Canada expects mad cow testing may find new cases (November 16, 2004) Reuters
WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Canadian veterinary officials were cited as saying on Tuesday they will not be surprised if they find a small number of cases of mad cow disease after boosting test rates among old and sick cattle.

The story says that Canada has tested more than 10,000 cattle for the brain-wasting disease in 2004, almost double the year-earlier levels and more than triple what it tested before finding its first home-grown case of the disease in May 2003. All other tests have been negative.

But at a briefing on preventive measures on Tuesday, officials were cited as reiterating that more cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, could arise after test levels are increased to 30,000 in 2005.

Frederique Moulin, a senior veterinarian with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, was quoted as saying, "When you have one indigenous case of BSE, it's possible that even if you have a very, very low prevalence of BSE in the national herd, it's possible to have other cases that are coming out," adding that Canada's surveillance system is designed to detect one infected animal out of one million healthy ones.
The story adds that since 2003, the export-dependent cattle industry has lost up to C$5 billion ($4.2 billion) by some private estimates because of bans in foreign markets.