CALGARY – The last Alberta animal suspected of being infected with mad cow disease was euthanized and incinerated last week.
The seven-year-old Charolais bull owned by Walter Jerram of Morinville, Alta. was the centre of controversy since Agriculture Canada ordered all British imported cattle destroyed because they might carry bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease. Jerram agreed to turn the bull over after he abandoned a court appeal to keep the animal alive.
Government representatives went to the Jerram farm Sept. 7 to seize the bull but Jerram told media and the government vet that he would have to be arrested before he would release the animal, said Stan Petran, an Agriculture Canada veterinarian.
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Government representative Randy Wiens said the department of justice and the RCMP checked the legal aspects of the case before returning to the farm and seizing the bull under the health of animals act. The date of seizure was not made public.
“We want to make sure the RCMP are fully aware of their role in helping us carry out the health of animals act,” said Wiens.
“The health of animals act isn’t something they deal with on a daily basis so they weren’t going to jump in and arrest somebody or get involved when they thought it had the potential to expose them to problems down the road.”
Value figures vary
The bull, which Jerram claims is worth $50,000, was imported from Britain, where the fatal brain disease wiped out more than 100,000 head.
As to the value of the bull, Petran said an independent three-person panel evaluated him in January at $3,500. Jerram will receive the maximum of $2,000 as compensation for his loss.
This bull was among a number of cattle imported between 1982 to 1990. Most have been traced, slaughtered and incinerated to prevent the disease from spreading. An imported Salers cow in a Red Deer herd was diagnosed with BSE last November, prompting the government to order slaughter of her herd mates and other imports. The BSE infection can incubate for two to five years before symptoms appear.
Two animals in Ontario also face the death penalty after their owner lost in the federal court of appeal. The caseis going to the Supreme Court of Canada. A Quebec breeder won a judgment in federal court when the judge said the animal didn’t have to die. Agriculture Canada is appealing that decision, said Petran.
