NCBA Supports USDA’s Expanded BSE Testing

NCBA July 14 voiced its support for USDA’s one-time, large scale BSE testing program to estimate the potential disease prevalence in the U.S. herd.  Gary Weber, NCBA executive director for regulatory affairs, told a congressional hearing that NCBA also supports USDA’s efforts to conduct this program in a transparent manner.

This transparency has led to the reporting of two inconclusive tests, which were later determined to be negative.  The expanded testing program began June 1 with the goal of testing upwards of 268,000 animals in the next 12 to 18 months. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service coordinates the program.

“USDA’s expanded BSE surveillance program represents an action recommended by the international review team in response to the December 23, 2003, identification of BSE in a single cow in Washington state,” says Weber.  “NCBA supports this.”

The expanded surveillance program aims to find if the disease is present at a frequency of 1 in 10 million animals with a confidence level of at least 99 percent. USDA’s target population for surveillance includes:

•     Non-ambulatory cattle;

•     Cattle exhibiting signs of a central nervous system disorder, such as staggering, excess nervousness, or apprehension;

•     Cattle exhibiting other signs that may be associated with BSE, such as emaciation or injury; or,

•     Dead cattle.           

The number of animals tested each week has increased gradually from 1,145 the first week to 4,414 the week of July 26.  Through Aug. 1, a total of 28,254 animals had been tested.

Weber also pointed out actions taken in the United States since BSE was first identified in the United Kingdom in 1985. The U.S. has a history of being first when it comes to BSE prevention.  The U.S. was the first country in the world without BSE to:

•     ban the importation of cattle, beef and beef products from countries with BSE. 

•     develop a BSE surveillance program. Since 1989, this program has been supported and expanded as deemed necessary by both Republican and Democratic administrations. 

•     ban the use of cattle feed ingredients that have been identified as capable of transmitting the BSE agent.

•     conduct an independent analysis of the risk of BSE and the prevention measures that have been put in place.  In 2001, following a comprehensive multi-year assessment, the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis concluded that “measures taken by the U.S. government and industry make the U.S. robust against the spread of BSE to animals or humans should it be introduced into this country.”

“If the expanded surveillance program indicates our long-standing BSE prevention programs have been effective, then we believe staying on that course will sufficiently protect animal health in the U.S,” Weber says.  “If the data indicates our prevalence is other than expected, we’ll work to analyze the situation and determine what, if any, additional science- and risk-based measures may be needed to further protect animal health.”

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has implemented a National and Regional Command Team, based out of the operations center in Riverdale, Md.  This team will ensure all aspects of the surveillance program — sample collection, administration, staffing, quality control, laboratory, information technology, outreach activities, and training — are meeting goals and performance standards on both a local and national level. Dr. Andrea Morgan leads the BSE Surveillance Plan Implementation Team.

USDA testified at the hearing that finding an additional case of BSE would not necessitate depopulating an entire herd. Instead, APHIS would conduct an investigation to identify individual animals that may have been exposed at a young age to the same feed as the affected animal. The owners of the affected cattle would be compensated for any cattle taken as a result of the investigation. In addition, any quarantine of affected animals would be temporary and there would not be restrictions on the movement of milk or similar products.