AR-News: (US) USDA vets question agency's mad cow lab

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

By Steve Mitchell
United Press International
Published 2/9/2004 7:06 PM
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WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The federal laboratory in Ames, Iowa, that 
conducts all of the nation's tests for mad cow disease has a history of producing 
ambiguous and conflicting results -- to the point where many federal meat 
inspectors have lost confidence in it, Department of Agriculture veterinarians and a 
deer rancher told United Press International.
The veterinarians also claim the facility -- part of the USDA and known as 
the National Veterinary Services Laboratories -- has refused to release testing 
results to them and has been so secretive some suspect it is covering up 
additional mad cow cases.
Distrust of the NVSL is so widespread among USDA veterinarians and meat 
inspectors it limits mad cow disease surveillance "tremendously," said a 
veterinarian with more than 25 years of experience with the agency.
The veterinarian, who requested anonymity because he feared repercussions, 
said many agency inspectors do not consider it worth the trouble to inspect cows 
closely for signs of mad cow disease or to send brain samples to the NVSL 
because there is little chance the lab will issue a positive result, even if the 
cow is infected.




full story:
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20040209-061848-3665r 


"The world is a dangerous place,
not because of those who do evil,
but because of those who look on and do nothing.",
Albert Einstein
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