too much about Canadian cattle in the system is to imply that the slaughter system is substandard.

The surveillance system on the farm is there to establish the prevalence, and only by testing the high risk animals, can you really do that. Testing young healthy cattle is just a smokescreen designed to make it seem like something is being done to protect consumers. Just a diversion. :!:

When those who sit back in their chairs and point fingers at Canada for having BSE finally decide to strap on a pair and really test American cattle in a serious manner, then maybe we will start to listen to their ranting about how much safer American beef is. When they submit a sample from that old crock that died out behind the barn, or from the downer that couldn't be dragged onto a trailer, then they will have some credibility.

Walk the walk ........ we do.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
You forgot one portion from the CFIA website Kato- and this is the reason the CFIA and others believe you have such epidemic cluster areas in Canada...Its a known that BSE has been in, probably circulating in and spreading for 14+ years- since 1993.......

This was 4 years after the US had already quit issuing import permits on UK/European cattle/feed products- and had implemented a voluntary feedban- 1989...

That is what has made Canada cattle/beef a higher risk......

In 1993 BSE was found in a beef cow that had been imported from the UK in 1987. In response, Canada took the decision to eliminate all UK-origin animals that were still alive from the Canadian herd. These animals were removed, sampled and tested and all returned negative results for BSE.

Although these UK-origin animals were widely dispersed across Canada, only 10 had come from farms in the UK where BSE was eventually detected. Two of these animals were birth cohorts of the 1993 imported case.
 

elwapo

Well-known member
Oldtimer
Since you all refuse to test American animals at the farm level I will do it for you.
I am getting the vet out this week to do a BSE test on a bull that was imported from Georgia in the early 2000's. He has been ill and dropping condition and not responsive to any treatment.
 

Kato

Well-known member
That were still alive. So??? What's your point?

From 1996

By Daniel P. Puzo
Los Angeles Times

About 500 head of British beef cattle were imported to the United States for breeding during the 1980s, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which nevertheless reaffirms that mad cow disease is isolated in Britain.

There is no evidence that any of the 113 imported animals still alive carry bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, which has been linked to the onset of Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease in humans in Britain.

The cattle industry there has been under siege since a report linked 10 cases of the fatal brain disorder to individuals who may have consumed contaminated beef.

The British-born animals are scattered throughout the United States. The majority are located in Alabama, Texas, :!: :shock: :shock: New York and Vermont, and have been cross-bred with domestic cows. There is no way of knowing whether those animals carry the disease, since only post-slaughter laboratory examinations can identify it.

USDA veterinarians inspect the known remaining British cattle every six months and have found "no indication that they are infected with BSE," an agency spokeswoman said.

No quarantine is planned.

Between 1981 and 1989, there were 499 head of cattle imported from Britain. Of that total, 343 are known to be dead; eight have been exported to Mexico and Canada and 113 are still alive. The status of the remaining 35 animals is unknown, according to the USDA.

The 343 known-dead cattle were slaughtered for their meat, which was most likely sold to the public in the form of ground beef.

Beef industry representatives and federal officials insist that there have been no cases of mad cow disease - believed to be caused by a protein disorder - in this country.

:!: So where in this article does it state that your potential problems are any different from ours? Time to get the head out of the sand.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Kato- Its quite apparent that the US's implementing such an early voluntary feedban- and the early banning of European cattle, followed by the mandated rules worked in the States-- where it hasn't in Canada.....

Even the Canadian government has admitted/is admitting the feedban did not/is not working when they put in the "enhanced" feedban which goes into effect in July, 2007....This has given the disease 10+ more years to manifest itself and spread...The reason all the 4, 5, 6, year old animals are appearing now at a bimonthly rate....

If, as you insinuate, the US had BSE equal to or more than Canada, with the large amount of animals tested in the size of the US herd- they would have found 100's of US cattle- where not even one typical strain animal was found- unlike Canada that has 12 origin typicals and 1 origin atypical.....

That said- I do disagree with USDA's plan to sit back on their laurels and cut back on testing- I think its something that needs to continue to get a better understanding of the disease-And to continue providing a guarantee that everything is still working- with ALL types of cattle, UTM's OTMs, downers, and slaughter animals- both by the government and Private packers...
 

DiamondSCattleCo

Well-known member
Oldtimer said:
Kato- Its quite apparent that the US's implementing such an early voluntary feedban- and the early banning of European cattle, followed by the mandated rules worked in the States-- where it hasn't in Canada.....

<sigh> Apparently you just didn't catch the drift from Kato's original post OT. You guys aren't testing off the farm downer animals in the same numbers as we are. Not even remotely close. So how would you know?

Just answer that one question OT: How would you know what your true infection rate is OT?

Unfortunately, we'll never know, since the US will never increase testing to the same standards as Canada, so we'll have to live with blowholes like OT spewing garbage from now until the end of time.

Rod
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Rod- All that does for me is question how epidemic the disease is in Canada or else Canucks management practices if they are having all these cattle dying in the farmyard :shock: :???: Down here the almost total majority of cows die at the slaughter house....
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
Ohh please OT do yiou honestly believe your own B.S. I've hung around enough U'S stockyards to see what gets pushed-pulled or dragged to the kill floor.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Northern Rancher said:
Ohh please OT do yiou honestly believe your own B.S. I've hung around enough U'S stockyards to see what gets pushed-pulled or dragged to the kill floor.

And that was the reason that USDA had contracts with slaughter plants, dogfood plants, renderers etal to test these type animals- which Kato and Ron mistakenly insinuate didn't get tested....

Up there they died on farm- because they weren't worth hauling to town- but down here while the border was closed which gave us record high cull cow prices, it was worth hauling everything to town- even if it was only good for dogfood.... I believe this is one of the reasons the USDA decided to test these animals at those central locations, rather than run helter skelter around the country.....
 

DiamondSCattleCo

Well-known member
Oldtimer said:
Rod- All that does for me is question how epidemic the disease is in Canada or else Canucks management practices if they are having all these cattle dying in the farmyard :shock: :???: Down here the almost total majority of cows die at the slaughter house....

:roll: :roll: Now I've heard it all. :roll: :roll: You guys don't have any livestock that die on farm? No on farm downers? :roll:

You're always good for a laugh OT.

BTW OT, the blizzards in the Dakotas a few years back. How many cattle died on farm? 30,000? 40,000? During those blizzards, all I could think about was "hmmmm, those snows aren't any worse than we get up here during a normal winter. Why are they losing so many cattle?"

Don't try to insult management practices OT when you yourself just got done yipping about ranch managers who turned their livestock out and then didn't see them for 6 months. Oh thats right, thats why you guys never test on-farm downers. By the time you find them, the 'yotes have eaten them already.

You change your story more than your underwear OT.

Rod
 

Kato

Well-known member
Elwapo. You are to be commended. :!: :clap:

OT...

High risk cattle are evaluated to meet a criteria. We call them the 4 D's. Dead. Diseased. Down. Dying.

I don't care what the price of cattle is, this type of animal should never leave the farm!!!! :shock: :shock: If they are one of the 4 D's they have no business being at a packing plant, and up here they don't get to one.

Who wants to put something like that into the food chain? :? :?
 
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Anonymous

Guest
So thats what you consider high suspect cows-- cows that die in a blizzard :???: Or fall thru the ice in the river :???: Do 2 year olds that prolapse their insides out and get a lead pill fall into your suspect group :???:

I'll be the last to ever back the USDA policies- but the facts and figures are out there--- with hundreds of 1000's of cattle tested in the US at all types of locations- on farm/slaughter/dogfood plants/renderers-- and NOT ONE came back positive for typical BSE- except for the Canuck cow found in Washington....

If the US's problem with the disease was anywhere near that of Canada's their would/should have been 100's showing up....
 

Kato

Well-known member
Oh yea, and besides being 4 D they must be over 30 months of age.

Note that we haven't found any positives at packing plants either. :!:
 

Kato

Well-known member
This is the enhanced feed ban. You make it sound like we had to come up with something after a complete failure of the current feed ban, when actually this is the 'second half' of the same feed ban which is being implemented. It's just one more layer of safety added. It addresses removing the possibility of accidental cross contamination of feed.

It's something the U.S. has been dithering about for a long time now, but doesn't seem to want to follow through with.


Enhanced Health Protection from BSE
Printer-Friendly PDF Version

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease is spread when cattle consume feed products contaminated with proteins from infected animals.

In infected cattle, BSE concentrates in certain tissues known as specified risk material (SRM). As a public health protection, these tissues are removed from all cattle slaughtered for human consumption. To prevent BSE spread among cattle, the Government of Canada banned most proteins, including SRM, from cattle feed in 1997. To provide further animal health protection, as of July 12, 2007, SRM are also banned from all other animal feeds, pet foods and fertilizers.

Removing SRM from the entire animal feed system addresses the risks associated with the potential contamination of cattle feed during production, distribution, storage or use. Applying the same measure to pet food and fertilizer materials addresses the possible potential exposure of cattle and other susceptible animals to these products.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) requires that SRM be identified and appropriately managed until disposal. Permits are required for anyone handling, transporting or disposing of SRM, including:

cattle producers;
abattoirs;
renderers;
fertilizer, pet food and feed manufacturers;
waste management facilities; and
transporters.
This broad-based system maintains continuous control over SRM until it no longer poses risks to animal health. With opportunities for BSE spread minimized, Canada is accelerating its progress toward the eventual eradication of the disease from the national cattle herd.
 

Sandhusker

Well-known member
So very few US cattle get tested on the farm, that doesn't mean they drop off the testing radar. Don't forget about the renderers, packers, and the dog food outfits. We've got roughly 7 times the cattle as Canada, if our infection rate was the same as Canada's, don't you think a handful would of surfaced? Have any of you guys ever taken a statistics class? Have you ever been to a horse track? We would have to be bucking huge odds.
 

elwapo

Well-known member
OT and Sandhusker
OK lets play your silly game.

All American producers that have voluntarily tested suspect animals for BSE post a reply to this thread

PS
sandhusker that does not include your paper herd.
 

feeder

Well-known member
It has been law here in NW Iowa that every bovine that goes to the local renderer gets tested for bse regardless of age. I've had a few tested and so far no positives.
 

Sandhusker

Well-known member
elwapo said:
OT and Sandhusker
OK lets play your silly game.

All American producers that have voluntarily tested suspect animals for BSE post a reply to this thread

PS
sandhusker that does not include your paper herd.

Should all American producers that have sent animals to the renderers, packers, dog food plants, etc... reply as well?
 
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