CALGARY - Researchers at the University of Calgary want to know if farmers and ranchers are suffering long-term physical and mental health problems as a result of the mad cow crisis.
A new national study co-ordinated by the university's community health department will survey producers from coast to coast. Dr. Ryan Brook says the study is looking for a minimum of 1,000 farm families to fill out a questionnaire in the next few months.
The same group will be reinterviewed in five years to determine whether there are ongoing problems.
It's been more than four years since the discovery of BSE in an Alberta cow sent Canada's beef industry into an economic tailspin that cost more than $1.7 billion.
However, a spokesman for the Canadian Cattlemen's Association doesn't believe the impact of BSE lingers and shouldn't be lumped in with the cash crunch the industry faces
