July 1, 2004

US Cattle Group Criticizes USDA Handling Of BSE Threat

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released little additional information concerning the two "inconclusive" tests performed on cows for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad-cow disease, which is hurting the markets and the cattle industry, a ranchers' group said Wednesday.

Leo McDonnell, president of Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, said the public should remain confident in the safety of U.S. beef. However, "the U.S. cattle industry and public deserve straightforward and complete facts from USDA, not censored bits of data that serve no public interest," he said in a press release.

The only information released to date is that there are tissue samples being sent to the USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. The USDA also said testing would take four to seven days, and that the beef did not enter the food supply, the release said.

McDonnell and R-CALF called upon the USDA to release information such as the age, breed, location and country of origin of the tested animal. He claims not releasing the information has allowed "opportunists" to exploit the volatility in the U.S. live cattle market.

Reports, citing anonymous USDA officials as sources, have provided rumored and unofficial reports of the breed of one of the animals and location in which it was tested, according to R-CALF.

"Why is the public announcement of an 'inconclusive' test appropriate, but the release of essential information...is unsuitable for the public to know?" McDonnell said.

R-CALF three weeks ago provided the USDA with a scientific value-of- information model that shows that knowing the country of origin of an animal before announcing a confirmed positive test has substantial economic benefits. The benefits exceed any additional cost that would result from identifying and testing Canadian cattle currently in the United States, it claims.

The press release says that the U.S. practice of removing high-risk materials from all cattle carcasses over 30 months of age makes it nearly impossible for the disease to enter the U.S. food supply. R-CALF still is critical of the USDA for not targeting the appropriate population of cattle in the U.S.

They say the USDA is ignoring the recommendations of the World Organization for Animal Health, which advises targeting surveillance programs to test cattle imported from countries that are known to have BSE. This, R-CALF claims, would help contain and eradicate BSE in the U.S.