UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Pennsylvania dairy farmers and meat packers will feel the effects of a ban on Canadian cattle imports prompted by the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) -- or mad cow disease -- in a cow in the province of Alberta.

Canada exported 1.7 million live cattle to the United States last year, and a significant number of Canadian animals typically end up in Pennsylvania.

"Traditionally, Pennsylvania has imported live cattle from Canada for dairy and beef breeding, as well as for slaughter in meat production," says Larry Hutchinson, extension veterinarian in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. "Although I know of no meat packer in Pennsylvania that relies solely on Canadian cattle, those that do import from Canada will have to seek other sources of supply until the ban is lifted."

BSE attacks the brain and central nervous system of cattle, leading to weakness, loss of coordination, loss of appetite and eventually death. The disease, which is not contagious, is caused by abnormal proteins -- called prions -- that are thought to be transmitted through feed containing rendered byproducts of infected animals. BSE has been linked to a similar illness in humans, a variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

The United States has banned imports of cattle and cattle products from countries where BSE is known to exist. No cases of the disease have been found in the United States.

The diagnosis of mad cow disease in Canada is likely to affect retail sales of beef. But Hutchinson says U.S. consumers still can enjoy their steaks and burgers.

"The prions that cause BSE are not present in the muscles of an infected animal, so the meat itself is safe," Hutchinson explains. "They are in the brain and spinal cord, and it's possible during processing that spinal cord material in particular can contaminate the meat. But consumers in a BSE-free country such as the United States can be well assured that their beef is safe to eat."

In addition to the import restrictions, the United States in 1990 established a herd surveillance program to detect possible cases of mad cow disease. In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration also banned the use of rendered mammalian proteins in cattle feed.

"After more than a decade of close scrutiny, the United States remains BSE-free," says Hutchinson. "But with world trade being so diverse and far-reaching today, we must continue to be vigilant against this and other foreign animal diseases."

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EDITORS: Larry Hutchinson can be reached at 814-863-5938.

Contact:

Gary Abdullah gxa2@psu.edu Chuck Gill cdg5@psu.edu 814-863-2713 814-863-9877 fax #163