Animal Health                                ...

Animal Health                                                                           

UN Agency Says BSE No Reason For Consumer Panic

The few cases of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or 'mad cow disease' in cattle in Canada and the U.S. should not cause panic among consumers and producers, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a statement yesterday (Feb. 7). Nor should the single case of BSE recently confirmed in a goat in France.

“The three cases in Canada and the one case in the U.S. from an imported animal are isolated incidents,” said Andrew Speedy, an FAO animal production expert. These cases were detected because of the testing procedures that are now in place. More than 176,000 tests out of a total cattle population of almost 95 million have been carried out in the USA and more than 21,000 out of 14.5 million cattle in Canada during 2004. A ban on feeding ruminant protein to ruminants has been in place in both countries since 1997.

Western European countries experienced significant numbers of BSE cases in 2001-2002 but the disease is declining now in the region.

The FAO said there is a need for a steady, scientific approach to ensure that the disease is kept out of unaffected countries. Identification of animals by the use of ear tags or electronic systems, national registration and movement records, compulsory testing of suspect animals, and general awareness, especially among producers and their veterinarians, are all part of essential control measures. Incentives may need to be given to encourage detection of suspect cases.

“There is still some lack of understanding about BSE and how it can be detected and controlled,” Speedy said. BSE can only be identified in adult animals; the animals that must be tested are cows that are casualties and fallen stock. “There is no point in testing all animals in slaughterhouses, because most of them are too young to detect the disease,” Speedy said.

The full statement is on the FAO Web site.

Japan                                                                                            

Panel Recommends Japanese Government Accept U.S. Age Verification Proposal

A panel of scientists and officials from Japan’s farm and health ministries concluded that the U.S. beef industry and USDA inspectors can distinguish cattle of 20 months or younger from older cattle by physical examination to a certainty approaching 99 percent. The panel, however, said further monitoring and study were required to ensure the method was safe enough. New USDA Secretary Mike Johanns issued the following statement:

"I am pleased that Japanese technical experts met today and accepted the U.S. grading system as an appropriate means to determine the age of cattle. This action now resolves the outstanding technical issues on resuming our trade in beef.

"Export sales are very important to our cattle and beef industry, amounting to 10% of our total production. Sales to Japan alone exceeded $1.7 billion in 2003 before trade was halted due to our finding one case of BSE in the United States.

"Today's determination by the Japanese experts is an important step towards resolving this issue between our two countries. We now call upon our Japanese colleagues to expedite the remaining implementation process so that trade may resume."

Animal Health                                                                           

UN Agency Says BSE No Reason For Consumer Panic

The few cases of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or 'mad cow disease' in cattle in Canada and the U.S. should not cause panic among consumers and producers, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a statement yesterday (Feb. 7). Nor should the single case of BSE recently confirmed in a goat in France.

“The three cases in Canada and the one case in the U.S. from an imported animal are isolated incidents,” said Andrew Speedy, an FAO animal production expert. These cases were detected because of the testing procedures that are now in place. More than 176,000 tests out of a total cattle population of almost 95 million have been carried out in the USA and more than 21,000 out of 14.5 million cattle in Canada during 2004. A ban on feeding ruminant protein to ruminants has been in place in both countries since 1997.

Western European countries experienced significant numbers of BSE cases in 2001-2002 but the disease is declining now in the region.

The FAO said there is a need for a steady, scientific approach to ensure that the disease is kept out of unaffected countries. Identification of animals by the use of ear tags or electronic systems, national registration and movement records, compulsory testing of suspect animals, and general awareness, especially among producers and their veterinarians, are all part of essential control measures. Incentives may need to be given to encourage detection of suspect cases.

“There is still some lack of understanding about BSE and how it can be detected and controlled,” Speedy said. BSE can only be identified in adult animals; the animals that must be tested are cows that are casualties and fallen stock. “There is no point in testing all animals in slaughterhouses, because most of them are too young to detect the disease,” Speedy said.

The full statement is on the FAO Web site.

Japan                                                                                            

Panel Recommends Japanese Government Accept U.S. Age Verification Proposal

A panel of scientists and officials from Japan’s farm and health ministries concluded that the U.S. beef industry and USDA inspectors can distinguish cattle of 20 months or younger from older cattle by physical examination to a certainty approaching 99 percent. The panel, however, said further monitoring and study were required to ensure the method was safe enough. New USDA Secretary Mike Johanns issued the following statement:

"I am pleased that Japanese technical experts met today and accepted the U.S. grading system as an appropriate means to determine the age of cattle. This action now resolves the outstanding technical issues on resuming our trade in beef.

"Export sales are very important to our cattle and beef industry, amounting to 10% of our total production. Sales to Japan alone exceeded $1.7 billion in 2003 before trade was halted due to our finding one case of BSE in the United States.

"Today's determination by the Japanese experts is an important step towards resolving this issue between our two countries. We now call upon our Japanese colleagues to expedite the remaining implementation process so that trade may resume."