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BSE Update

USDA Announces BSE Test Confirmed Positive

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced test results confirm the tested animal did carry Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, also known as mad cow disease).

Despite this confirmed case of BSE, top scientists, government experts and leaders in the food industry agree that U.S. beef remains very safe and the risk of BSE to humans is near zero. Strong regulations and firewalls protect consumers, ensuring this animal never entered the food supply.

“U.S. beef is safe – plain and simple,” Johanns said. “We must remember this is only one sample among 388,000 tests done to date. We have firewalls in place and our safeguards worked just as they should.”

Johanns also said if another BSE rapid screening test results in inconclusive findings like this animal originally did in November 2004, USDA will run both the IHC and Western Blot confirmatory tests. Previously, only IHC was performed on the animal and produced a negative result.

For more information, see USMEF News Release, the USDA statement and the USDA fact sheet.

BSE Update

USDA Announces BSE Test Confirmed Positive

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced test results confirm the tested animal did carry Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, also known as mad cow disease).

Despite this confirmed case of BSE, top scientists, government experts and leaders in the food industry agree that U.S. beef remains very safe and the risk of BSE to humans is near zero. Strong regulations and firewalls protect consumers, ensuring this animal never entered the food supply.

“U.S. beef is safe – plain and simple,” Johanns said. “We must remember this is only one sample among 388,000 tests done to date. We have firewalls in place and our safeguards worked just as they should.”

Johanns also said if another BSE rapid screening test results in inconclusive findings like this animal originally did in November 2004, USDA will run both the IHC and Western Blot confirmatory tests. Previously, only IHC was performed on the animal and produced a negative result.

For more information, see USMEF News Release, the USDA statement and the USDA fact sheet.