CANADA HAS QUARANTINED AN ALBERTA FARM AND IS TESTING A DAIRY COW THAT WAS HEAVILY PREGNANT AND SUSPECTED OF HAVING MAD COW DISEASE, THE CANADIAN FOOD INSPECTION AGENCY SAID ON MONDAY. "THE INVESTIGATION IS STILL IN ITS VERY PRELIMINARY STAGES. WE WILL, OF COURSE, BE CHECKING OUT ITS 2004 OR 2005 CALF, IF THEY WERE BORN. IF THEY WERE BORN, THESE ANIMALS ARE OF INTEREST TO US," SAID GEORGE LUTERBACH, A VETERINARIAN WITH THE FEDERAL FOOD SAFETY AGENCY. "THE ANIMAL WAS IN ITS LAST TRIMESTER, OR HEAVILY PREGNANT, SO ITS 2006 PROGENY OR CALF WAS NOT BORN," SAID LUTERBACH. THE CFIA IS TESTING THE 50-MONTH-OLD COW AFTER IT DIED ON AN ALBERTA FARM NEAR THE ALBERTA CAPITAL OF EDMONTON. IT WAS SINGLED OUT THROUGH A SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM FOR BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY (BSE), COMMONLY KNOWN AS MAD COW DISEASE. PRELIMINARY TESTS WERE NOT ABLE TO RULE OUT BSE. "THE ANIMALS ON THIS FARM ARE ANIMALS THAT ARE UNDER QUARANTINE," SAID LUTERBACH. THE VETERINARIAN DIDN'T KNOW HOW MANY ANIMALS WERE ON THE FARM AND EMPHASIZED THE PROPERTY WAS IN THE PRELIMINARY STAGES OF INVESTIGATION. THE COW SUSPECTED OF HAVING BSE WAS BORN ON THE FARM WHERE IT DIED AND DID NOT ENTER THE HUMAN FOOD OR ANIMAL FEED SUPPLY, HE SAID. --MORE 10/07/2006 23:30 ت م
