The U.S. Department of Agriculture has covered up cases of BSE for years and does not aggressively test in high risk cattle populations for fear of finding it, says a former USDA veterinarian.
Lester Friedlander was a U.S. government vet for 10 years before being fired in 1995, which he said was because he criticized the department on its disease tracking.
Friedlander said he is “99.9 percent certain” the disease has been found in the American herd and covered up.
The United States has found no cases in as many as 140 million cattle slaughtered while three cases originating in Canada have been found in a slaughter a fraction of that size.
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“My question is, is the system in the U.S. working?” he asked. “My answer is that in Canada, you have been more diligent. In the United States, the government isn’t looking for it.”
Friedlander said there was a deliberate decision taken by USDA in the early 1990s not to aggressively pursue BSE in the American herd because of the economic damage it would cause.
Gary Little, senior veterinarian with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said he has confidence in the U.S. system.
Chris Clark of the Western Veterinary College at the University of Saskatchewan doubts there are coverups in the American testing system.
“Most producers realize that any attempt to hide a disease can only hurt their industry in the long term.
“Any country that would start to hide that kind of stuff at the highest level is calling into question their entire animal health program. The risks outweigh any benefits. I can’t believe anybody would be so stupid as to actually do that kind of thing,” he said.
The main difference between Canadian and American surveillance programs is the active Canadian on-farm reporting and testing scheme to encourage farmers to identify high risk animals and have them tested on farm. Participants are later compensated for each animal euthanized and tested.
