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To: Cogito Ergo Sum who wrote (34165)	5/21/2003 4:31:06 PM
From: LLCF	Respond to of 74559

<Always wondered how many Americans 'got that' > Oh, you Canadians and your superior 'bi-lingual' attitude! -ggg- We usually pick up on the important things -ggg- dAK

To: Cogito Ergo Sum who wrote (34165)	5/21/2003 10:39:55 PM
From: elmatador	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74559

Just weeks after SARS saw its border closed Canadian case of mad cow disease. <<And Canada is the third beef exporter in the world. Hope no overblown here, KC!>> PM - Wednesday, 21 May , 2003 18:38:00 Reporter: Alison Caldwell MARK COLVIN: Eaters of Australian beef are being told that the discovery of a case of mad cow disease in Canada is nothing to be overly worried about. Food authorities say Australia imports very few Canadian beef products. In the meantime, authorities in the Canadian province of Alberta, where the infected cow was found, are scrambling to find the source of the disease. They need to know how far it has spread and the scale of the damage control needed. Alison Caldwell reports. ALISON CALDWELL: Just weeks after SARS saw its border closed, Canada now has a case of mad cow disease. Shortly after it was announced that an eight-year old cow in Alberta's far north had tested positive to mad cow disease, the province's premier Ralph Klein went into full scale damage control. RALPH KLEIN: I understand that medical experts say there is no risk to human health from this one infected animal, and the current risk of a person acquiring this disease from eating beef in Britain, where it was quite prevalent, is about one in ten billion servings of beef. Having said that however, the disease is a serious one and we are working very, very closely with federal officials to make sure that we have this thing under control. ALISON CALDWELL: His comments failed to convince authorities across the border in the United States. Within minutes its department of agriculture slapped a temporary ban on Canadian beef imports, and so did Japan. Here, attention soon turned to Australia's beef exporters, already the world's largest, and the impact today's news may or may not have on the sector. Dr Peter Barnard is with the Australian Meat and Livestock Association. PETER BARNARD: Discoveries of this sort tend to have an overall depressing effect on the demand for beef. In this case, we anticipate the impact, either positive or negative on the Australian industry, will be relatively minor. The reason for that is that Canada only really takes about three per cent of Australian beef production, so in terms of the overall quantities of beef that we produce, Canada is a minor destination. ALISON CALDWELL: The level of export that Canadian beef exporters fill in the world – could Australia fill a gap there? PETER BARNARD: Canada tends to be a minor beef exporter around the world. Its major market is the United States. Australia has a quota into the United States, which we filled last year, so any benefits into the United States or other markets are likely to be limited. On all available evidence, this is an isolated case in Canada. The Canadian authorities have taken the appropriate steps. We believe that the impact from this episode, particularly on the Australian industry, will be minor. ALISON CALDWELL: Australian quarantine officials scrambled to trace breeder cattle imported from Canada. By late this afternoon, the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service has identified 7 beef cattle imported from Canada since 1996. Those cattle are on a farm in Tasmania where they are used for breeding purposes only and are said to be healthy. This morning they were placed under lifelong quarantine surveillance, meaning they can't be moved, sold or slaughtered without quarantine inspection. Dr Bob Biddle is the Commonwealth's Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer. BOB BIDDLE: We're systematically examining import permits and records relating to importation of live animals. We believe that there are a relatively small number of imported cattle, that were imported for breeding purposes, that would be still alive and on farms in Australia. Their locality is being checked as we speak. ALISON CALDWELL: Meanwhile Australian consumers are being told not to worry. By way of Canadian beef imports, so far, authorities have identified small quantities of canned soup and dried soup mixes containing beef products, along with beef casings for sausages. The news sent shock waves through the North American food industry and commodity markets, sparking a sell off in stocks for fast food giants McDonald's and Wendy's. Canadian authorities said the disease was isolated to one cow out of more than 3 million slaughtered each year. McDonald's restaurants made the most of the government's spin, issuing a statement in which it distances itself from the infected cow. MARK COLVIN: Alison Caldwell.