WASTING DISEASE, THIS WOULD BE CANADA'S SEVENTH CASE SINCE 2003, WHEN INTERNATIONAL MARKETS INITIALLY BANNED CANADIAN BEEF AND CATTLE. MANY COUNTRIES HAVE GRADUALLY REOPENED THEIR BORDERS, WITH VARIOUS RESTRICTIONS. U.S. CATTLE MARKETS APPEARED TO BE UNAFFECTED BY THE NEWS OF THE LATEST SUSPECTED MAD COW CASE. "I DON'T THINK IT WILL HAVE A BIG EFFECT," DENNIS SMITH, A LIVESTOCK BROKER WITH ARCHER FINANCIAL, SAID OF THE CATTLE MARKET'S REACTION. ANOTHER MAD COW CASE SHOULD NOT CAUSE THE U.S. TO HALT BEEF AND CATTLE TRADING BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES, ANALYSTS SAID. LAST WEEK, THE CFIA CONFIRMED CANADA'S SIXTH MAD COW CASE SINCE 2003. THE BRAIN WASTING DISEASE IS BELIEVED TO BE SPREAD BY CONTAMINATED FEED. THE SUSPECT ALBERTA COW WAS BORN AFTER CANADA'S 1997 FEED BAN, WHEN THE INCLUSION OF PROTEIN FROM RUMINANTS SUCH AS CATTLE AND SHEEP WAS BANNED FROM CATTLE FEED. THAT BAN WILL BE EXPANDED IN JULY 2007 WHEN SPECIFIC CATTLE TISSUES, INCLUDING THE BRAIN AND SPINAL CORD, CAPABLE OF TRANSMITTING MAD COW DISEASE, WILL BE BANNED FROM ALL LIVESTOCK AND PET FEED. THE CFIA AIMS TO ELIMINATE MAD COW DISEASE WITHIN THE NEXT 10 YEARS.
