The Alberta agriculture industry faced significant challenges following the discovery of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) (also known as mad cow disease) in May 2003. The cow was inspected, found to be substandard and removed so that it would not be fed to animals or humans. The carcass was processed into oils and the head sent to the United Kingdom where the case of mad cow was confirmed. An investigation by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency resulted in the slaughter of 2,700 head of cattle. Exports of Canadian beef were halted by numerous countries immediately, most notably including the United States and Japan. Trade relations with the United States further deteriorated in December 2003 when a case of BSE was discovered in a cow imported from Canada to a farm near Yakima, Washington.