Rumor Mill Hits Checkoff-Funded Roadblock

Sometimes mere rumors threaten the foundation of cattle producers’ livelihoods — the cattle markets. Through their Beef Checkoff Program, however, producers have created a response team working for them day-to-day, with the contacts and expertise to set the record straight before major damage can occur.

An example occurred the morning of May 25, when a rumor of a newly discovered case of variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (vCJD) began to spread.  Immediately, issues management and public relations teams funded through the beef checkoff sprang into action. 

The beef checkoff issues management and public relations efforts to address this rumor were coordinated on behalf of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and state beef councils by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), one of the Board’s contractors.

The following chronology explains the information flow during the day:

• Early on May 25, a call was received from a reporter seeking information about a rumor on the floor of the CME that a patient was being treated at Mayo Clinic for vCJD. The rumor was starting to depress an already sagging market.
• The issues management and public relations teams immediately:
  • Reviewed news and scientific databases for recent mentions of vCJD;
  • Contacted the reporter to provide background on sporadic CJD and vCJD;
  • Contacted scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to verify current CJD epidemiology.
• The story was tracked to a Nashville, Tenn., TV station report that repeated a November 2003 AP story about a soldier diagnosed with sporadic CJD. The story was posted on the station’s web site and erroneously said the soldier is suffering from mad cow disease.
• The issues management team talked to CDC’s lead CJD scientist and confirmed CDC has investigated this case and that vCJD had been ruled out. There was no truth to the Mayo Clinic connection.
• Meanwhile business wire reporters were covering the CME rumor story and moving reports; additional media calls received at NCBA were referred to the CDC press office.
• NCBA distributed an e-mail alert to CME traders and reporters that cover the CME to explain the origin of the story, the difference between sCJD and vCJD and note that CDC has confirmed there are no indigenous cases of vCJD in the U.S.  Numerous business reporters were referred to the beef industry’s BSEinfo.org web site.
• An “issues advisory” to beef industry organizations was distributed explaining the rumor and how it was resolved and providing facts about sCJD and vCJD.  Again, BSEinfo.org was suggested for additional information.
• Business wires moved stories in early afternoon clarifying the situation, providing facts and quoting CDC that there are no indigenous vCJD cases in the U.S.
• By the end of the trading day, the cattle market had rebounded.
• Subsequently, NCBA worked with the Tennessee Beef Council to draft a letter to the manager of the Nashville station pointing out the inaccuracy of the story and the potential economic impact it had for the beef industry.  The letter asked the station to address the inaccuracies with the reporter who did the story and provide a response to the industry.

“This demonstrates the quick, comprehensive and efficient way the checkoff helps address challenges that our producers face daily,” according to Nelson Curry, chairman of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and a beef producer from Paris, Ky.  “Through the checkoff, we can fund efforts that protect the marketing environment for beef, and help protect the profitability of our cattle producers.”