USDA ON MAD COW: 'DON'T LOOK, DON'T FIND'

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USDA ON MAD COW: 'DON'T LOOK, DON'T FIND'

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/27/national/nationalspecial2/27COW.html

The United States' 'don't look, don't find' policy on mad cow

disease is beginning to crumble under the weight of the

international boycott of US beef. AP, UPI and here the New York

Times are all reporting that " a beef producer in Kansas has

proposed testing all its cattle for mad cow disease so it can

resume exports to Japan, but it is encountering resistance from the

Agriculture Department and other beef producers. American beef

exports have plummeted since Dec. 23 when a cow in Washington State

was diagnosed with [mad cow disease], a fatal disease that can be

passed to humans who eat infected cattle tissue. To assure the

safety of its meat, the company, Creekstone ... wants to use rapid

diagnostic tests that are routinely used in Japan and many European

nations. " This is potentially great news for American farmers and

consumers if other companies break ranks with USDA and the meat

lobby and test their cattle. However, any private testing regime

must use the most sensitive tests and publicly report any mad cows

discovered to have credibility. The two Canadian and US mad cows

found so far are the tip of an iceberg of unknown size; only

testing of millions of cattle will reveal the extent of this

crisis.

SOURCE: New York Times, February 27, 2004

More web links related to this story are available at:

http://www.prwatch.org/spin/February_2004.html#1077858000

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