BSE in Alberta
ALBERTA, CANADA - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a six-year-old beef cow from Alberta. No part of the animal’s carcass entered the human food or animal feed systems.

New BSE Test Could Help Allay Meat Safety Fears
UK - A test to instantly detect beef that has been contaminated with tissue from a cow's brain or spinal cord during slaughter could improve control of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in the food supply chain, claims a US study.

A Simple Test to Detect Nervous Tissue in Beef
US - To protect people against the human variant of mad cow disease, health experts say, it is crucial to keep central nervous system tissue of beef cattle out of the food supply. And that means controls and testing at slaughterhouses, where there is...

EFSA Publishes Opinions on BSE Tests
EU - The Biological Hazards Panel (BIOHAZ) of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published two opinions on the monitoring of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle in the first 15 countries to join the European Union.

Raising BSE Age Limit a Step Closer
EU - EU scientists have acknowledged that raising the age limit on cattle for BSE testing would have a negligible effect on public health, opening the door for a change in legislation.

$7 Billion Mad Cow Scare Suit Against Canada
CANADA - A $7 billion lawsuit by cattle farmers against the Canadian government and a cattle feed firm for allegedly causing a mad cow disease infection has gotten the Supreme Court's go-signal to proceed.

Alberta to End BSE Testing of Elderly Cows
US - Alberta expects to test half as many cattle for mad cow disease under a new surveillance program that stops targeting the most elderly bovines, and ones without proper documentation.

Local Japanese Agencies Continue BSE Testing Alone
JAPAN - All 77 of the nation's meat inspection stations plan to continue testing domestically slaughtered cattle aged 20 months or younger for mad cow disease after central government subsidies for the testing end in August, it was learned Friday.

US Announces Funding for BSE Prevention Programmes
US - The Food and Drug Administration is announcing the availability of cooperative agreements funding to further enhance the infrastructure of State, territorial, and tribal animal feed safety and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) prevention programs....

Govt Slaps Restriction on Meat Import
BANGLADESH - The government has imposed restrictions on the import of meat as a precautionary measure amid global concerns of mad-cow disease outbreak, officials concerned said yesterday.

Govt Slaps Restriction on Meat Import
BANGLADESH - The government has imposed restrictions on the import of meat as a precautionary measure amid global concerns of mad-cow disease outbreak, officials concerned said yesterday.

BSE Fight is Not Just About Beef
US - American beef is back on the South Korean menu this week - but while cattle producers here might feel like celebrating as they throw a few steaks on the holiday barbecue here, the Koreans have more than just a bad taste for international trade. ...

Mad Cow in Canada
OTTAWA - Yesterday the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed a new case of mad cow disease, making it the 13th since the national surveillance programme began back in 2003.

Province Compensates for Mad Cow Crisis
CANADA - Calling it the last bailout livestock farmers will see in the post-BSE industry crisis, the Alberta government unveiled a $356-million recovery plan yesterday.

U of O Research Examines Risks of BSE
CANADA - It may be hard to believe that although bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or 'mad cow disease,' has cost the Canadian economy around $10 billion in lost trade and compensation, little is known about the disease.

Canadian BSE Cases Blamed on Ineffective Feed Ban
CANADA - In the mid-February cold, an Edmonton-area dairy farmer watched a thin, sickly animal struggle and finally go down. As required, the cow's head was sent for testing and a few days later, the country's 12th case of mad cow disease was confirm...

US Bows to South Korean BSE Fears
SOUTH KOREA - The South Korean president has said that Washington accepted his proposal to halt imports in the case of any BSE outbreak occurring within the United States.

FDA Strengthens Protection Against Mad Cow Disease
WASHINGTON - Closing loopholes in protections against mad cow disease, the Food and Drug Administration yesterday banned brains and other cattle parts that could carry the disease's infectious agent from use in cosmetics and dietary supplements.

Government Asks Court to Block Wider Testing for Mad Cow
US - The Bush administration was cited as urging a federal appeals court on Friday to stop meatpackers from testing all their animals for mad cow disease, but a skeptical judge questioned whether the government has that authority.

US Calms Korean Mad Cow Panic
KOREA - The undersecretary for food safety at the US reasserted the safety of American beef at a recent conference to Korean correspondents.