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Cooperation and vigilance keep U.S. cattle free from European diseases From what countries does the U.S. import beef or cattle? What are the risks? What is Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy? What is BSE? BSE, or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, is a degenerative neurological disease affecting the central nervous system (CNS) in cattle. Scientists believe BSE to be caused by misfolded proteins, called prions, which build up in CNS tissues eventually killing nerve cells. Scientists do not know what factors trigger this conversion. Some believe the abnormal protein itself directly causes the conversion of the normal protein, while others believe a virus-like entity may be involved. Most scientists agree that the accumulation of abnormal proteins in brain cells results in altered function and eventual death of cells. BSE is commonly referred to as “mad cow disease.”
Has BSE been found in the United States? Yes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced December 23, 2003 that BSE had been diagnosed in a Washington state dairy cow. DNA testing confirmed the 6 ½-year-old cow was born in Canada and imported to the United States in 2001.
How is BSE spread among cattle? BSE does not spread from animal to animal, or animal to human, contact. BSE can only be transmitted through feed containing ruminant-derived meat and bone meal (MBM) from BSE-infected cattle. The use of ruminant-derived MBM as a protein supplement in cattle feed was banned in the United States in 1997.
What is the status of the USDA investigation into the December 23, 2003 case of BSE? On February 9, 2004, Dr. Ron DeHaven, Deputy Administrator of Veterinary Services for USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, announced completion of the field investigation into the first U.S. case of BSE. Epidemiological tracing and DNA evidence prove the BSE positive cow was born on a dairy farm in Calmar, Alberta, Canada on April 9, 1997. An appropriate analysis of all herd inventories held as a result of the investigation has been completed.
Can humans get mad cow disease? Research from the United Kingdom supports an association between BSE and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD). Variant CJD is a much different disease than sporadic or classic CJD, often referred to simply as “CJD.” Variant CJD likely developed as a result of people consuming products contaminated with central nervous system tissue of BSE-infected cattle. Documented studies report that in naturally infected cattle, the BSE agent has only been found in central nervous system tissue, such as brain and spinal cord and in retina tissue.
BSE, sporadic CJD and vCJD are all Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) which are a class of rare brain diseases, some of which affect humans while others affect animals. All TSEs are associated with the accumulation of abnormal prion proteins in the brain.
While BSE is found only in cattle, sporadic CJD and vCJD are found in humans. Sporadic CJD and vCJD are distinctly separate brain diseases, each with its own unique clinical and histopathological features.
Sporadic CJD was first identified in the 1920s. Sporadic CJD is endemic throughout the world, including the United States, and has a worldwide incidence of approximately one case per million people each year.
There are several important differences between these two forms of the
disease. The median age of patients with classic CJD in the United
States, for example, is 68 years, and very few cases occur in persons
under 30 years of age. In contrast, the median age of patients with vCJD
in the United Kingdom is 28 years.
No indigenous cases of vCJD have been detected in the United States. There are many unknowns about vCJD, including method and amount of exposure, route of transmission and incubation period. Significant steps have been taken in the United States to prevent exposure to the disease.
Is U.S. beef safe? Yes. Research to date has not found BSE infectivity in beef such as steaks, roasts or ground beef. Tests on the muscle of naturally and experimentally infected cattle have been negative for BSE, even in advanced stages of the disease.
Since the single case of BSE was identified in the U.S., the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have taken extra precautionary steps to prohibit from the food supply parts of the animal that could carry the BSE agent. These parts never enter the U.S. food supply—making the safest beef in the world even safer for U.S. consumers. Q: How do we search for BSE in this country’s cattle?
The U.S. has kept close watch on the nation’s cow herd since 1990. Experience in Europe has shown that testing high-risk cattle is the method most likely to identify BSE if it is present. USDA’s current, enhanced surveillance program for BSE is designed to assess the prevalence of BSE in this country, if it exists here, by targeting this high risk population—including animals exhibiting signs of central nervous system disorder, non-ambulatory animals and animals that die on-farm with symptoms consistent with BSE. The program aims to test as many as 250,000 animals over a 12 to 18 month period. USDA says this sample size will allow for detection of the disease if it exists in the U.S., even if it exists at a rate as low as one positive per 10 million adult cattle.
What safeguards are in place to protect the U.S. beef supply? As far back as the late 80s, the U.S. government and cattle industry took precautions to protect public and animal health. In 1996, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association launched a voluntary feed ban, which established an industry standard against feeding ruminant-derived protein to cattle. In 1997, with our support, the FDA made the ban mandatory. The feed ban breaks the cycle of BSE and, with full compliance, assures the disease will be eliminated. FDA reports feed ban compliance exceeds 99 percent. Ninety-seven percent of beef produced today comes from animals born after the feed ban, and that percentage increases every day. Regardless, U.S. beef is safe from BSE because is safe from BSE because the parts of the animal that could carry BSE are not allowed into the food supply.
In 2003, USDA strengthened its food safety program by banning from the human food supply any cattle that are unable to walk or show signs of possible neurological disease. The USDA also prohibits from the food supply parts of the animal that could carry the BSE agent. In 1997, the FDA banned feeding ruminant-derived protein to cattle. The feed ban is designed to break the cycle of BSE and, with full compliance, assures the disease will be eliminated. FDA reports feed ban compliance in excess of 99 percent.
BSE affects older cattle, typically over 30 months of age. The vast majority of the cattle going to market in the United States are less than 24 months old and would not pose a risk of BSE. Even in European countries where BSE is at epidemic levels, of the 1.6 million cattle less than 30 months of age tested there in 2002, there were no positive cases.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is in agreement with, and supports, the steps taken by USDA. Past efforts by the beef industry include, in 1996, NCBA’s petitioning of USDA to implement a ruminant feed ban, which the agency did in 1997. NCBA has worked with USDA to implement other precautionary measures. The beef industry carries out checkoff-funded producer education regarding BSE and animal health. In addition, checkoff-funded research focuses on BSE, including determining susceptibility of cattle to BSE and ways to inactivate prions.
Why doesn’t the United States test every animal as is done in other countries? Since 1990, USDA used a comprehensive, science-based surveillance program to detect BSE in the United States. The number of tests the program performs greatly exceed the level recommended by the OIE. Some European countries, as well as Japan, have instituted extreme testing programs because their countries face a BSE epidemic. Unlike the United States, these countries did not put preventive measures in place and did not begin formal BSE surveillance until late in 2000.
What does the OIE say about how trade should occur when one country has had a case of BSE? In January, 2004, OIE released a press statement expressing its increasing concern about distruption in international trade due to misinterpretation of OIE standards regarding BSE testing. The code developed by OIE allows for classification of countries into one of five BSE risk categories. The OIE statement also refers to the World Trade Organization Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement, which states an importing country cannot implement more restrictive trade barriers than are necessary for a desired level of national protection. The OIE statement expresses unease that many countries may be applying bans as soon as another country announces a first-case of BSE without considering the risk mitigation measures already in place. The OIE stated that “such situations penalize countries with a good and transparent surveillance system for animal disease and zoonoses, and which have demonstrated their ability to control the risks identified.”
Is organic beef safer than conventionally produced beef? No. Science does not show that organic beef is safer than conventionally produced beef.
Research shows that BSE is not found in beef muscle. Because beef muscle
is where steaks, roasts and ground beef come from, all U.S. beef—organic
or conventionally produced—is safe and wholesome. According to USDA, organically produced food is no safer or more nutritious than conventionally produced food. Organic food differs from conventionally produced food in the way it is grown, handled, and processed according to USDA. Beef, regardless of type, is one of the most heavily regulated and stringently tested of all foods. This conclusion is consistent with that of other organizations such as the American Dietetic Association in its position paper on organic foods and the American Council on Science and Health. Consumers have a variety of products to choose from including conventional (or natural), grass-fed, and organic beef. These types of products are defined by a marketing distinction, not a nutritional or safety difference. Informative web sites Contact:
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