Officials confirmed Friday that the animal identified in a recent BSE case in Alberta shares a birth farm with an animal from a 2010 case.
It’s the first time Canada has seen a repeat case involving the same birth farm.
Earlier this month, a cow born in 2009 that died on a farm near Spruce Grove, Alta., was linked to BSE.
That animal shares a birth farm with a cow identified in a 2010 case born in 2004.
The most recent case comes more than two years after the introduction of an enhanced feed ban.
Read Also
Farming Smarter receives financial boost from Alberta government for potato research
Farming Smarter near Lethbridge got a boost to its research equipment, thanks to the Alberta government’s increase in funding for research associations.
“The focus of our feed investigation will include consideration on whether any non-compliance with respect to the feed ban may have contributed to this case,” said Paul Mayers of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency..
“The fact that this case was born on a farm involved in a previous case at this point is the only linkage between the two cases.”
Officials said the investigation of the 2010 case didn’t identify one specific cause.
Mayers said feed remains the focus of the current investigation. He said officials will be tracing the animals born on the farm between the two dates.
“At this time that investigation has not concluded and so we cannot point to any specific risk factor at this time,” he said.
Officials are not identifying the location of the birth farm at this time.
Mayers previously said the cow in the most recent case was not wearing a Canadian Cattle Identification Agency ear tag and had not been age verified.
It was also announced today that China will be joining a list of countries restricting trade on beef products, although officials were still seeking clarification on the details of the ban.
Other countries to halt beef imports from Canada in recent weeks include Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia, Peru and Belarus.
Contact dan.yates@producer.com
