USDA affirms beef safe after BSE detection

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday confirmed a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as “mad cow” disease, in a dairy cow from central California.
   “The carcass of the animal is being held under state authority at a rendering facility in California and will be destroyed,” said USDA Chief Veterinary Officer John Clifford in a statement. “It was never presented for slaughter for human consumption, so at no time presented a risk to the food supply or human health. Additionally, milk does not transmit BSE.”
   It’s the fourth BSE case detected in the United States since December 2003. The last detection of the disease by USDA occurred in March 2006. Samples from the animal in this most recent finding were tested at USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.
   “Evidence shows that our systems and safeguards to prevent BSE are working, as are similar actions taken by countries around the world,” Clifford said. “In 2011, there were only 29 worldwide cases of BSE, a dramatic decline and 99 percent reduction since the peak in 1992 of 37,311 cases. This is directly attributable to the impact and effectiveness of feed bans as a primary control measure for the disease.”
   He added that USDA is sharing its laboratory results with international animal health reference laboratories in Canada and England, which have official World Animal Health (OIE) reference labs. “These labs have extensive experience diagnosing atypical BSE and will review our confirmation of this form of the disease. In addition, we will be conducting a comprehensive epidemiological investigation in conjunction with California animal and public health officials and the FDA,” he said.
   “This detection in no way affects the United States’ BSE status as determined by the OIE,” Clifford said. “The United States has in place all of the elements of a system that OIE has determined ensures that beef and beef products are safe for human consumption: a mammalian feed ban, removal of specified risk materials, and vigorous surveillance. Consequently, this detection should not affect U.S. trade.”
   The 2003 case resulted in a near worldwide shutdown of U.S. beef exports, costing the nation’s cattlemen about $3 billion in 2004. The USDA spent the next several years working with major import countries to restore their confidence in the U.S. beef trade.