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Mad Cow 'Not In Food
Supply' Says USDA

From Patricia Doyle, PhD
dr_p_doyle@hotmail.com
12-24-3


(Oh, really? Let's see some proof. Better yet, let's see the USDA actually start
MASS testing of slaughtered cattle...not just one out of every alleged 100 cattle. -ed)
 
The USDA and Media is doing damage control and, as the last article below states, they claim that mad cow disease has not entered the US food supply. Why would they even think of this as being terrorist related? Ridiculous! - Patty
 
 
Mad Cow Disease In US - 'Not In Food Supply'
Canadian Press
12-24-3
 
A single Holstein cow on a farm in Mapleton, Washington, has tested "presumptively positive" for mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE). It is the first case of the disease in the US.
 
According to US Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, the cow was either sick or injured and not destined for the food supply. Ms Veneman said that means the US food supply is safe.
 
(Ahem..National Public Radio in the US reported that the animal was tested after it showed up at a slaughter house 'barely able to walk.' -ed)
 
Ms Veneman said a tissue sample from the suspect cow was taken on December 9 and had been tested at a lab in Ames, Iowa. Additional samples are being sent to laboratories in Britain for confirmation of the preliminary diagnosis and the farm, which is remote, has been quarantined.
 
She said the US Agriculture Department has had safeguards in place since 1990 to check for mad cow disease and that 20,526 cows had been tested in 2003 in the United States.
 
"This is a clear indication that our surveillance and detection program is working," Ms Veneman said.
 
She said US beef remains "absolutely safe to eat," adding she plans to serve it at her Christmas dinner, according to the Globe and Mail.
 
A single case of the disease almost crushed the Canadian beef industry this year when all major importers closed their gates to Canadian beef, costing the industry close to $C2 billion.
 
 
Case Of Mad-Cow Disease Suspected In WA State
12-24-3
 
WASHINGTON -- Federal officials say the first case of suspected mad cow disease in the U.S. is being investigated in Washington state, but there is no evidence that infected meat entered the American food supply.
 
Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said that a single "downer" Holstein cow that was either sick or injured and intended for rendering, not food processing, tested presumptively positive for the brain-wasting illness as part of increased government screening procedures.
 
The cow was retested and then samples were sent to a laboratory in the United Kingdom for confirmation.
 
Meanwhile, the farm where the cow was located in Mabton, Wash., has been quarantined and meat from other animals in the herd are being traced for testing.
 
"We remain confident in the safety of our food supply," Ms. Veneman said.
 
The U.S. cattle industry has long feared an outbreak, which could result in billions of dollars of losses. On May 20, Canada confirmed that one Alberta cow, which was slaughtered in January, had mad cow disease. The disease has been widespread in Europe and has been linked to about 130 human deaths.
 
The discovery of the sick Canadian cow triggered an immediate halt of Canadian meat exports by most countries as a precaution.
 
Consumption of infected meat is thought to cause the human form of the disease, new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which is fatal.
 
Winston Wood
The Wall Street Journal
 
Copyright 2003 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
 
 
US Reports First Case Of Mad Cow
By Randy Fabi and Richard Cowan
12-24-3
 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The first U.S. case of the deadly mad cow disease, which devastated parts of the European agriculture industry in the 1990s, was found in a sick animal in Washington state, a top U.S. official said on Tuesday.
 
The announcement led to an immediate drop in the shares of fast food companies such as McDonald's, and analysts in Chicago predicted beef and grain prices would fall sharply.
 
Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said the disease was discovered in a Holstein cow in Washington state. The animal was a "downer," one that is too sick to walk, she said.
 
Mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), has never been found in the United States before but devastated the British industry in the 1990s. Scientists believe humans can be infected with the brain-wasting disease by eating diseased meat.
 
The U.S. cattle industry has long feared an outbreak of mad cow disease, which could result in billions of dollars of losses.
 
"A single Holstein cow from Washington state was tested as presumptive positive for BSE or what is widely known as mad cow disease," Veneman said at a news conference.
 
"Even though the risk to human health is minimal, based on evidence, we will take all appropriate actions out of an abundance of caution," she said.
 
The diseased animal was tested for mad cow disease on Dec. 9. A tissue sample was being flown by U.S. military jet to an animal disease laboratory in England for additional confirmation, Veneman said.
 
The farm where the cow was found was quarantined, and the USDA will hold daily briefings on its investigation.
 
Veneman said she spoke with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. "I would emphasize that based on the information available this incident is not terrorist related.
 
She also urged American consumers not to panic.
 
"I plan to serve meat for my Christmas dinner," Veneman added. "The risk to human health from BSE is extremely low."
 
On May 20, Canada confirmed that one Alberta cow, which was slaughtered in January, had mad cow disease. The disease has been widespread in Europe and has been linked to about 130 human deaths, mostly in Europe.
 
The discovery of the sick Canadian cow triggered an immediate halt of Canadian meat exports by most countries as a precaution.
 
Because of concerns over mad cow disease, the European Union in 1994 banned mammalian meat and bone meal from being used in cattle feed, but has allowed the products to be used in feed for other animals like chickens, pigs and fish.
 
A spokesman for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange had no immediate comment and did not know if the exchange would delay opening its Wednesday morning trading in the CME's cattle contract.
 
 
Mad Cow Case Discovered In US
Canadian Press
12-24-3
 
The first-ever case of mad cow disease is suspected in a single cow in Washington state but the United States' food supply is safe, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said Tuesday.
 
"We remain confident in the safety of our food supply," said Veneman.
 
She told a news conference a single Holstein cow that was either sick or injured -- thus never destined for the U.S. food supply -- tested presumptively positive for the brain-wasting illness.
 
Mad cow disease, known also as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is a disease that eats holes in the brains of cattle.
 
It sprang up in Britain in 1986 and spread through countries in Europe and Asia, prompting massive destruction of herds and decimating the European beef industry.
 
It's believed that consumption of beef products -- particularly the brain and spinal cord -- from an animal infected with the disease causes variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, a degenerative and fatal brain disorder.
 
One Canadian has died of the disease after apparently consuming beef while visiting the United Kingdom. An outbreak in Britain in the early 90s killed dozens of people in Europe.
 
A single case of mad cow sent the Canadian cattle industry into crisis in 2003 as all major importing countries closed their borders to Canada's beef, costing exporters alone more than $1.9 billion Cdn.
 
The crisis has abated since September, when the United States began accepting some boneless beef cuts. Since then, more than 60,000 tonnes of beef has moved into the United States and Mexico -- all from animals under 30 months of age, which are believed at lower risk of contracting the brain-wasting disease.
 
While cattle producers took the brunt of import bans in 2003, the real economic effects aren't expected to be felt until after the U.S. border reopens to live cattle, which had been expected early in 2004.
 
Canadian Agiculture Minister Robert Speller was en route to his home in Waterford, in southwestern Ont. and was expected to comment Tuesday evening.
 
It Speller's first major test after being sworn in less than two weeks ago.
 
Veneman said the apparently diseased cow was found at a farm in Mapleton, Wash., about 65 kilometres southeast of Yakima. She said the farm has been quarantined.
 
"Even though the risk to human health is minimal, we will take all appropriate actions out of an abundance of caution," she said.
 
Samples from the cow have been sent to Britain for confirmation of the preliminary mad cow finding, she said.
 
Mad cow disease has never been found in the United States before this incident despite intensive testing for it.
 
Veneman said a tissue sample from the suspect U.S. cow was taken on Dec. 9 and had been tested at a lab in Ames, Iowa.
 
She said the U.S. Agriculture Department has had safeguards in place since 1990 to check for mad cow disease and that 20,526 cows had been tested in 2003 in the United States.
 
"This is a clear indication that our surveillance and detection program is working," Veneman said.
 
She said U.S. beef remains "absolutely safe to eat," adding she plans to serve it at her Christmas dinner Thursday.
 
For more information, go to canada.com's extended coverage on mad cow disease.
 
© Copyright 2003 Canadian Press
http://canada.com/national/story.asp?id=50A49423-E227-48D9-8E80-ED3C698B340A


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