OTTAWA, ONTARIO – Canadian cattle producers are being reminded by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (C.F.I.A.) to continue presenting eligible animals for testing under the national bovine spongiform encephalopathy (B.S.E.) surveillance program.

This program is critical for maintaining domestic and international confidence in Canadian beef products. It continues to demonstrate the low level of B.S.E. in Canada and the nation’s collective commitment to meeting international obligations, C.F.I.A. relays. The program plays an important role in Canada's strategy to manage B.S.E. and to assess the effectiveness of its control measures.

The C.F.I.A. wants to test animals most at risk for the disease, which include:

• Cattle more than 30 months of age that are dead, down, dying or diseased.
• Cattle exhibiting clinical signs of B.S.E.

Canadian beef producers are urged to contact the nearest C.F.I.A. office or a veterinarian to make arrangements for sampling. The C.F.I.A. provides financial support to offset the costs of veterinary examinations and carcass disposal (on-farm disposal or deadstock collection).

In Alberta, B.S.E. surveillance is jointly managed by the Province of Alberta and the C.F.I.A. and the program requirements are slightly different.