Mad Cow Info: Beyond Belief - Bush May Ease 'Downer Cattle' Ban

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Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:00:17 -0700 (PDT)

Bush May Ease 'Downer Cattle' Ban From Patricia Doyle, PhD

 

 

 

Beyond Belief - Bush May

Ease 'Downer Cattle' Ban

From Patricia Doyle, PhD

dr_p_doyle

4-19-5

 

 

 

(Reuters) -- The Bush administration said on Friday it may allow some

injured cattle to be slaughtered for human food, easing a regulation

that the Agriculture Department (USDA) adopted 15 months ago after the

nation's 1st case of mad cow disease.

 

Consumer groups said they oppose any changes in regulations aimed at

keeping the deadly disease out of the food supply. The USDA prohibited

all so-called downer cattle -- those too sick or injured to walk --

from being slaughtered for human food, soon after a Washington State

dairy cow was diagnosed with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in

December 2003. The ban was part of a package of tighter USDA

regulations to prevent mad cow disease, whose symptoms can include an

inability to walk.

 

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns suggested that the ban on downer

cattle may be eased after the USDA completes an enhanced surveillance

program of US cattle later this year [2005]. " There is a compelling

argument: If you've got an animal that's clearly under 30 months that

broke a leg in transit, there is no threat of BSE whatsoever, " Johanns

told reporters after addressing the National Cattlemen's Beef

Association. " Why are we doing this? I'm going to thoughtfully

consider those arguments, " he added.

 

 

 

Scientists believe that mad cow disease is spread through contaminated

livestock feed. Young animals are considered to pose the least risk of

disease because BSE takes several years to incubate. The ban on downer

cattle being slaughtered for human food represents a sizable financial

loss to cattle ranchers. For example, a 1110 pound steer is worth

around USD 1000 if slaughtered for steaks and ground beef, but brings

less than USD 200 if condemned as a downer and used for pet food.

 

 

 

About 195 000 cattle are downers out of more than 30 million

slaughtered annually, according to industry estimates. USDA officials

previously said the department would review all of its anti-mad cow

regulations after it completes an expanded testing program sometime in

2005. Johanns' comments on Friday were the most explicit to date of

potential changes the government is examining.

 

 

 

" When we get to a point where we're ready to wrap up the increased

surveillance and decide what next to do, I want to look at a range of

issues, " said Johanns, a former governor of Nebraska, a major

cattle-producing state. Senator Ben Nelson, a Nebraska Democrat, will

take part in the review, he said.

 

 

 

No other cases of BSE have been found in the US cattle herd, despite

expanded testing since June 2004. As of 10 Apr 2005, the USDA tested

314 394 animals in its expanded surveillance program. That will be

completed in the next few months, opening the door for USDA to propose

changes based on its findings.

 

 

 

Consumer advocates said cattle unable to walk should not be used for

human consumption. " I'm not surprised to hear that the Bush

administration might backtrack on important BSE protections if the

surveillance program doesn't turn up additional positives, " said

Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director for the Center for Science

in the Public Interest. " Downer cattle represent less-healthy animals

and should be kept out of the food supply, " she added. Other farm

groups have expressed concern that the ban on downer cattle could

eventually lead to a similar restriction on pigs sent to slaughter.

 

 

 

The package of mad cow prevention measures adopted by the USDA 15

months ago included a ban on using brains and small intestines from

older cattle for human food and a ban on stunning cattle with a

powerful air injection to the skull. The Food and Drug Administration

(FDA) is still considering whether to ban the use of cattle blood as a

protein supplement for calves and the use of chicken litter as cattle

feed.

 

[byline: Randy Fabi]

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