Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MP Alex Ruff says Canada’s new ‘negligible risk status’ when it comes to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (also known as Mad Cow Disease) is good news.
The World Organisation for Animal Health released its decision May 27th.
Ruff says, “After the first case was detected in 2003, international borders were closed for beef exports, and restrictions on the export of Canadian beef have been in place ever since. The move from “Controlled Risk to BSE” to “Negligible Risk to BSE” allows further market access for high-quality Canadian beef.
The World Organization For Animal Health requires a country to be cleared of classical BSE (more commonly known as Mad Cow Disease) for 11 years to retain negligible risk status, but Canada’s status was delayed by an extra year after the current Liberal government did not apply to have it removed from the list in 2019. Canada had been on the ‘controlled risk’ list since 2007.
Ruff says, “My first question in the House of Commons was to the Minister of Agriculture regarding Canada’s BSE status. I also submitted two Order Paper Questions on Canada’s BSE status and, specifically, the government’s justification for not applying when Canada was first eligible in 2019.”
He adds, “This delay came in a year already made difficult by the economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of meat processing capacity in Eastern Canada.”
He notes, “I have spoken to a number of local farmers regarding this announcement and have heard that this is welcome news. They know I will continue to stand up for Canadian beef farmers and will be advocating for the removal of market restrictions to be a top priority.”
Some of those restrictions have kept Canada out of the South Korean market and the American processing market.
Ruff says, “The challenge that remains now is removing market access restrictions to restore Canada’s beef exports as the industry has dealt with nearly two decades of economic hardship.”
