USDA Imposes Brucellosis Testing on B.C. Cattle

WASHINGTON - Jun 1/10 - SNS -- The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has placed temporary restrictions on the importation of sexually intact bovines (cattle and bison) from British Columbia.

These restrictions are based on recent importations of three cows from the province found to be reactors for brucellosis on slaughter testing.

As a result of these restrictions, all sexually intact bovines which have resided in British Columbia, Canada, since March 25, 2010, that are presented for entry to the U.S. must be certified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) as having tested negative for brucellosis.

Acceptable tests include the Fluorescence Polarization Assay (FPA), Buffered Plate Antigen Test (BPAT), Card Test (Rose Bengal), Complement Fixation (CF) test or an Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), performed within 30 days of export to the United States.

This certification can be made on an attached document certified by CFIA which references the Canadian Health Certificate. These restrictions do not apply to bovines imported for immediate slaughter.

Sexually neutered bovines (steers, spayed heifers) from British Columbia, Canada, are not affected by these restrictions, and may enter the U.S. under the existing guidelines for their importation.

Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that causes decreased milk production, weight loss, infertility, loss of young and lameness in cattle, elk and bison. The disease is contagious and can, though rarely, affect humans. There is no known treatment for brucellosis in animals.