- "Agriculture officials had said the herd would have
to be killed because the calf born to the sick cow was not tagged and could
not be identified. They have been unable to rule out the possibility that
mad cow disease can be transmitted from mother to calf..."
-
- "Officials have said they believe the cows were
probably infected as calves because they were born before August 1997,
when both countries banned cattle feed that contained parts of cattle,
sheep or other cud-chewing animals... "
-
- WILBUR, Wash. - Federal workers
using a vacant slaughterhouse in rural Eastern Washington began killing
a herd of calves that included the offspring of a Holstein infected with
mad cow disease whose bloodlines were traced to Canada.
-
- The entire herd of 449 bull calves, ranging in age from
1 month to several months, was being sedated and given lethal injections
Tuesday at a privately owned facility in Wilbur, said Nolan Lemon, spokesman
for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
-
- Agriculture officials had said the herd would have to
be killed because the calf born to the sick cow was not tagged and could
not be identified. They have been unable to rule out the possibility that
mad cow disease can be transmitted from mother to calf.
-
- The animals were not to be processed for meat or other
products. The carcasses will be buried at a landfill in southern Washington,
Lemon said. He could not say when.
-
- Sheriff's cars blocked the snow-covered road leading
to the slaughterhouse. Calves could be seen in pens next to a one-story
white block building. A sign outside was covered with a black plastic bag.
-
- Some of the animals had been killed by mid-afternoon,
and the rest of the 449 calves were scheduled to be killed by midnight
Tuesday, Lemon said. Contacted about midnight, he would not say whether
the killing had been completed.
-
- Workers were handling the process slowly because the
calves were so young and they want to do it right, Lemon said. "The
veterinarians have been taking their time to ensure that those animals
weren't alarmed and were comfortable," he said.
-
- Earlier Tuesday, agriculture officials announced genetic
testing had confirmed the infected Holstein was born in Canada. The DNA
tests on the cow, one of its offspring and the semen from the cow's sire
showed the cow came from a dairy farm in Alberta, said Dr. Ron DeHaven,
the Agriculture Department's chief veterinarian.
-
- Dr. Brian Evans, chief veterinary officer of the Canadian
Food Inspection Agency, said independent testing from a Canadian lab confirmed
the findings.
-
- The results puts new emphasis on Canada's role in the
investigation of the outbreak of the brain-wasting disease. The Holstein
is the second cow originating in western Canada diagnosed with mad cow
disease since May.
-
- Agriculture officials announced the latest mad cow diagnosis
Dec. 23, marking the first time the disease has been found in the United
States.
-
- The cow, which was slaughtered Dec. 9, had come to the
United States from Canada with 80 other cattle two years ago. The herd
was dispersed because the previous owner could no longer operate his farm,
Evans said.
-
- Both countries have been trying to locate the remaining
cattle. U.S. authorities so far have found 10 animals at two Washington
farms that remained under quarantine.
-
- Evans also said Canadian records indicate an additional
17 young cows were from the Canadian herd, including a calf by the infected
animal that entered the United States later. USDA officials said they still
were trying to confirm that information.
-
- The test results mean investigators will intensify their
search for the source of infection, most likely from contaminated feed,
in Alberta, where both Canadian cows that tested positive for the disease
were born.
-
- Officials have said they believe the cows were probably
infected as calves because they were born before August 1997, when both
countries banned cattle feed that contained parts of cattle, sheep or other
cud-chewing animals.
-
- News reports published in Canada have said the herd with
the infected Holstein originated at a dairy farm near Leduc, Alberta, about
20 miles south of Edmonton. The area has about 300 dairy farms.
-
- "If there's anything good to come out of this, it's
that they banned parts in feed. Anything since then should not be affected,"
said Rita Kneller, manager of a Leduc company that provides equipment for
dairy farms. "We're hopeful that the investigation will show that
there are no problems, and everything can resume as it had been."
-
- The U.S. beef industry renewed its call for resumption
of international trade in American beef following the announcement. More
than 30 countries banned imports of U.S. beef after mad cow disease was
diagnosed.
-
- Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy,
eats holes in the brains of cattle. The disease is a concern because humans
can develop a brain-wasting illness, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease,
from consuming contaminated beef products.
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