Brian Evans, Canada’s chief veterinarian, didn’t get to vote in the Jan. 23 election. Instead he was on his way to Alberta.
“I didn’t get to the polls this time. Everyone has to have his priorities and this is mine,” said Evans from a cellular phone as his team drove across central Alberta to the farm where Canada’s fourth case of BSE has been discovered.
The identity of the cow’s owner had not been revealed as of Jan. 23.
Evans said the Holstein and Hereford cross cow was born in early 2000.
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“This is a mixed operation with a dairy component and a beef operation. It makes use of both businesses,” he said.
“This producer keeps great records. The calf was born on the farm and has remained there ever since, so these are real advantages when it comes to tracing its history.
“There are (Dairy Herd Improvement Association) records, Canadian Cattle Identification Agency, breed and producer records, so we know a lot about where this animal lived.”
Evans said the cow had 25 siblings. They have all been taken by CFIA, along with its 2005 calf, for testing. The CFIA team is tracing the whereabouts of its other calves and will probably have 60 to 85 people working on the investigation like the last time.
“The producer, working with his private veterinarian handled this professionally. That says a lot about him and the cattle industry in this country,” said Evans.
“The cow was symptomatic of BSE. The farmer contacted his veterinarian. The vet diagnosed a neurological disorder and took a sample. They contacted CFIA. We took possession of the carcass and our testing confirmed the presence of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy,” said Evans.
He said this was exactly how it was supposed to be done.
Evans suspects this latest animal is linked to the same rendered material that was involved in the previous dairy BSE case.
