BSE Summit Looks at Disease's Impact on Beef Industry

DENVER (MAY 5, 2004) – Cattlemen and representatives from the many segments of the beef industry affected by BSE met in Fort Worth, Texas, April 26-27 to discuss the impact of BSE on their industry. The checkoff-funded national BSE Summit concluded with a commitment to eliminate the disease within the United States. Two days of talks also produced a draft set of recommendations for strengthening current programs and new initiatives.  The recommendations will be refined in the coming weeks before being released.

The BSE Summit was coordinated on behalf of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and state beef councils by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).  It was funded by America’s beef producers through their $1-per-head Beef Checkoff Program.

“Our first priority is to employ science-based tools that produce safe beef,” according to J.O. Reagan, NCBA vice president of Research and Knowledge Management.  “Because our goal through the industry is the same:  provide domestic and international consumers the assurances they need to remain confident that we have the safest beef supply in the world.”

The Summit attracted people from virtually every industry touched by the Dec. 23 BSE incident in Washington state. “The talks were open and frank," Reagan says.  "They identified things we are doing well in handling this disease, steps we want to take, concerns about some of the current plans, as well as steps for the future." 

Reagan says that putting BSE into proper perspective will take a united effort by industry and government.  On one hand, BSE creates a "mad media" that needs to be monitored, he says.  From an animal health standpoint, it is another disease we must monitor, just as we watch for brucellosis, foot-and-mouth and tuberculosis.

Also joining the discussion were representatives from government, university, trade associations and food company ranks.  The Summit drew a sharper picture of the full economic impact of the BSE incident in Washington state. 

George Gray, executive director of the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, said the U.S. is resistant to BSE and that his model showed that "If the disease is introduced into the United States, it goes away. … We're on the downside of whatever has happened," he said.

Citing the economic volatility that has dogged the industry since Dec. 23, Cattle-Fax Vice President Randy Blach said, "The bottom line is the business is changed forever."