OTTAWA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Canada has reported a new case of mad cow disease, the 13th in the country, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced Monday.

    The disease was discovered in a cow that died on a farm in the western province of British Columbia, said Dr George Luterbach, a senior veterinarian with CFIA.

    The agency said the infection was detected as part of its ongoing surveillance program for mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). No part of the infected cow has entered the human or animal food chain.

    Since 2003, 13 cases of mad cow disease have been found in Canada, including 10 in Alberta and 3 in British Columbia.

    An ensuing ban by the United States on Canadian old cattle and beef products has cost the country's farmers billion of dollars. That ban was lifted in 2005.