Paris | Reuters –– France’s agriculture ministry confirmed Thursday a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) had been discovered in the northeastern region of Ardennes. The suspected case, found in a five-year-old cow, was identified last week during a test carried out on cattle older than 48 months after slaughter. The farm ministry said there […] Read more
France confirms new BSE case
Peru lifts trade barriers to U.S. beef
Washington, D.C. | Reuters — Peru has agreed to lift its remaining safety barriers to U.S. beef exports, further opening one of the fastest-growing markets in Latin America to U.S. ranchers, Obama administration officials said Monday. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the agreement with Lima will remove certification requirements […] Read more
Feed was ‘most plausible’ source of BSE in Case 19
Canada’s food safety agency is still tracking down the last herdmates of the country’s 19th domestic case of BSE, but will otherwise assume the Alberta cow most likely caught the disease from traces of proteins in its early feed. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Nov. 30 submitted its final report on Case 19 — […] Read more
Poultry, eggs from seven U.S. states still blocked at border
While the U.S. has declared itself free of high-path avian flu, Canada is still warning cross-border travellers not to bring in poultry or eggs from seven previously affected states. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on Thursday — a.k.a. Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. — rolled out a statement to remind travellers that Canada’s restrictions […] Read more
Ont. avian flu quarantines to be lifted by month-end
The three southwestern Ontario poultry operations under quarantine since April with highly pathogenic H5N2 avian flu can expect to see their quarantines lifted before the end of July. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency reported Tuesday that cleaning and disinfection work were completed June 29 at the two infected turkey farms in Oxford County, and July […] Read more
OIE cuts six European countries’ BSE risk level
Paris | Reuters — The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has lowered to the safest level the official risk of six countries for BSE, a move expected to open international market access for their beef exports. These countries are France, Ireland, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Cyprus and Liechtenstein. OIE members in Paris last week eased […] Read more
U.S. bird flu virus seen under control within a few months
Paris | Reuters — An epidemic of bird flu that has devastated U.S. poultry flocks this year is likely to be under control within a few months as the U.S. steps up measures to contain the virus and the summer weather weakens it, senior officials said on Tuesday. There is, however, a high risk that […] Read more
All but one avian flu quarantine lifted in B.C.
A table egg layer operation near Langley is now the only farm still under quarantine for avian flu in British Columbia. All 13 properties in B.C.’s Fraser Valley that had been quarantined for highly-pathogenic H5N2 or H5N1 avian flu since the beginning of December have since been culled of birds, cleaned and disinfected. A subsequent […] Read more
UN team investigates Saudi surge in deadly MERS virus
London | Reuters –– An international team of United Nations human and animal health experts has flown to Saudi Arabia to investigate a recent surge in cases of a deadly virus causing Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Speaking from Riyadh on Friday, a spokeswoman for the World Health Organization-led team said it was worried by […] Read more
BSE case born after tightened feed ban imposed
The beef cow that became Canada’s 19th case of BSE is now confirmed as Canada’s first-ever case to be born after tighter limits were imposed on use of cattle parts in livestock feed. Without specifying a home municipality, spokesmen for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said on a conference call Wednesday that Case 19 […] Read more
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