AgWeb News
General Agriculture News
12/30/2003
BSE Situation Brings Downer Animal Issue Back to Forefront
From Pro Farmer
Roger Bernard
The issue of downer animals has come into focus once again, this time driven by the finding of a Holstein cow in Washington state that tested positive for BSE. Several lawmakers are urging that downer animals be excluded from the slaughter mix and now the American Meat Institute and the Food Marketing Institute have weighed in on the issue.
The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) has sent a letter to USDA Secretary Ann Veneman. In that dispatch, they referenced a July meeting the group had along with the the National Restaurant Association in which they called on USDA to take some specific actions to prevent BSE.
"Our goal at the time was to enable us to deal with a native case of a BSE by simply telling the public that none of the meat from an infected animal had entered the food supply," FMI said. "That is still our goal and to that end, we are resubmitting our original suggestions now reflecting the current case of BSE in the state of Washington."
While not wishing to de-emphasize other recommendations the group made, FMI said that two of their plans would have helped deal effectively with the current case. These are:
All Downer Animals (and other animals that are exhibiting BSE symptoms) should be tested for BSE.
Any animal that is tested for BSE should be excluded from the human food chain and from use in any animal feed until it is confirmed negative. Such confirmation should be in writing and should clearly indicate the identification of the carcass with the negative test result.
From the American Meat Institute today comes their perspective on this now-timely topic. The group points out that only a small percentage of cattle that arrive at processing plants "are non-ambulatory or become non-ambulatory during transportation." They note, "Cattle can become non-ambulatory for a variety of reasons: injury like a broken bone, heat stress (from which animals typically recover when given a chance to rest), illness and other factors. Federal veterinarians appropriately examine all livestock before they are processed to determine whether they are fit for human consumption."
"A very small percentage of animals are deemed 'suspect' by USDA veterinarians for neurological disorders, including BSE," AMI observed. "When animals are neurologically suspect, brain samples are taken and the animal is condemned, meaning it does not enter the food supply." The group notes that it has advised members that they should hold carcasses of any animals tested until the results are completed.
"Holding carcasses or product pending test results is routine practice in the meat industry," AMI stated. "It is unfortunate that the plant that processed the cow at issue in Washington State released the carcass, but we are confident that beef from the cow is safe because the infectious agent is not contained in muscle cuts like steaks and ground beef."
AMI and other groups opposed legislation this year that would have required euthanization of non-ambulatory animal arriving at meat plants -- no matter what the cause. AMI said their opposition centered on a view that "it would have hampered the U.S. surveillance system for BSE. Indeed, had this law been in effect, it is unlikely that BSE would have been detected in the cow at issue in Washington State because surveillance occurs at the plant level - not on the farm."
Eliminating non-ambulatory animals from the slaughter mix may "sound good," AMI said, but they countered that "such a prohibition is not supported by science, would be a waste of perfectly safe beef and would indeed be counter-productive to USDA's BSE surveillance." AMI's preference: "Federal veterinarians should be permitted to exercise their expert judgment in assessing what animals are and are not fit for consumption and the meat industry will cooperate fully as those determinations are made."
Clearly this issue will remain at the forefront as the BSE situation continues to unfold here in the United States. And the views in the industry and among consumer groups present a divergent view of what should -- or should not -- happen relative to this matter.
General Agriculture News
12/30/2003
BSE Situation Brings Downer Animal Issue Back to Forefront
From Pro Farmer
Roger Bernard
The issue of downer animals has come into focus once again, this time driven by the finding of a Holstein cow in Washington state that tested positive for BSE. Several lawmakers are urging that downer animals be excluded from the slaughter mix and now the American Meat Institute and the Food Marketing Institute have weighed in on the issue.
The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) has sent a letter to USDA Secretary Ann Veneman. In that dispatch, they referenced a July meeting the group had along with the the National Restaurant Association in which they called on USDA to take some specific actions to prevent BSE.
"Our goal at the time was to enable us to deal with a native case of a BSE by simply telling the public that none of the meat from an infected animal had entered the food supply," FMI said. "That is still our goal and to that end, we are resubmitting our original suggestions now reflecting the current case of BSE in the state of Washington."
While not wishing to de-emphasize other recommendations the group made, FMI said that two of their plans would have helped deal effectively with the current case. These are:
All Downer Animals (and other animals that are exhibiting BSE symptoms) should be tested for BSE.
Any animal that is tested for BSE should be excluded from the human food chain and from use in any animal feed until it is confirmed negative. Such confirmation should be in writing and should clearly indicate the identification of the carcass with the negative test result.
From the American Meat Institute today comes their perspective on this now-timely topic. The group points out that only a small percentage of cattle that arrive at processing plants "are non-ambulatory or become non-ambulatory during transportation." They note, "Cattle can become non-ambulatory for a variety of reasons: injury like a broken bone, heat stress (from which animals typically recover when given a chance to rest), illness and other factors. Federal veterinarians appropriately examine all livestock before they are processed to determine whether they are fit for human consumption."
"A very small percentage of animals are deemed 'suspect' by USDA veterinarians for neurological disorders, including BSE," AMI observed. "When animals are neurologically suspect, brain samples are taken and the animal is condemned, meaning it does not enter the food supply." The group notes that it has advised members that they should hold carcasses of any animals tested until the results are completed.
"Holding carcasses or product pending test results is routine practice in the meat industry," AMI stated. "It is unfortunate that the plant that processed the cow at issue in Washington State released the carcass, but we are confident that beef from the cow is safe because the infectious agent is not contained in muscle cuts like steaks and ground beef."
AMI and other groups opposed legislation this year that would have required euthanization of non-ambulatory animal arriving at meat plants -- no matter what the cause. AMI said their opposition centered on a view that "it would have hampered the U.S. surveillance system for BSE. Indeed, had this law been in effect, it is unlikely that BSE would have been detected in the cow at issue in Washington State because surveillance occurs at the plant level - not on the farm."
Eliminating non-ambulatory animals from the slaughter mix may "sound good," AMI said, but they countered that "such a prohibition is not supported by science, would be a waste of perfectly safe beef and would indeed be counter-productive to USDA's BSE surveillance." AMI's preference: "Federal veterinarians should be permitted to exercise their expert judgment in assessing what animals are and are not fit for consumption and the meat industry will cooperate fully as those determinations are made."
Clearly this issue will remain at the forefront as the BSE situation continues to unfold here in the United States. And the views in the industry and among consumer groups present a divergent view of what should -- or should not -- happen relative to this matter.
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