Korean scientists visited Canada last week to investigate this country’s handling of chronic wasting disease.
Korea has banned imports of elk antler velvet from Canada and the United States since the end of December 2000. About 70 percent of all Canadian elk antler velvet is sold to Korea.
“The Koreans had questions about unknowns around the CWD problems in Canada and the U.S.,” said George Luterbach, a Canadian Food Inspection Agency veterinarian.
“They came to help clarify the situation and hopefully understanding will lead to flexibility.”
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So far 17 elk herds in Saskatchewan have animals with CWD. No herds outside of Saskatchewan have been found with the disease in Canada. The disease has been found in game farm herds in several American states.
Since the most recent scare began about a year ago, the CFIA has quarantined and destroyed more than 2,000 animals in the 17 herds. All herds found with infected animals have been slaughtered.
Only 34 animals have been discovered to actually have the disease. But live animals can’t be tested for CWD, because it is found in a part of the brain that can’t be easily reached.
CFIA officials hope that whole-herd exterminations will rid the disease from Canada. CWD came to Canada through an infected South Dakota elk bought by a Lloydminster farm in about 1990.
CWD has never been proven to be a threat to human health, nor has elk meat or antler velvet been shown to contain material that can spread CWD to humans.
There is no evidence that CWD can spread to humans. However, CWD is in the same disease family as scrapie and mad cow, so many people urge caution in dealing with it.
Luterbach said Korea’s decision to halt imports of North American elk antler velvet “was not necessarily an overreaction.
“When you have a (health) concern, all countries have the right to exercise the precautionary principle,” said Luterbach.
Canadian Cervid Council executive director Serge Buy has blamed a British Broadcasting Corporation report about CWD for scaring Koreans about the elk antler velvet.
The two Korean scientists who came to Canada last week visited the CFIA’s laboratories and spoke to its scientists. They also met with the cervid council.
Luterbach said the CFIA has been supplying information about what steps are being taken to control CWD.
