The vast majority of U.S. trading partners in beef cattle and products have followed sound science and handled the April announcement of a new case of BSE in the U.S. responsibly, says Philip Seng, president and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation. However, he cautions that maintaining market access is only part of the battle....More

On April 24, USDA confirmed the nation’s 4th case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in an animal that was sampled for the disease at a rendering facility in central California. This animal was never presented for slaughter for human consumption, so at no time presented a risk to the food supply, or to human health in the United States. As the epidemiological investigation has progressed, USDA has continued to communicate findings in a timely and transparent manner....More

A Kansas State University veterinarian wants consumers to know that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s discovery of a sick cow in California shows that the meat inspection system in the United States works....More

Noting that USDA is very early into an epidemiological investigation that likely could take time to fully play out, a BSE expert said the discovery of the nation’s fourth case of BSE, this one in a California dairy cow, “really does illustrate that our surveillance system is working very well.”...More