On May 20, the Canadian beef industry was thrown into turmoil when officials confirmed that an Alberta cow had been diagnosed with bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
The international response was swift and decisive. The American border was closed to all live cattle and beef products, a measure that has cost the Canadian industry hundreds of millions of dollars.
In this special report, Calgary reporter Barbara Duckworth reviews Canada’s response to the BSE announcement and takes a look at the larger issue of crisis response planning. Were Canadian stakeholders prepared for the BSE crisis and what can be done to prevent other agriculture-related disasters in the future?
