South Korea Reacts To Canada's Latest Case Of BSE

Dec 23, 2021

South Korea is looking for more information on Canada's latest case of BSE.

In the meantime, it has suspended quarantine inspections of Canadian beef.

The news came just four days after an atypical case of BSE was found in an 8 1/2-year-old beef cow in Central Alberta.

The CFIA reports the beef cow was euthanized on the farm and did not enter the food or animal feed chain.

It says the detection of atypical BSE in Canada underscores the ongoing effectiveness of Canada's robust targeted BSE surveillance program.

Alberta's Agriculture Minister Nate Horner says atypical BSE spontaneously happens at a rate of about one in one million cattle, regardless of how well a producer takes care of their herd. It has been reported six times in the U.S., most recently in 2018, as well as a few other countries.

The CFIA reports that Atypical strains occurs naturally and sporadically in all cattle populations at a very low rate, and which have only been identified in older cattle.

It's the first case of BSE in Canada in six years, and the first case since Canada received its "negligible risk" status from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in May of this year.

South Korea is a key customer, importing over 10,000 tons of Canadian beef this year.

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