Is it safe to eat Canadian beef? The international ban on Canadian beef would have us believe that the threat to human health is serious. Is it?
Dr. Larry Delver, with the Canadian Food Inspection Safety Office in Calgary, will walk us through the science that shows that the BSE threat to human health in Canada is negligible.
“There is a tendency towards hysteria over things like this, and it is best addressed by presenting what we know for sure about the spread of the disease,” Dr. Delver says. He is intimately acquainted with the history of BSE and will draw on science and the experiences of Europe to help us get a better understanding of:
The spread of the disease to humans (which is seemingly genetically influenced.)
The spread of the disease among animals
How changes to animal feed have dramatically impacted the development of BSE
The politics behind the scene in international trade issues
In the end, Dr Delver says the livestock owner is the only person who can end this BSE crisis and ensure that it never happens again. “More changes to the livestock industry are forthcoming”, he says, “and I will outline the ones I know about for you.” Come learn from an expert about the important information that doesn’t hit the newspapers.
Speaker: Dr. Larry Delver, Import/Export Program Specialist, Animal Health and Production - Program Network - West, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Calgary, Alberta. National Policy Representative, Internal Liaison for Livestock Exports and Technical Expert in Export Program for Animal Health Vets and Inspectors.