Since you asked

Should I eat beef?

Story by Lynn Haley

Should I eat beef? With the discovery of a second animal with BSE, questions about beef's safety have increased...

IN OUR LAST SINCEYOUASKED FEATURE,WE PUBLISHED Is Canada’s Food Safe?  In that story we profiled the cast of thousands who are working to ensure the integrity of Canada’s food system.  Now, there’s been another case of BSE from an Alberta cattle herd and you’re asking questions about the safety of beef and the future of Alberta’s agriculture industry.  We put your questions in front of experts from industry and government, and here’s what we learned…

Mad Cow Disease is the slang term for BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy)—a fatal bovine (cattle) disease that affects the nervous system of cattle. The phrase ‘Mad Cow’ came about because animals affected with BSE can appear to be agitated, uncoordinated or ‘mad.’

BSE is one form of ‘transmissible spongiform encephalopathy’ (TSE).  Other TSEs include scrapie in sheep, chronic wasting disease in deer and elk and variant Creutzfelt-Jakob disease (vCJD) which occurs in humans.

The exact cause of BSE is unknown; however, scientists know it is associated with the presence of an abnormal protein called a prion.  There is no live test for BSE, nor is there a treatment or vaccine available at this time.

CAN I GET BSE FROM EATING BEEF?

BSE is not infectious to animals or humans through contact.  It is believed to be transmitted when the central nervous tissue, found in the brain, spinal cords and parts of the eye of infected ruminants (animals that chew their cud), is eaten.  That’s why in 1997 Canada banned the feeding of animal renderings from ruminants to other ruminants.  Today, Canadian cattle are raised on a diet of mainly grass and grain and do not eat any ruminant animal parts.

As consumers,we eat the muscle products of beef such as steaks, roasts, stewing meat and ground beef—not brains, eyes or spinal cord tissues (ground beef does not include nervous tissue).  For a person to contract vCJD, he or she would have to eat infected nervous tissues.  This is highly unlikely given that these parts are not permitted by Canadian law to enter the food chain.

The Canadian beef we buy at the grocery store or order at a restaurant comes from animals that are usually younger than 20 months of age.  It is incredibly rare for BSE to occur in animals under 30 months of age; therefore, the risk of getting infected with BSE from eating Canadian beef is very, very remote.

No, we don’t run the same risk of a BSE epidemic.  Since the U.K.’s devastating experience where more than 188,000 animals tested positive (as compared to the two animals in all of North America), many things have changed to ensure consumer safety and to prevent the spread of BSE worldwide.

Today, Canadian ranchers do not feed ruminant parts to cattle. Legislation in Canada and the U.S. has been put in place to prohibit this.  Moreover, Canada and the U.S. (and most other importing countries) do not import cattle from any country that is not recognized as BSE-free.  For many decades, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has been ensuring that cattle are carefully monitored for signs of disease (any kind of disease).  Any animal that shows signs of an illness is not allowed into the Canadian food chain.  Like many European countries, Canada has what is called a Cattle Identification System, a national system that can track an animal right back to its original herd.  This was put in place by producers in 2001.  Today, if a disease occurs in a Canadian animal that was born in 2001 or after, its herd can be identified, contained and managed immediately.

Whether or not you want to eat beef is up to you.  Whether you should eat Canadian beef is something cattle producers like Greg Porozni want you to feel confident about. Like his colleagues in the cattle industry, he wants consumers to know that Canadian beef is safe and nutritious.

Over the last few months, consumers have made Canada the only country in the world to see beef consumption rise after a case of BSE.  Porozni thinks that’s because consumers believe in their hearts and minds the integrity of Canadian beef has not been compromised.

“It’s hard for people to separate fact from media hype when something like BSE hits the headlines,” he says.  “There isn’t a farmer in Canada who isn’t taking this very seriously, but we experience, firsthand, the hundreds of checks and balances in our food system and we believe in the science that drives it.We just want consumers to know we do not take risks with food safety—period.”

Yes, the industry will survive.  Will it be affected?  Absolutely.  It’s no secret that BSE has hit Alberta, and Canada’s entire agriculture industry—hard.  The economic effects have been enormous (in the billions of dollars so far), and the impact on rural communities, associated industries and other red meats is just beginning to be felt.

According to Pat James, a central Alberta farmer and municipal politician, these are early days.  “Many families have been playing the waiting game,” he says.“A lot of them are hedging their bets on the U.S. border opening soon, but even when it does, there’s a lot of ground to catch up on.”

“There will be permanent changes in the shape of our industry,” James adds.“Some of them may be for the better, but right now,we just don’t know what the future has in store.”

Both James and Porozni agree—your support as a consumer is an incredibly motivating force, both in terms of economic impact and in showing the world Canadian beef is safe.  What can you do during this crisis?  “Buy Canadian meat products,” they chime.  “And not just  beef.  Other red meats have been impacted by the crisis.”

Keep your questions coming to Growing Alberta.  We like hearing from you.

For more information about BSE and how it affects you, visit: www.beefinfo.org