On February 25, 2010, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed a recent case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as Mad Cow Disease, in a 72 month-old cow.
This case was detected through the national BSE surveillance program and was not made public on the CFIA website until March 10 -- hours after a press release was distributed by the advocacy group, Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America (RCALF USA).
"The CFIA said the BSE-positive case was confirmed Feb. 25, 2010, which means the CFIA and all other governments who knew about this latest BSE case kept it a secret from the public for almost two weeks," said R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard. "If we had not discovered this information, the public may never have known."
According to a CFIA spokesperson, the Agency updates its website with cases of federally reportable diseases found in farmed animals once a month. Immediate updates are made only when it determines that there are reportable, foreign, or newly emerging diseases which pose significant health or economic risks.
The USDA claims that its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) determined that the risk presented here in trade in beef or cattle from Canada is negligible.
According to USDA spokesperson, Caleb Weaver, "APHIS followed international standards, as defined by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), in making this determination."
Mad Cow Disease Case Hidden For Weeks By Canadian and U.S. Agencies
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Your request is being processed... Mad Cow Disease Case Hidden For Weeks By Canadian and U.S. Agencies
By Nikki Zeichner
Huffington Post, March 11, 2010
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