Canada’s third BSE case this year, the 14th since 2003, should not place Canada’s beef export market at risk. Canada continues to meet the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) standards as a Controlled Risk country.
"As long as we continue to do what we have to do under the OIE to maintain our controlled-risk status, I foresee no reason to close borders to our beef," said Peter Stiles, assistant general manager of the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association. "However, if our trading partners ignore the OIE guidelines or set their own guidelines, then that’s a different story."
In August, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced the diagnosis of bovine spongif-orm encephalopathy (BSE) in a six-year-old beef cow from Alberta. Within days Mexico, an OIE member country, banned all imports of Canadian dairy and beef breeding cattle.
This, just three months after Mexico began importing breeding cattle from Canada for the first time since 2003.
The United States has created its own standards to limit Canadian imports. In January 2007, the U.S. Department of Agriculture finally expanded the list of allowable imports from countries it rated as "minimal risk". Canada was the only country on the list.
The OIE has three BSE risk categories: Negligible, Controlled and Undetermined Risk. Controlled risk status means countries have a BSE surveillance program, a feed ban, and an eduation and reporting program. Negligible status countries must be BSE free from any animal born within the past 11 years.
The OIE also has a point system for BSE testing. Testing healthy animals at slaughter gets a country 0.01 to 0.2 points while suspect animals exhibiting BSE-like systems can generate up to 750 points.