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Summary:
In December 2003 a Holstein dairy cow in Washington State tested positive for BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease), the first case discovered in the United States and the second native case in North America. (Canada confirmed a third and then a fourth case in early January 2005.) All four North American cows were born in Canada, the first three before both countries banned, in 1997, the practice of feeding most ruminant material back to ruminants, including cattle. The fourth (third Canadian) case was in a cow born in March 1998. In all four cases, BSE-contaminated feed is considered the most likely cause of infection. Lower-risk Canadian beef has been permitted into the United States since August 2003. As the two new BSE cases were emerging, USDA published a final rule, on January 4, 2005, to also allow younger live cattle and additional Canadian ruminant products to enter, effective March 7, 2005. However, a federal judge on March 2, 2005, issued a preliminary injunction blocking the rule. In Congress, the Senate passed a joint resolution (S.J.Res. 4) on March 3 to overturn the rule. However, the resolution must pass the House (where similar H.J.Res. 23 is pending) and be signed by the President, which most observers believe is unlikely. Several other BSE-related measures have been introduced recently, such as a House resolution (H.Res. 137) urging economic sanctions against Japan if it does not begin to accept U.S. beef. Others include H.R. 187, H.R. 384, H.R. 1254, H.R. 1256, S. 73, S. 108, and S. 294. The agriculture committees have held hearings on BSE and trade. Meanwhile, USDA's Office of Inspector General in February 2005 issued an audit report that is highly critical of USDA's oversight of Canadian beef imports. Elsewhere, recently released assessments by both USDA and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have generally affirmed the effectiveness of Canadian feed controls -- despite the discovery of a Canadian cow with BSE born after a ban was implemented on feeding prohibited cattle parts back to cattle. Most countries banned U.S. beef after the December 2003 U.S. case. Several have partially reopened. Japan and Korea, the number one and three U.S. markets, respectively, remain closed. USDA said that total global exports in 2004 likely reached only 17% of their 2003 level of about 2.5 billion pounds. However, strong domestic demand and tight cattle supplies kept U.S. cattle prices relatively high in 2004. USDA and other experts contend that the risk to human health from one or a few U.S. BSE cases is minimal. Nonetheless, USDA has intensified efforts to improve BSE safeg u a r d s , including banning downer (nonambulatory) cattle from human food; keeping from the food supply additional higher-risk animal parts; accelerating work on a national animal identification system for disease purposes; and increasing funds for BSE-related activities. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is still weighing possible rules to tighten its feed controls. Further action is pending. From June 2004 to mid-March 2005, nearly 285,000 mostly higher-risk U.S. cattle had been tested for BSE under a special, expanded surveillance program, all negative.
