An Analysis of the Mad Cow Epidemic from a PR Perspective

On the first of July 2006 the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced that it had found its sixth case of mad cow disease. Of an estimated 17 million cattle in Canada, 115,000 have been tested (USA Today 2006). This is only the sixth confirmed case of BSE found in that test group. The CFIA conducted a comprehensive investigation to trace the cow's origin. Evidence shows that the cow was born well before 1997 which was when Canada began a ban that helped relinquish the use of cattle remains in cattle feed. On June 26, 2006 the CFIA announced enhancements to the feed ban that would further its effectiveness (CFIA 2006). On June 30th, while the case was still in the preliminary stages, the CFIA announced that none of the suspected cow's remains had entered the human or animal food systems (CFIA 2006).

Analysis/Evaluation:

The term "Mad Cow Disease" is a hot topic in today's culture. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is the proper term for this disease. The reason that it is of newsworthy attention is that this disease appears to be transmittable to humans (LexisNexis 2006). Although it is not proven, BSE could be a link to what is known as Creutzfeldt - Jakob disease; a human disease that has similar symptoms (CFIA 2006). Therefore it is speculated that if a human digested beef that was infected with BSE, then this individual would be at risk for its human parallel. Therein lays the problem. On May 20, 2003 Canada discovered its first case of confirmed BSE in a cow intended for food use. Since then, there have been a total of 6 confirmed cases of BSE. In every case, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) promptly alerted the public of each incident (CFIA 2006). Also, they repeatedly claimed that none of the infected specimens' remains were allowed to enter the human food stream. The first cow was an exception to the others in light of the fact that it was rendered for the use in animal grade food. However, since then none of the reported cases have been used in any form of food development (CFIA 2006). These facts were presented in the news every time without fail. I believe that this prompt and honest behavior has proven to help keep the Canadian beef industry survive through the scare of "mad cow." The strict changes in export and import policies shows that they have a consistent effort in the elimination of BSE in North American cattle (LexisNexis 2006). Also, the insertion of the feed ban in Canada shows a further effort to control the disease (CFIA 2006). The credibility of their claims is therefore very high. The efforts of many across the world help to insure that this disease will not become a large problem in the future. Even dog food now is labeled specifically not to be fed to cattle or other ruminants (Ennis 2006). All of these things work together to show that the CFIA is passionate in delivering a safe product to the world. However, it is also important to note that not much was done to inform the public of this issue in any other media outlets. I believe that this may not have been necessary because of the fact that news today is such a quick and reliable source. Compare/Contrast with "Challenger Case":

Ethics Statements:

The first core value listed in the PRSA Member Statement of Professional Values is advocacy. The importance of this trait is that not only does the CFIA responsibly advocate their organization, but they also represent the entire Canadian cattle industry. Honesty is another important trait. The CFIA must hold this ethical principal very high. Their dishonesty could cost the lives of many, humans and cows alike. The third listed attribute is expertise. If the CFIA didn't adhere to this standard, they would be completely unreliable. The other three codes are not as important to this case as the first three. However, all six of these codes are present.

Professional Communication Plan:

In the concern of the epidemic of BSE found in Canadian cattle, I propose a plan of action. The main public that needs to be addressed is the cattle industry workers. By informing this group, the building of confidence in their own industry will ensure the livelihood of our objective. Also, the general market consumer needs to be informed. The types of data the need to be displayed will include all forms of action that the CFIA has enacted to battle BSE. Also, all findings of BSE tests will be immediately organized and presented to the news media.

July 10, 2006: Personal Interview by Kylie Daniel, questioning Travis Ennis on issue of Mad Cow Disease.

Q: What is your official job title at Masterfoods USA?
A: Technical Services Coordinator
Q: How has the epidemic of BSE affected your job here?
A: We have to take extra steps to label our totes and samples that come out of our plant, because they can't be fed to cows or other ruminants.
Q: Why is that?
A: We have to make sure that none of our scrap material goes back to cattle.
Q: Do you still have to follow these guidelines?
A: Yes
Q: Has the use of beef affected the sale of your product?
A: Actually, we don't use and beef material, but since we use lamb we have to follow the same guidelines. During the fist panic, our product could not be exported to Japan.

_{Works Cited:}
Canadian Food Inspection Agency. (2006) "Numerous Titles." [Internet] http://www.inspection.gc.ca [2006, July 10]
Ennis, Travis. (2006) [Interview] Kylie Daniel. [2006, July 10]
LexisNexis. "Mad Cow Case Rocks Canada's Beef Industry." (2006, January 23) LexisNexis Academic. [Internet] http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/printdoc [2006, July 5]
USA Today. "Suspected Case of Mad Cow Detected." (2006, July 1) USA Today Associated Press.