May 20, 2004

 

 

Strict Regulations To Keep U.S. Beef Safe
 

With the focused efforts of American cattlemen and the U.S. government, consumers can remain confident in the safety of U.S. beef despite the December 2003 discovery of a single cow in the United States with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or "mad cow disease."

 

Each year, U.S. beef producers invest millions of their own beef checkoff dollars in safety research and technological advances. In addition, they work with the government to comply with strict animal health and food safety regulations designed to keep the U.S. beef supply the safest in the world. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) contracts to conduct crisis management efforts on behalf of the Cattlemen's Beef Board (CBB) and state beef councils.

 

"Beef is actually one of the most heavily regulated and stringently tested foods," said Rick McCarty, NCBA executive director of issues management. "The BSE agent has not been found in meat such as steaks, roasts, or ground beef And although we have identified a single Canadian-born animal in the United States with BSE, we can remain confident in the safety of our beef supply for a number of reasons."

 

McCarty listed three key firewalls that protect public health and the U.S. beef supply:

 

1. Import restrictions since 1989 on live ruminant animals and animal products from any country with BSE.

 

2. Beginning in 1997, a ban on the feeding of ruminant-derived protein supplements to other ruminant animals, which is believed to be the primary transmission vehicle for the BSE agent.

 

3. In 1990, the U.S. began a targeted surveillance program to test cattle for BSE and, by doing so, became the first country to test for BSE without having the disease within its borders.

 

An independent multi-year risk analysis conducted by Harvard University reported that measures taken by the U.S. government and industry make the U.S. robust against the spread of BSE to animals or humans in this country.

 

"I confidently feed beef to my own family," said Will Frazee, beef producer from Emerson and secretary of the Iowa Beef Industry Council. "But I know that if consumer confidence in the safety of our product waivers, then we have failed as producers. That's why we continue to invest our own money in beef safety research."

 

Beef checkoff dollars are being invested in research to understand and eradicate BSE. Research is evaluating testing methods for the disease, as well as determining the susceptibility of different types and breeds of cattle. It is also studying methods to destroy the BSE infectious agent.

 

Consumer awareness about BSE reached 97% following the discovery, compared with 61% in September 2003. Nevertheless, consumer confidence in the safety of the U.S. beef supply remains strong, actually increasing three points from 88% in September 2003 to 91% in a survey completed February 12.

 

"The results of the research demonstrate that our efforts to assure consumers a safe and wholesome food supply are having an impact," McCarty said.

 

Upon receiving news of the BSE case, beef checkoff dollars helped fund a crisis response plan that had been in place since 1997. The plan included talking points, advisories and a special Web site located at www.bseinfo.or that contains scientific information about BSE, as well as beef industry facts, links to related Web sites and information about the USDA investigation.

 

From the beginning, consumers were provided with facts about the issue and reassured about two primary points - that the U.S. beef supply is safe, and that the system worked because the one infected animal was identified and risk material from that animal never entered the food supply.