Reading Time: 4 minutes The dates are seared in Dennis Laycraft’s brain. May 20, 2003, when the first positive test of a cow with BSE was confirmed; Aug. 10, 2003, when the U.S. and Mexico restored import access for Canadian boneless beef from animals under 30 months of age; July 14, 2005, when the U.S. reopened full access for […] Read more
The 20th anniversary of BSE: So much has changed
Border closures captured the headlines but BSE reshaped the cattle sector in profound ways
Scotland identifies ‘classical’ BSE case
London | Reuters — Scotland’s government said on Thursday that a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) had been discovered on a farm in Aberdeenshire, the first in Britain since 2015. A quarantine area has been put in place around the farm while inspectors try to identify the origin of the disease. “I have activated […] Read more
Long-running BSE class-action lawsuit grinds on
It’s now hoped the suit against the federal government will go to trial in September 2019
Reading Time: 2 minutes A class-action lawsuit seeking compensation for losses cattle producers suffered during the BSE crisis is now expected to go to trial in September 2019. The lawsuit is seeking $8 billion in damages from the federal government for losses incurred when the U.S. border was closed to Canadian cattle from 2003 to 2005. It has been […] Read more
A decade on, BSE lawsuit may finally go to trial
$8-billion class-action suit says Ottawa should have done more
Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s been more than a decade since it started, but a class-action suit against the federal government for damages incurred as a result of BSE could be going to trial by the end of the year. “We had the first round of discoveries for 2015 and various questions arose from that, that there were outstanding […] Read more
Ongoing testing key to preventing BSE
Reading Time: < 1 minute Cattle producers are being reminded of the importance of participating in the BSE surveillance program. “I can’t see why anyone would not participate in it,” said Darrel Rutt, a longtime cattle rancher in the Valleyview area. “A lot of people went through a lot of work in the following years to create access back into […] Read more
Researchers take aim at chronic wasting disease
Finding out why prions misfold is key to finding a treatment for CWD and BSE
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chronic wasting disease (CWD) threatens populations of mule deer, whitetail deer, and elk throughout the Prairies, and scientists are working hard towards finding a solution Like bovine spongiform encephalopathy, CWD is caused by the misfolding of a mysterious class of proteins known as prions. While researchers are not clear on the function of prions in […] Read more
The big two irrigated crops seeing some competition
Forages and cereals still dominate irrigated acreage, but oilseeds and specialty crops are growing in popularity
Reading Time: 3 minutes Each year, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development publishes a compilation of all 13 of the province’s irrigation districts’ data for the previous year. The latest figures show cereals and forages (pasture, hay and silage crops) still account for two-thirds of the 1,390,000 acres in the districts, but the trend is clear — forage production isn’t […] Read more
Officials stress need for testing
The latest BSE case only increases the need for Canada to test 30,000 animals yearly
Reading Time: 4 minutes Keep calm and carry on testing. That’s the message going out to producers following the latest case of BSE in an Alberta cow. “At times like this, it’s as important, if not more so, to continue with surveillance and be vigilant,” Canadian Food Inspection Agency official Craig Price told attendees at the recent Alberta Beef […] Read more
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