Canada is testing another animal for mad cow disease. The suspected animal is approximately six-years old according to a spokesman for the Canadian government.
If the tests come back positive, this would be the fifth documented case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Canada since 2003. Final testing will be completed by the end of this weekend.
According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the animal was living in British Columbia and has not entered the human or animal food chain.
'This case, if positive, has no bearing on the safety of Canadian beef,' a spokesman for the FIA said.
More than 100,000 cows have been tested in Canada since the first case of BSE was identified in Alberta three years ago.
If this animal tests positive for mad cow disease, government officials say they will begin a thorough investigation into when and how the animal became infected.
