frenchie
Well-known member
BSE surveillance will concentrate on symptomatic cattle
meatingplace.com
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, in announcing the reduction of the BSE surveillance program from about 1,000 cattle per week to about 110, said that the agency will concentrate on cattle showing symptoms of the disease and those that can't stand or walk in the testing program, with only a handful of cattle found dead being tested.
This reverses the priorities of the enhanced surveillance program. Under that program, about 85 percent of the cattle tested for BSE had been found dead on the farm, while only 11 percent were symptomatic or were non-ambulatory. :shock:
Dr. Michael Hansen, head biologist at Consumers Union, which publishes Consumers Reports, had criticized USDA for concentrating so heavily on dead animals rather than those exhibiting the brain-wasting symptoms that have given BSE its nickname, "mad cow disease."
Hansen, however, opposes the 90 percent reduction in animals tested, and said that he and other consumer groups would petition Congress to restore previous testing levels.
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meatingplace.com
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, in announcing the reduction of the BSE surveillance program from about 1,000 cattle per week to about 110, said that the agency will concentrate on cattle showing symptoms of the disease and those that can't stand or walk in the testing program, with only a handful of cattle found dead being tested.
This reverses the priorities of the enhanced surveillance program. Under that program, about 85 percent of the cattle tested for BSE had been found dead on the farm, while only 11 percent were symptomatic or were non-ambulatory. :shock:
Dr. Michael Hansen, head biologist at Consumers Union, which publishes Consumers Reports, had criticized USDA for concentrating so heavily on dead animals rather than those exhibiting the brain-wasting symptoms that have given BSE its nickname, "mad cow disease."
Hansen, however, opposes the 90 percent reduction in animals tested, and said that he and other consumer groups would petition Congress to restore previous testing levels.
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