Preliminary tests on a dead cow in Alberta suggested the animal might have had bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), spokespeople for the federal agency said on Sunday.
They said scientists were doing further tests at a Winnipeg lab and should know within days whether the country has its fourth case of BSE.
Mark Van Dusen, a spokesperson for the federal agency, said the animal was flagged during regular testing conducted by the agency.
(CP File Photo)
When the first Canadian case of BSE was discovered in Alberta in 2003, the United States and a number of other countries closed their borders to Canadian beef and cattle.
Two other cases were confirmed in January 2005, and a fourth case detected in the United States was linked to Canada because the cow had been born on an Alberta farm.
American officials reopened the border to live Canadian cattle under the age of 30 months in July 2005.
In December 2005, Japan partially lifted a ban on U.S. and Canadian beef imports, allowing meat only from cattle younger than 21 months.
A few days ago, it closed its border again to American beef after inspectors found banned high-risk materials – cattle backbone – in a shipment from the United States.
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