On Friday, November 30, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman and Harvard University's George Gray, PhD addressed an important issue about the safety of our nation's food supply. On that day, the Department released a risk assessment on the potential for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) occurring or spreading in the U.S.
The three year study, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and conducted by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, indicated that the risk of BSE occurring in the U.S. is extremely low. The investigators found the hypothetical introduction of BSE to this country would result in only a few new cases of disease and BSE would not become established. This is due largely because of the early protection systems currently in place by the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). These two agencies have worked together and are responsible for keeping BSE out of the U.S. monitoring the U.S. cattle herd for the disease and would help control it from spreading if it were to ever enter the country.
The study served as a basis for analysis and evaluation of the current preventative measures already in place and identified additional actions that should be taken to minimize the risk of BSE.
"The study clearly shows that the years of early actions taken by the federal government to safeguard consumers have helped keep BSE from entering the United States," said Secretary Veneman. "Even if BSE were to ever be introduced, it would be contained according to the study. However, we cannot let down our guard or reduce our vigilance."
In response to the report Secretary Veneman announced a series of actions the USDA would take in cooperation with DHHS to continually strengthen the current BSE prevention programs to maintain the government's watchfulness against the disease.
First, the USDA will have the risk assess-ment peer reviewed by a panel of outside experts to ensure the integrity of the science.
Second, the USDA will more than double the number of BSE tests it will conduct this fiscal year. The USDA is expected to test over 12,500 cattle in 2002, doubling the number from 2001.
Third, the USDA will publish a policy options paper outlining additional regulatory actions that may be taken to reduce the potential risk of exposure and ensure potential infectious materials remain out of the U.S. food supply. The options considered include: prohibiting the use of brain and spinal cord from specified categories of animals; prohibiting the use of central nervous system tissue in boneless beef products; and prohibiting the use of vertebral column from certain categories of cattle. As it has in the past on other issues, the USDA will invite public comment on the options and then proceed with appropriate regulatory actions.
Fourth, the USDA will issue a proposed rule to prohibit the use of certain stunning devices used to immobilize cattle during the slaughter process.
Fifth, the USDA will publish an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) to consider additional actions for the disposal of dead livestock on farms and ranches.
According to George Gray, PhD of the Harvard School of Risk Analysis, a key finding of the study is that BSE would not become established, even if it were introduced in the U.S. "Even if 10 infected cows were somehow brought into the U.S., few new cases of disease would arise and the disease in the cattle herd would die out. Furthermore, the potential for people to be exposed to infected cattle parts that could transmit the disease is very low."
BSE has never been detected in U.S. cattle. The human form of the disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) has not been detected in the U.S. either. Since 1989, the USDA implemented a ban on the importation of live ruminants, such as cattle, sheep and goats and ruminant products from the United Kingdom and other countries having BSE. In 1997, the ban was extended to almost all of Europe. In an additional step to stop the potential spread of the disease, DHHS prohibited the use of most mammalian protein in the manufacture of animal feed for cattle and other ruminants.
BSE is a chronic, degenerative neurological disorder of cattle that belongs to a family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies or TSEs. While the U.S. remains "BSE free," the United Kingdom and numerous European countries account for almost all cases of BSE infected cattle. Cases of BSE have also been identified in Japan.
"It's a war on the disease - a continual challenge," stated Will Hueston, DVM, PhD, director of the University of Minnesota's animal health and food safety center. Efforts to strengthen surveillance, increased resources and expanded inspection efforts as well as constant communication between government, industry, and scientific experts will play a key role in keeping the U.S. "BSE free."
A copy of the USDA/Harvard Risk Assessment is located on the USDA Web site at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/oa/bse.
