[Reporter] At this Montreal butcher, Quebec venison
is on offer
and staff here are more than confident it's safe.
[Man] We always get because they're made from always the
same that the same
supplier and that supplier never really had any problem
the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says
animals like deer and elk slaughtered in
abattoirs in Quebec Saskatchewan Alberta
Manitoba and yukon must be tested for
chronic wasting disease or CWD before
the meat can be sold for food the
disease affects the central nervous
system and hoofed animals like deer and
is similar to mad cow disease while the
CFIA says there is no direct scientific
evidence it can be transmitted to humans
it recommends people don't eat infected
meat and says there is a range of
precautions to keep it out of the food
system but three new cases detected on
Alberta farms this year have some
calling on the government to do more the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency which is
under the jurisdiction of our federal
Health Minister and Health Canada has to
create a new policy immediately that
ensures that no meat from contaminated
CWD Farms deer or elk and Canada is
permitted to go into the human food
chain part of her concern is around what
happened last year when the disease was
confirmed at a deer farm in Quebec the
herd was called along with wild deer in
the surrounding area but CFIA has said
the meat that tested negative was
allowed to be sold for food even though
its website states a negative test
doesn't guarantee the animal is not
infected still one researcher who has
studied the disease for years says the
risk to consumers buying farmed meat is
exceptionally low that says hunters
should be careful I'm never gonna say
there's no risk again I think that the
main the bigger risk is to hunters that
aren't testing their animals or that are
eating test positive animals Quebec Red
Deer producers say last year's case has
had a ripple effect on the industry all
of us are concerned about about that
because the venison market is very very
disturbed the CFAA says none of the
from the last two cases entered the food
system and the farms remain under
quarantine
Alison Northcott CBC News Montreal
