The discovery of another case of mad-cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE) in an almost six-year-old Alberta animal appears to herald both good news and bad.

The bad news is that the beast was born after prohibition of ruminantto ruminant supplements in cattle feed. The good news is that the discovery of the infection has proven that controls on what goes into the human food chain are working.

Although that might seem to present a balanced situation with no negative impact on the recovering beef industry, Wally Schaus of Schaus Land & Cattle Co. Ltd. said Wednesday that other events are likely to lead to “a tough market ahead” for Canadian beef producers.

Elmwood-based Schaus is possibly Dufferin’s largest feeder, with an indoor feedlot in Mono, and has extensive land and cattle interests in Western Canada. Mr. Schaus said he watches the futures market daily, and June 2006 prices are depressed. As well, the current market is about a nickel beneath what he had expected — 92-93 cents rather than 97-98.

Almost coinciding with the mad cow discovery, Japan closed its borders to U.S. beef after it found forbidden fragments of bone and spine in a box of veal from New York. “The (New York) inspectors didn’t do the job,” said Mr. Schaus. “The rules have to be followed. When you come to a red light you have to stop.” Although Japan hadn’t closed its border to Canadian beef, Mr. Schaus said anything that affects the U.S. market also affects the Canadian one. Even if a reduction in U.S. exports to the Pacific results in only a singleload reduction in Canadian exports to the U.S., “every load helps,” he said.

Yet Dr. Brian Evans of the Canada Food Inspection Agency told a news conference last week that the mad cow discovery was “unwelcome but not unexpected.” The Hereford/ Holstein cow was born well after the 1997 ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban was implemented, but Dr. Evans said in effect that there remains a risk of feed bins being contaminated with the pre-1997, banned, feed — “even in the tiniest crack.”

And Canadian Cattlemen’s Association president Stan Eby took a positive view of the discovery. The good news, he said, is that no part of the infected animal reached the human food chain, “as controls are working.”

As well, U.S. agriculture secretary Mike Johanns was quoted as saying he expected “no change in the status of beef or live cattle imports to the United States from Canada.” Under the agreement by which the U.S. border has been opened, Canada may export live animals that are less than 30 months of age.

The not-so-good news is that the discovery of the fourth infected animal in Canada has provided grist for the mill of the new president of the organization that calls itself RCALF USA. It comes at a time when the Japanese have closed their border once again to U.S. beef but have continued to import Canadian. The U.S. imports were stopped when Japanese officials recently found a portion of vertebral bone in a box of American beef.

Now, R-CALF president Chuck Kiker is complaining that Canada can export to Japan while the U.S. cannot.

Mr. Kiker is a Texas rancher and is determined to see the Canada-U.S. border closed again to Canadian beef. Under his new presidency, R-CALF is reported to have instituted a major membership drive, in an effort to have a stronger voice in federal U.S. affairs.

R-CALF over the past year has launched lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to re-open the border.

It did win an early injunction at a court hearing in Montana, but that was overturned on appeal. More hearings have been scheduled.