. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/530 
3 November 2004 
 (04-4672) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
UPDATE ON DEVELOPMENTS IN CANADA REGARDING  
BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY (BSE) 
 
 
Statement by Canada to the WTO SPS Committee October 2004
 
 
  The following communication, received on 1
st November 2004, is being circulated at the 
request of the Delegation of Canada. 
_______________ 
 
  The following is an up-date on Canada's regulat ory response to the discovery of a BSE case in 
Alberta, Canada in May 2003,  and on trade-related issues. 
 
I. CANADA'S REGULATORY RESPONSE 
1. From the beginning, Canada has kept its tradi ng partners fully informed of its regulatory 
response by all available means including: 
- regular reports to this Committee; 
- regular reports to the World Organi zation for Animal Health (OIE); 
- bilateral representations by Ministers and officials from Ottawa and by Canadian Embassies, 
Consulates and Trade Offices abroad; 
- numerous technical level missions, both foreign missions to Canada, and Canadian missions 
abroad;  and 
- updated information provided on the Canadian  Food Inspection Agency's website at 
www.inspection.gc.ca
.  
 
2. Systematically, Canada had proactively taken a number of measures to secure the safety of 
our animal health, public health and food safety insp ection systems even before the detection of BSE 
in a domestic cow in May 2003.  These measures included: 
- the prohibition on imports of meat and bone meal for several decades from European countries;  
- the suspension of the import of live cattle from the United Kingdom in 1989;  
- the placing of all the United Kingdom imported animals under a monitoring program and the 
declaration of BSE as a reportable disease in 1990;  
- the commencement of surveillance activities in 1992 which exceeded th e recommendations of 
the OIE;  
- the removal of all remaining animals imported from the United Kingdom from the Canadian 
population in 1994;  
- the implementation of a ruminant feed ban in 1997;  and  
- the implementation of a mandatory cattle identification system in 2001. G/SPS/GEN/530 
Page 2  
 
 3. The investigation into the May 2003 detection of  BSE was reviewed by an international panel 
of BSE experts who praised Canada's transparen cy, risk communication approach, the scope and 
thoroughness of the epidemiological investigation and the competency of our veterinary services. 
4. Further adjustments were introduced in July 200 3 to require the removal of specified risk 
material from all cattle slaughtered for human fo od, to maximize food safety and public health 
protection.  Surveillance activities were increased in  order to determine the true prevalence of BSE 
and to demonstrate and verify the effectiveness of me asures previously instituted.  In addition, on 9 
July 2004, the Government of Canada announced th at it intends to require the removal of bovine 
specified risk material from the en tire animal feed chain to supplement the previous ruminant feed ban 
established in 1997.  The draft regulations regarding th e removal of specified risk material from feed 
will be published in Canada and notified to WTO Members in the coming weeks. 
 
II. TRADE-RELATED ISSUES 
5. Canada has been pleased by the response of those trading partners which have taken steps to 
restore market access for beef, meat products, gene tics and other animal produc ts.  Naturally, Canada 
is disappointed that some trading partners con tinue to prevent access to safe Canadian products, 
including meat.  It is particularly frustrated by those countries who continue to prevent access to products identified by the OIE as being safe for trad e without restriction such  as semen, embryos, and 
protein free tallow.  Canada calls on those Members to  immediately remove any such restrictions.  In 
addition, it is requesting all trading partners to re store access for the full range of edible meat and 
meat products from cattle based on appropriate certifi cation regarding the removal of specified risk 
material in a hygienic manner, and live animals born after the implementation of the 1997 feed ban.  
 
6. For those markets which have opened, export  volumes for beef and meat products have 
returned to levels close to those experienced pr ior to the BSE case.  This speaks highly of the 
international confidence in the integrity of Cana da's inspection systems and credibility of its 
certification programs. 
 
7. Canada has accelerated the review of its own B SE import policy.  It is expecting to publish 
and notify to the WTO a draft revised import policy,  based on OIE standards, in the coming weeks. 
 
8. To conclude, Canada will conti nue to work cooperatively with a ll of its trading partners to 
resume trade for the fullest possible range of  products under safe a nd practical conditions. 
 
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