An outbreak of BSE–bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease–in Alberta, Canada, triggered a blockade of Canadian beef imports to China, South Korea and the Philippines. (1)
Mad cow in Canada, the return
On 6.12.21-six months after the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) declared Canada to be a country at ‘negligible risk‘ of BSE (2)-a Canadian veterinarian notified his diagnosis on a mature (8.5-year-old) cow. And on 12/16/21, the Lethbridge laboratory of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), OIE reference center for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, confirmed the presence of an atypical variant (H-type) of BSE. (3)
On 11.2.15, the last BSE episode had been recorded in Canada. After the most serious ‘mad cow crisis,’ which erupted following a single case in Alberta on 3/20/03. Blockages to Canadian beef imports in 40 markets caused an estimated $4.9 billion to $5.5 billion in damage. And the country, which was third in the world in beefexports in 2002, has slipped to eighth in 20 years. But the lesson of that time does not seem to have been enough. (4)
Beef from Canada, import blocks
China-which imports about $170 million worth of beef from Canada annually-has established an import freeze. So too do South Korea and the Philippines, which import such commodities to the tune of $90 and $13 million annually (source Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, CCA).
In contrast, other large outlet markets-such as the U.S., Japan, Mexico and Vietnam-have not introduced any restrictions to date. And the Canadian Meat Producers Association is confident it can convince them not to proceed in this direction, on the grounds that the identified BSE genotype is an atypical variant.
BSE, the atypical variant
The atypical BSE variant detected in Canada, type H, is the same as that identified in some herds in Brazil in 2021. (5) Canadians today, like Brazilians yesterday, declare that it is not caused by feeding cattle with animal meal and that it is not transmissible to humans through the consumption of meat from infected animals. However, the scientific literature does not express as much certainty, instead highlighting the need for further study.
A recent study experimental (Moreno et al., 2020) indeed demonstrated how atypical BSE prions type H and type L, inoculated to sheep-PrP transgenic mice and subsequently to human-PrP transgenic mice, ‘have shown a change in their zoonotic capacity after adaptation to sheep-PrP by producing agents capable of infecting TgMet129 and TgVal129, with characteristics that make them indistinguishable from sporadic prions of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease‘. (6)
Overseas animal husbandry
Overseas animal husbandry continues to fuel serious concerns. Herd management-inspired by exasperating yields and cutting costs-in Canada includes the use of animal meal in feed, which was banned in Europe in the very wake of the mad cow crisis two decades ago. (7)
Cloning without regulation or traceability, growth hormones and anabolic agents, from cortisone to beta-agonists (e.g., ractopamine), enable breeders on the American continent-Canada, USA, Argentina, Brazil, etc. – of placing huge quantities of meat on international markets that nevertheless do not offer standards equivalent to European ones.
Consumers in the dark
BSE is an incurable neurodegenerative disease. Humans who consume infected meat can contract variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), which progressively attacks the brain, can remain latent for decades, and in some cases develop severe symptoms, eventually leading to death.
Public veterinary controls, in Italy more than elsewhere, are effective and efficient. But it cannot be accepted that consumers remain in the dark about the origin of meats sold in the form of meat products (e.g., bresaola), preparations (e.g., hamburgers) and those served by communities (e.g., public establishments, canteens).
Meat origin
The European Commission has no plans to extend the mandatory indication of origin of meat to the cases mentioned in the previous paragraph, as noted.
Instead, the Italian legislature can follow in the footsteps of the French legislature, which has successfully introduced the duties of:
– indicate on the label the origin of meats used as ingredients in other products (e.g., cured meats, ready meals, meat sauce),
– declare theorigin of meats at restaurants, as the Italia Zootecnica Consortium and Great Italian Food Trade have been asking for years.
Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) Rod Nickel. China, Philippines suspend beef imports from Canada after BSE case. Reuters. 10.1.21, https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/china-philippines-suspend-beef-imports-canada-after-bse-case-2022-01-10/
(2) Government of Canada. World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) BSE Risk Categorization. Update 16.12.21, https://bit.ly/3h414RQ
(3) Greg Henderson. Canada Reports First BSE Case In Six Years. Drovers. 12/23/21, https://www.drovers.com/news/industry/canada-reports-first-bse-case-six-years
(4) Quimby AE, Shamy MC. The Canadian Management of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in Historical and Scientific Perspective, 1990-2014. (2015). Can J Neurol Sci. 2015 Nov;42(6):472-81. doi: 10.1017/cjn.2015.286
(5) Dario Dongo. Mad cow in Brazil, export blockade in China. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 5.9.21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/sicurezza/mucca-pazza-in-brasile-blocco-all-export-in-cina
(6) Marín-Moreno A, Huor A, Espinosa JC, Douet JY, Aguilar-Calvo P, Aron N, Píquer J, Lugan S, Lorenzo P, Tillier C, Cassard H, Andreoletti O, Torres JM. (2020). Radical Change in Zoonotic Abilities of Atypical BSE Prion Strains as Evidenced by Crossing of Sheep Species Barrier in Transgenic Mice. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020 Jun;26(6):1130-1139. doi: 10.3201/eid2606.181790
(7) Dario Dongo. CETA, Canadian meat from cattle fed animal meal. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 6.8.19, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/mercati/ceta-carne-canadese-da-bovini-nutriti-con-farine-animali
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
