Information about BSE--(Mad Cow Disease)

Source of good information--http://www.bseinfo.org/

Excerpt from bseinfo.org-----Fequently Asked Questions about BSE

Q: 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.”

Q: 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.

Q: 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.

Q: What is the status of the USDA investigation into the single case of BSE?

On February 9, 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.

Q: Can humans get mad cow disease?

Research from the United Kingdom supports an association between BSE and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD). 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.

All vCJD victims to date have had a specific genetic make-up that may make them vulnerable to this disease. About 40 percent of the population has this genetic make-up. Research continues to determine the role genetics may play in this disease.

Q: What is the difference between BSE, sporadic CJD and vCJD?

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 and has a worldwide incidence of approximately one case per million people each year.

Variant CJD was first documented in the United Kingdom in 1996 and, as of March 2004, reports indicate there are 156 definite and probable cases worldwide, with 146 of those in the U.K. 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.

BSE Case in the United States

Q: Is U.S. beef safe?

Yes. The BSE agent is not found in the beef we eat – only in CNS tissue. Even in experimental studies, in which large doses of the disease agent are injected into the brains of cattle, the BSE agent has never been found in muscle meat. In naturally infected cattle exposure to the disease agent is even lower than in the experiments.

In the case of the single BSE positive cow, all CNS tissue was removed before the meat was processed. No CNS tissue entered the food supply. Since the single case of BSE was identified, the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have taken extra precautionary steps to ensure that no CNS tissue from cattle at risk for BSE ever enters the U.S. food supply—making the safest beef in the world even safer for U.S. consumers.

Q: How was this case of BSE detected?

The BSE surveillance system is designed to detect BSE if it exists in the United States, and the system works. The index cow was identified as a result of this program. Though the cow showed no signs of neurological disorder, it was an older, dairy animal and reported as non-ambulatory and, therefore, in a high-risk category targeted for BSE surveillance. Last year testing reached an all time high, with more than 47 times the number of cattle recommended by the Office of International Epizootics (OIE), the international animal health governing body, being evaluated. The U.S. system is designed to detect BSE even if it were occurring in less than one in a million cattle.

Q: What is Advanced Meat Recovery or AMR?

AMR is a technology that removes muscle tissue from the bone of beef carcasses under high pressure without allowing bone material to get into the product. As mentioned above, both USDA and FDA have established and enforced regulations that prohibit CNS tissue from being included in any product labeled as meat.

Meat Products

Q: What safeguards have been in place to protect the U.S. beef supply?

Consumers should be confident in the safety of U.S. beef for a number of reasons:

• Scientific studies show that the BSE disease agent is not found in beef muscle meats or milk. It is found in the central nervous system tissues of cattle, such as brain and spinal cord. The CNS tissues of the U.S. BSE cow did not enter the human food supply.
• In 1990, the United States became the first country without BSE within its borders to test cattle for the disease. The BSE surveillance program has mandated that all cattle with any signs of neurological disorder be tested for BSE and banned from the human food chain. Since 1990, meat from cattle showing signs of neurological disorder has not been processed for human consumption.
• 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.
• In 1997, the United States banned the feeding practices that scientists believe spread this disease. The United States was the first country without BSE within its borders to implement a feed ban.
• The system to detect and eliminate BSE in the United States is effective. The cow in question was quickly identified, the farm of origin was located and quarantined, and products from this animal were identified and traced. The 2001 Harvard University Center for Risk Assessment report said that “measures taken by the U.S. government and industry make the United States robust against the spread of BSE to animals or humans should it be introduced into this country.”

Q: Are additional precautions being taken to protect the beef supply?

Yes. On December 30, 2003, USDA announced additional measures to ensure that U.S. beef remains the safest in the world. USDA has taken these measures out of an “abundance of caution.”  New measures include:

• Banned all non-ambulatory cattle from the human food supply.

• Prohibited any cattle tested for BSE from entering the food supply until tests confirm it is safe.

• Banned Specified Risk Material (SRM) from cattle over 30 months from entering the human food supply.

• Strengthened rules for AMR to further ensure potentially infective nerve tissue does not enter the human food supply

• Banned the use of air-injection stunning devices in humane euthanasia of cattle during the harvest process. (These devices have not been used by the U.S. beef industry for a number of years, but the ban means countries exporting beef to the U.S. must adopt an equivalent standard.)

Additionally, FDA announced it will strengthen existing BSE transmission firewalls by:

• Banning any non-ambulatory cattle and also SRM from cattle over 30 months from FDA regulated human food, dietary supplements and cosmetics.

• Banning the use of mammalian blood and blood products in ruminant feed. Also, bans poultry litter and plate waste from ruminant feed, and requires that equipment, facilities or production lines that use any protein prohibited in ruminant feed be dedicated solely to non-ruminant feeds.

• Conducting an annual inspection of 100 percent of all renderers and feed mills known to process ruminant feed.

Additionally, both government and industry have accelerated efforts to implement a national animal identification system. The U.S. Animal Identification Plan, which has been in development for two years, would aid in monitoring and surveillance of livestock for animal disease.

Q: What is the beef industry doing to protect the beef supply?

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.

Q: 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. Currently, the U.S. surveillance program is designed to detect BSE even if it is only occurring in one in a million cattle. To improve testing, USDA divided the country into eight regions and treats each region as though it were a country with the goal of exceeding international testing requirements for each region.

Q: What does the OIE say about how trade should occur when one country has had a case of BSE?

In January, 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.”

Organic

Q: Is organic beef safer than conventionally produced food?

No. Science does not show that organic beef is safer than conventionally produced beef.

• Research shows that BSE is not found in beef muscle cuts or milk, so all U.S. beef—organic or conventionally produced—is safe and wholesome. Since BSE is only spread through contaminated feed, the 1997 feed ban implemented by the FDA protects both the U.S. conventional and organic beef supply.
• 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.

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For accurate and up-to-date information on BSE, please visit www.bseinfo.org and http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/bse/bse.html