USDA to decrease BSE testing from 210,000 to 40,000 GY2006

[reader (the Second)]

Corralling Cow Costs

The Department of Agriculture's budget proposes testing far fewer animals for mad-cow disease next year.

The president's budget would fund testing of 40,000 animals, a sharp drop from the 210,000 animals tested so far under the department's current surveillance program, which began June 1.

USDA spokesman Ed Loyd said this year's testing is part of a one-time, widespread-surveillance program to identify the prevalence of mad-cow, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, following the discovery of a BSE-infected cow in December 2003. One of the program's goals was to determine the optimal number of animals to test in subsequent years, Mr.
Loyd said. The answer, he said, was 40,000 a year.

Overall, the Bush budget would spend $66 million to keep BSE out of the nation's food supply. The money would go toward animal testing and developing a national animal-identification program. The figure also includes $7.5 million for mad-cow research, to fund a team of 15 scientists to develop improved diagnostic tests, to improve the department's understanding of how the disease is transmitted, and examining different strains of the disease.

The USDA will continue to test animals considered high risk, including those older than 30 months and showing signs of neurological illness. So far, none has tested positive for mad-cow disease.

--Sara Schaefer Muñoz

Line Items

A Look Inside the Details
Of the Budget Request
For Fiscal 2006
February 8, 2005; Page A15

http://online.wsj.com/

[Guest]

[Kato]

Let's see,

American herd is 10 times as big as the Canadian herd.

America is well monitored by testing 40,000 animals per year.

If Canada tests at the same level as America, that means we should be safe testing 4,000 animals a year.

American senators and R-Calf want the Canadian border closed because the 20,000 we are testing is too low.

Perhaps our 'friends' at R-Calf would like to answer this?

Perhaps our friends in Japan would like to comment also?

Sounds like 'Do what I say, not what I do' to me.

[Tam]

The USDA said this was a one time shot from the first day. They said they were going to test the high risk cattle but according to the CFIA rep that spoke at our zone meeting the other day they are getting their testing samples from their slaughter houses. Now how can they be getting the highest risk cattle from that source when the slaughter houses are not suppose to accept downer cattle. The best place to get those is off the farms and ranches where they die but just how many of that 210000 samples are coming from that source. NOT MANY. I asked him about the testing and all he could say was well the US has their way to test and we have ours as recommended to us by the OIE. When I told him I had read both OIE reports and we were both recommended to test the 4D catagory he couldn't answer why the US weren't testing them. Canada has to test 30000 hd. the HIGHEST RISK cattle 4D's for a few years to get the true prevalence of BSE here but the US can get the big picture in one year by testing slaughter animals. What a joke. I wonder if the testing will jump back up to 210000 for a few years when they find BSE or if the 40000 will do then too. The US is not testing the same precentage of cattle and sure aren't testing the same kind of cattle so how can they get the true picture. They are getting the picture they want and can control.

[reader (the Second)]

[Tommy]

[Guest]

"as of today."

What about tomorrow Tommy? Or next week or maybe two next month?
The only way one could be so certain not to find anything is to also know that things are not being reported.

[Tam]

Tommy

You can say all you want that Canada had 4 cases and the US had none but ONE of Canada's was found in the US system by the USDA. Since you can't find all Cattle imported from Canada or the UK back in the 80's the OIE said you were to test the same as Canada as this was now considered a North American BSE problem. Just because you have yet to find a case doesn't mean that the rest of the world looks at you any different. Remember that the consumers of the Washington cow didn't get it from Canada, and will not get the next US case from us either.

[Murgen]

Tommy, yu can't find what you don't look for, but flukes happen, yu might find an honest rancher. I hope you guys aren't digging your hole deeper!

[DJL]

One way to ensure never finding it is to drop testing to near non-existant levels, which is exactly what the USDA plans to do.