AR-News: (US) Veneman expects more BSE in US

[Ronda Roaring]

Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 20:26:02 -0400 (EDT)
From: ProMED-mail 

Subject: PRO/AH> BSE surveillance - USA (02)

BSE SURVEILLANCE - USA (02)
**************************
A ProMED-mail post

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases


Date: 8 May 2004
From: Alfonso Rodriguez 
Source: SACBEE News [edited]



Mad cow testing to expand, agriculture chief says new cases wouldn't 
surprise her.
- -----------------------------------------------
Nearly 6 months after the 1st-ever case of mad cow disease was discovered 
in a Holstein at a Washington State dairy farm, the Agriculture Department 
is finally expected to launch an expanded testing program in Jun 2004.

Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, along with other Agriculture 
Departmental and industry officials, insist that the nation's meat supply 
is safe despite critics who say the government still isn't doing enough to 
protect consumers.

Nevertheless, on Fri 7 Apr Veneman said that she wouldn't be surprised if 
the expanded testing program ended up finding more infected animals. 
Current plans call for testing up to 400 000 animals over a period of 12 to 
18 months for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). That's 10 times as 
many inspections as the department planned to conduct prior to the 
discovery of the infected cow 2 days before Christmas [25 Dec 2003].

Some lawmakers on Capitol Hill, however, have suggested that as many as 3 
to 4 million of the 35 million cattle slaughtered every year must be tested 
to assess the health of the nation's herds.

"There is certainly a likelihood we will find more (diseased) cows," 
Veneman said during a conference on food-safety sponsored by the Consumers 
Federation of America.

Mad cow disease was 1st discovered in Britain in the 1980s. Since then, 
more than 181 000 cases have been reported in 2 dozen countries. Humans can 
get a form of the disease, variant Cruetzfeldt-Jakob disease, by eating 
contaminated meat. The human form of the disease is always fatal, and more 
than 150 people, most of them in Britain, have died.

Though Japan, and some European countries, test all of their cattle for BSE 
before slaughter, Veneman said there was no scientific justification for 
such a comprehensive program in the United States.

"We are committed to an effective BSE program, and we use science to guide 
us," Veneman said.

But the chief executive officer of a major Kansas cattle operation said 
Veneman, and the Bush administration, were under pressure from the industry 
not to expand testing any further and have used science as a "cover" to 
hold down costs.

"The government needs to step back and re-evaluate its position," John 
Stewart, of Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, said during the conference.

In Apr 2004, the department blocked Creekstone's plan to test all of its 
cattle for mad cow disease, saying the tests offered no guarantee that 
animals weren't infected with BSE, noting that a panel of international 
experts said a total testing program wasn't called for, scientifically.

Stewart said the real issue was that a handful of packers, who control 80 
percent of the nation's meat supply, fear that a broader testing program 
would cut into their profits. But, Stewart said, the tests would cost only 
USD 20 per animal and add only 4 cents to the price of a pound of ground beef.

And, Stewart said, consumers would be willing to pay a premium for meat 
from tested cattle.

"The science is still fuzzy, unclear," he said. "At some point, it will 
clarify itself. In the meantime, I propose testing be allowed."

Veneman disagreed. "These are not food-safety tests," she said. "They are 
animal surveillance tests for animal diseases."

Veneman also said the department had launched an investigation into the 
alleged violation of mad cow testing procedures involving a suspect cow in 
Texas sent to a rendering plant before tissue samples could be taken.

Department officials said no part of the animal had entered the human food 
chain.

A department veterinarian said the cow was displaying symptoms of a central 
nervous system disorder, which can also be a sign of BSE. Under established 
procedures, the animal should have been held until tissue samples were taken.

"We quickly admitted it should have been tested," Veneman said. "There was 
some miscommunication. We are investigating this to the fullest extent."

- --
ProMED-mail



[see also:
BSE surveillance - USA (TX) 20040507.1246]
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