- (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
|
