Canada on Sunday confirmed its second case of mad cow disease, just days after the United States said it planned to reopen its border to Canadian beef. The dairy cow from Alberta, which was born in 1996, has tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, as mad cow disease is formally known, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The results confirmed preliminary tests released earlier this week. The border was closed 19 months ago when a cow in northern Alberta was discovered with mad cow disease, which attacks the animals’ nervous system. Concerns persisted after a Canadian-born cow in Washington state was found in December 2003 to have the disease.
