Is either rapeseed oil or canola oil linked to mad cow disease?
No. Mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopthy or BSE) results from feeding sheep offal to cattle. A similar condition, scrapie, has long been known in sheep. Whole sheep carcasses, including brain and spinal tissue, were used to prepare protein meals for cattle. Scientific evidence indicates that BSE is caused by a prion, a small glycoprotein, which somehow invokes the production of a special kind of protein in the central nervous system of susceptible animals. There is no connection between prions and canola oil. Q: Can canola kill insects like aphids? A: Yes. But so can ALL other oils including olive, corn, sunflower, peanut, etc. These oils kill aphids by suffocation, not by poisoning them. Vegetable oils in general are recommended by many horticulturists as a non-chemical, more environmentally friendly insect control method. Want more information that debunks canola misinformation? Check out these Web pages: WHAT INDEPENDENT SOURCES SAY: Media: Western Producer’s rebuttal to
