StatementU.S.Meat Export FederationPresident and CEO Philip SengWednesday, De...
Statement
U.S.Meat Export Federation
President and CEO Philip Seng
Wednesday, December 24, 2003
With the USDA announcement Tuesday (Dec. 23) that a single presumptive positive case of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as "mad cow disease") had been diagnosed in a Washington state dairy cow, the U.S. Meat Export Federation immediately committed its full resources in 13 offices worldwide to begin dialogs with agricultural officials and meat industry partners. Our message was simple: the U.S. beef production system is safe and the discovery of a single case of BSE doesn’t change this fact. In addition, we have assured our trading partners that maintaining a safe and wholesome food supply for our domestic consumers and export customers remains our highest priority. The discovery of this single case is proof that our system of safeguards and surveillance has worked.
Unfortunately, many of our trading partners have taken immediate action to temporarily close their borders to U.S. beef. Beef exports last year were valued at more than $3.2 billion and were on track to exceed that level in 2003. We are committed to doing everything we can, working closely with the USDA-Foreign Agricultural Service, to restore our trade as quickly as possible.
Our message to our trading partners includes the following points:
· The United States government will work to ensure that the investigation is rapid, accurate and thorough, and we will keep our trading partners and the Organization of International Epizootics (OIE) informed of all developments.
· As part of our BSE response plan, the farm from which the suspect animal came has been quarantined.
· The plant where the Holstein cow was slaughtered was not a participant in the beef export verification (BEV) program, meaning it does not export beef.
· USDA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have developed and are implementing emergency response plans to prevent the unlikely spread of the disease.
· The U.S. recognizes that the OIE has established guidelines for trade in animals and animal products from countries that have detected cases of BSE. The U.S. government and private industry have been working with the OIE in advancing the science and application of safe trade in animal and animal products. This is especially important for countries that have put in place effective measures over a number of years to manage the risk of BSE and have taken aggressive steps to respond – as the U.S. has done.
It is also important to remember the following:
· The suspect animal was an adult Holstein cow that was non-ambulatory at time of slaughter.
· The animal was from a farm in Mabton, Washington, about 40 miles southeast of Yakima, which has been quarantined.
· The animal was slaughtered in a small, federally-inspected packing plant in Moses Lake, Washington, and all specific risk materials (such as spinal cord, brain, intestine) were rendered and not allowed into the human food chain.
· The animal was tested as part of USDA's BSE surveillance program. The presumptive positive was diagnosed using two tests, one of which was the immunohistochemistry test, which is recognized by World Animal Health Organization as the gold standard test for BSE. The brain samples were then flown to the Central Veterinary Lab at Weybridge, England. Confirmation is expected in three to five days from now.
· The animal was processed and, although there is no risk of infectivity in the meat, USDA will attempt to trace the product from this animal.
There is more than ample reason to maintain confidence in the U.S. beef production system, and USMEF and USDA will do everything in their power to communicate this confidence to our trading partners worldwide.
Statement
U.S.Meat Export Federation
President and CEO Philip Seng
Wednesday, December 24, 2003
With the USDA announcement Tuesday (Dec. 23) that a single presumptive positive case of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as "mad cow disease") had been diagnosed in a Washington state dairy cow, the U.S. Meat Export Federation immediately committed its full resources in 13 offices worldwide to begin dialogs with agricultural officials and meat industry partners. Our message was simple: the U.S. beef production system is safe and the discovery of a single case of BSE doesn’t change this fact. In addition, we have assured our trading partners that maintaining a safe and wholesome food supply for our domestic consumers and export customers remains our highest priority. The discovery of this single case is proof that our system of safeguards and surveillance has worked.
Unfortunately, many of our trading partners have taken immediate action to temporarily close their borders to U.S. beef. Beef exports last year were valued at more than $3.2 billion and were on track to exceed that level in 2003. We are committed to doing everything we can, working closely with the USDA-Foreign Agricultural Service, to restore our trade as quickly as possible.
Our message to our trading partners includes the following points:
· The United States government will work to ensure that the investigation is rapid, accurate and thorough, and we will keep our trading partners and the Organization of International Epizootics (OIE) informed of all developments.
· As part of our BSE response plan, the farm from which the suspect animal came has been quarantined.
· The plant where the Holstein cow was slaughtered was not a participant in the beef export verification (BEV) program, meaning it does not export beef.
· USDA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have developed and are implementing emergency response plans to prevent the unlikely spread of the disease.
· The U.S. recognizes that the OIE has established guidelines for trade in animals and animal products from countries that have detected cases of BSE. The U.S. government and private industry have been working with the OIE in advancing the science and application of safe trade in animal and animal products. This is especially important for countries that have put in place effective measures over a number of years to manage the risk of BSE and have taken aggressive steps to respond – as the U.S. has done.
It is also important to remember the following:
· The suspect animal was an adult Holstein cow that was non-ambulatory at time of slaughter.
· The animal was from a farm in Mabton, Washington, about 40 miles southeast of Yakima, which has been quarantined.
· The animal was slaughtered in a small, federally-inspected packing plant in Moses Lake, Washington, and all specific risk materials (such as spinal cord, brain, intestine) were rendered and not allowed into the human food chain.
· The animal was tested as part of USDA's BSE surveillance program. The presumptive positive was diagnosed using two tests, one of which was the immunohistochemistry test, which is recognized by World Animal Health Organization as the gold standard test for BSE. The brain samples were then flown to the Central Veterinary Lab at Weybridge, England. Confirmation is expected in three to five days from now.
· The animal was processed and, although there is no risk of infectivity in the meat, USDA will attempt to trace the product from this animal.
There is more than ample reason to maintain confidence in the U.S. beef production system, and USMEF and USDA will do everything in their power to communicate this confidence to our trading partners worldwide.