A statement from the Canadian Federation of Agriculture

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2003

(OTTAWA) - The Canadian Federation of Agriculture appreciates the speed with which the government acted to advise and brief industry groups following today’s confirmation of a case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) – also called “mad cow disease” – in an Alberta cow.

“The CFA stands behind federal and provincial testing and tracing systems,” said Bob Friesen, CFA President. “Canada has one of the safest and most stringent food safety systems in the world. This discovery and the measures subsequently imposed to contain it are proof of the effectiveness of the system.”

The temporary ban imposed today by the United States Department of Agriculture on all Canadian ruminants and ruminant products will have a significant economic impact on Canadian producers. Now that the government has confirmed the animal did not enter the food or animal feed chains, CFA urges the Canadian government to continue to act diligently and quickly in providing the science needed to enable the U.S. to lift this ban as soon as possible.

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Founded in 1935 to provide Canada's farmers with a single voice in Ottawa, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture is the country's largest farmers' organization. Its members include provincial general farm organizations as well as national and inter-provincial commodity organizations from every province. Through its members, CFA represents over 200,000 Canadian farmers and farm families.

Contact:

Kieran Green, CFA Communications Coordinator, (613) 236-3633, info@cfafca.ca

Bob Friesen, CFA President, (204) 724-0824 (cell)

Brigid Rivoire, CFA Executive Director, (613) 236-3633 / (613) 715-3113 (cell)