Thank you, Jason, for the informative reply and the responsible attitude. I agree that human contraction is small percentage-wise, but with the media & public opinion out there about it, there seems to be no other way. Our prayers are with you Canadian producers that it will be one isolated case & the "hype" goes away soon.
> Alberta is a big place, almost the
> size of Texas. The affected ranch
> is several hundred miles from the
> major cattle area in Alberta.
> It is tough right now as no cattle
> are being killed, so culls have to
> be fed and many industries are
> losing money.
> However, the reaction of
> quarintine and destruction of the
> entire herd is the right thing.
> All the herd mates will be tested,
> and if no further cases of BSE are
> found, this whole ordeal will fade
> away.
> The owner of the cattle will be
> compensated under federal
> guidlines designed to make
> ranchers more willing to report
> monitored diseases.
> If further cases are found, and
> the border remains closed, many
> will go broke.
> I agree BSE poses very little
> human risk, but public perception
> is fact. The extra effort into
> assuring the public our beef is
> safe will be worth it.
> As for the facts, the cow was 8
> years old. She exhibited classic
> symptoms of BSE, but was condemned
> for pneumonia. Her carcass was
> rendered for fertilizer or chicken
> feed, all the paper work is in
> order to show she, nor any other
> ruminant was sent for cattle feed.
> 8 other herds including the herd
> of origin in Saskatchewan are
> under quarantine and will be
> tested if more cases are found at
> the first herd.
> Jason
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