BSE on the Hoof
- January 15, 2004
This Opinion was featured in Janaury 15 2004 issue of Canada's The Western Producer.
It would almost certainly come as a surprise to most of the beef consuming public that while on the hoof BSE cattle are not a treat to man or beast. This simple misunderstanding is the reason that BSE is so devastating.
The only known means of transmission of BSE is eating infected material. And, while it is highly infectious, the simple action of ensuring that infected material is safely disposed of eliminates the possibility of further infection.
In that respect BSE is more like a poison than a disease, although there are, of course, added complications.
If BSE was a poison, the first action taken would be to ensure that the specific source of the poison was disposed of.
And here the complications start. As BSE typically takes four or more years to show up, the source of infection is difficult to trace. And, while the actual source of infection will almost certainly have been used up, identifying it is critical to finding other potential infection. But at best only probabilities are possible.
The next line of defence would be to make sure it did not find its way into places where it could be taken and do damage in the future. And here the actual and perceived chance of further accidents have to be considered. While banning the feeding of meat and bone meal entirely and even the eating of beef would surely eliminate any chance of infection, they are impractical in view of the low incident of BSE and the real or perceived chance of infection.
But measures such as banning the inclusion of meat and bone meal in cattle rations and the removal of Specified Risk Material(brain and spinal cord) from beef carcases very substantially reduce the already small chances of reinfection.
A further tactic to eliminate poisoning would be to make sure any existing poison was safely disposed of. In the case of BSE infection, this is doubly important as it is not only a killer itself but as an organism, rather than a chemical, it has the ability to reproduce and spread.
The reality is, however, that people by their inadvertent actions, rather than cattle, spread BSE. While still on the hoof, a BSE cow is not a danger. The challenge is, therefore, to find any such animals and ensure that they are safely disposed of.
And here, of course, the role of cattle producer is critical. While not doubting their integrity or competence, there needs to be a clear incentive for cattlemen to ensure that this happens.
The more straightforward part of this is to make sure that cattlemen get compensated adequately for finding and reporting any suspect cattle. As there are not likely to be many of them, paying a bounty will not prove expensive.
Further, detecting BSE cattle from their behaviour before clinical symptoms are evident is not difficult.
This is, however, a double-edged sword. It means that BSE cattle can be identified before they are moved off farm. But it also gives the unscrupulous the opportunity to move suspect cattle before symptoms are evident.
The more difficult aspect is abandoning the illogical practice, from an epidemiological standpoint, of slaughtering all animals in herds where BSE is found. This is a disincentive for reporting even when compensation is paid.
Surely animals in such herds, and particularly those in the same age cohort and have been fed the same feed as calves, are prime suspects. They need to be quarantined, tagged and tested on a continuing basis. But, as the only known means of transmission is through feed, while they are on the hoof they are not a source of infection.
And there lies the challenge. The public, most probably because of deceptive and melodramatic reporting by the press and media, still generally has the perception that BSE spreads like Servere Acute Respiratory Sybdrome.
And indeed this perception has been reinforced by past policies of whole herd slaughter.
But ultimately it is the cattle producer who is on the front line and the most valued ally in the BSE battle. A better understanding of this would result in more effective control measures.
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