Second Herd Quarantined in Mad Cow Scare

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Second Herd Quarantined in Mad Cow Scare

Fri December 26, 2003 06:00 PM ET

 

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Cowan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Agriculture Department on Friday quarantined a

second herd of cattle in Washington state in connection with the first U.S. case

of mad cow disease, as cattle producers scrambled to minimize damage to the $27

billion industry.

The cattle industry, reeling from the discovery of the deadly, brain-wasting

disease, on Friday withdrew objections to tighter controls that would prevent

sick animals from entering the food supply.

White House officials said that the U.S. beef supply is safe for consumers and a

spokesman said President Bush continues to eat beef.

The second Washington state herd placed under quarantine brings to 4,400 the

number of animals under observation.

With more than two dozen countries banning the import of U.S. beef, including $1

billion-a-year customer Japan, federal Agriculture Department officials said

their probe into the origin of the disease could take months and widen far

beyond the dairy farm in Mabton, Washington, where the 4-year-old Holstein was

discovered.

In Chicago, cattle futures fell by the maximum allowable amount for the second

consecutive day and experts said beef prices could tumble by a further 20

percent and predicted that exports to Japan and other key market would be

disrupted well into the new year.

Venezuela and Egypt on Friday joined some two dozen nations that halted imports

of U.S. beef. Food company stocks also tumbled as investors worried that U.S.

consumers could begin to eat less beef.

The U.S. Agriculture Department on Friday quarantined a second herd of 400 bull

calves in Sunnyside, Washington, not far from Mabton, that contains a calf

recently born to the original infected Holstein.

The USDA had previously quarantined a 4,000-animal herd at the dairy farm in

Mabton, where the infected cow lived before it was slaughtered on Dec. 9. The

cow was sent to slaughter after complications from calving left her unable to

walk.

The U.S. Cattlemen's Association, the industry's major group, on Friday changed

it position on dealing with sick cattle, saying that those are too sick to walk

-- so-called downer animals -- should be tested for mad cow disease before they

are slaughtered and processed for consumption.

The animal that came down with the nation's first case of mad cow disease had

been made into hamburger and probably eaten before the U.S. Agriculture

Department received test results.

Ranchers and farmers now support a " test and hold " program that segregated the

carcasses of sick animals from others until testing for mad cow, Terry Stokes,

chief executive officer of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, said.

The cattle industry previously contended that downer cattle pose no clear-cut

risk to the human food supply. A USDA spokeswoman said the department was

reviewing all of its existing mad cow safeguards for possible improvements, but

declined further comment.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also said it was assessing its rules,

with an eye toward possibly banning the use of cattle remains in all animal

food.

The U.S. government said it was sending trade experts to Japan, the biggest

single buyer of U.S. beef, to begin talks on Monday on how to address that

nation's concerns and resume beef shipments.

An outbreak of mad cow disease, known formally as bovine spongiform

encephalopathy (BSE), forced the slaughter of millions of cattle in Europe in

the 1990s. At least 137 people, mostly in Britain, died of a human form of the

disease, known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

In both cattle and humans, the disease destroys portions of the brain, causing

paralysis and blindness. There is no cure.

The investigation to pinpoint how the U.S. cow was infected will take time, said

Ron DeHaven, USDA's chief veterinarian.

" It might not be a matter of days, it might be a matter of weeks or months, "

DeHaven told reporters.

It was " highly unlikely " that BSE -- which is conveyed through infected brains,

spinal column and nervous system tissue -- could be spread to other animals

through birth, but scientists cannot rule out that possibility, he said.

The investigation by the USDA and the FDA focused on where the infected cow was

born and what kind of feed she consumed early in life.

" We assume it was infected very early in life because the average incubation

period is generally four or five years, " said Stephen Sundlof, the FDA's chief

veterinarian.

In 1997, the FDA banned the use of cattle remains as an ingredient in feed for

other cows. However, cattle brains, spinal cords and other potentially risky

material can be ground up and used in feed for poultry, pigs and household pets.

DeHaven also said it was " premature " to speculate whether the infected cow was

born in Canada. In May, Canadian officials found a single case of BSE in a Black

Angus cow in Alberta. Investigators were never able to determine the cause.

The U.S. probe could be broadened to " potentially many states, " DeHaven said.

Shares in beef processor Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN.N: Quote, Profile, Research) were

pounded again on Friday. Major hamburger chains like McDonald's Corp. (MCD.N:

Quote, Profile, Research) recovered modestly, as investors tried to gauge the

impact on consumer demand.

Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's on Wednesday placed the debt ratings of

most U.S. beef protein processors on watch, with negative implications.

 

 

 

 

 

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