NEWS    RECALLS    COMPLAINT FORM    SCAM ALERTS   RESOURCES  
Small Claims Guide   Class Actions   Lemon Laws   FAQ   Newsletters  
Share


Complain about a product or service

Automotive    Education    Employment    Electronics    Family    Finance    Health    Homeowners    Insurance    Pets    Shopping    Travel     Print This     Email This    



NEWS   Latest |  Archives |  Auto |  Cells, etc. |  Computers |  Financial |  Health |  Homeowners |  Parents |  Privacy |  Scams |  Seniors |  Travel

British Tests Confirm U.S. Animal Had Mad Cow Disease





June 24, 2005
Tests by a British laboratory have confirmed that a steer born and bred in the United States was infected with so-called mad cow disease. The U.S. Agriculture Department said the fact that the animal did not enter the food supply proves that the USDA's safeguards are effective, but critics derided the USDA's safeguards as "faith-based mad cow policy."


USDA Inspector Allegedly Caughgt Ignoring Animal Abuse
Massive Beef Recall Follows Mad Cow Scare
Lawmakers Call For Slaughterhouse Probe
USDA Closes Plant Suspected Of Slaughtering Downer Cows
Schools Drop Burgers From Menu After Downer Cow Scare
Canada Reports New Mad Cow Case
Meat Packer Clashes With Feds Over Inspections
Industrial "Food" a Growing Menace
USDA Proposes Lifting Mad Cow Ban On Canadian Beef
Scientists Create Mad Cow-Proof Cattle
Virginia Man Has Mad Cow Disease
Feds Fail to Step Up Mad Cow Surveillance
Third Case Of Mad Cow Disease Reported In U.S.
USDA Report Warns Meat Supply at Risk of Mad Cow Disease
Two Drugs Offer Hope Against Mad Cow Disease
Canada Finds Another Case Of Mad Cow Disease
FDA Proposes Stricter Mad Cow Safeguards
U.S. Will Strengthen Mad Cow Safeguards, FDA Chief Says
Consumers Union Wants More Data on Mad Cow Testing
Mad Cow Concerns Trigger Beef Recall In Six States
Meat Industry Ignores Mad Cow Regulations
More ...

"Since the United States does not have a mandatory animal tracking system, USDA's strategy is basically to cross its fingers and hope that beef from a BSE-infected animal doesn't end up on Americans' dinner plates," said Caroline Smith DeWaal, Food Safety Director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

Government officials say the system is working properly to prevent the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease.

"The presence of the disease is extremely low in the United States. Our safeguards are working exactly as they should," U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns told a news conference.

But DeWaal said that in fact the USDA has done very little to step up surveillance of the American beef supply and, in particular, is not moving quickly enough to adopt mandatory tracking of each animal in the system.

"In May ... Johanns put national animal identification on a slow boat and delayed implementation (of mandatory animal tracking) until 2009," she said. "Canada was able to move from a voluntary to a mandatory animal tracking system in one year. There's no reason why the United States can't implement a system just as good as Canada's just as quickly."

Consumers Union also has been calling for mandatory tracking and testing. Earlier this week, CU formally petitioned Johanns asking that the USDA test all cattle over 20 months of age at slaughter and adopt the most accurate and sensitive "Western blot" test as part of its testing protocol in suspected mad cow cases.

Cattlemen's groups have also questioned the USDA's safety procedures and called for a more aggressive stance against BSE.

Johanns said the department is investigating where the animal with BSE originally came from. He said he has directed USDA scientists to develop a new protocol to deal with "inconclusive" screening tests. The infected animal had tested "inconclusive" in at least one test before follow-up testing found evidence of infection.

The previous U.S. confirmed case of mad cow disease was found in December 2003 in a Washington state dairy cow. That discovery halted billions of dollars worth of American beef exports and raised questions about the safety of the U.S. food supply.

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.

Share

Follow us on Twitter.

FREE CONSUMER NEWSLETTERS

The Daily Consumer
Afternoons M-F

Sign up now!


Consumer News & Alerts
Every Sunday

Sign up now!





CONSUMER NEWS

SAFETY RECALLS

Back to the top |

Advertisement


Custom Search
AUTOMOTIVE
• Dealers
• Manufacturers
• Service
• Extended Warranties
• Lemon Laws
• Recalls
• Tires
• Transporters

FAMILY
• Aging
• Children, Parenting
• Recalls
• Dating
• Education
• Entertainment
• Pets
• Weddings
FINANCE
• Annuities
• Banks
• Credit Cards
• Debt Collection
• Debt Counseling
• Insurance
• Investing
• Loans
• Mortgages
• Payday Loans
• Student Loans
• Tax Prep

HEALTH
• Doctors
• Drugs, Pharmacies
• Health Clubs
• Hearing Care
• Hospitals
• Nursing Homes
• Nutrition, Diets
• Vision Care
• Weight Loss
HOUSE & HOME
• Appliances
• Cookware
• Furniture
• Home Improvements
• Lawn & Garden
• Movers
• Pools & Spas
• Realtors, Rental Agents
• Recalls
• Utilities

ELECTRONICS
• Cable TV/DBS
• Cameras
• Cell Phones
• Computers
• Home Electronics
• Internet Access
• Local Phone Service
• Long Distance
• VoIP
SHOPPING
• In-Home
• Online
• Retail Stores
• Sporting Goods
• Supermarkets
• Telemarketers

TRAVEL
• Airlines
• Bus Lines
• Car Rental
• Cruises
• Hotels
• Travel Agents
• Trains

RESOURCES
• Class Actions
• Complaint Form
• Small Claims Guide
• Lemon Laws
CONSUMER NEWS
• Latest News
• Automotive
• Telecom
• Financial
• Health
• Homeowners
• Scams
• Seniors
• Travel
• More ...

RECALLS
• Automotive
• Children's Products
• Drugs
• Food
• Household Products
• Sporting Goods

ABOUT US
• FAQ
• Privacy Policy
• Advertise With Us
• Newsroom
• Syndication
• Terms of Use

Terms of Use Your use of this site constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use

Advertisements on this site are placed and controlled by outside advertising networks. ConsumerAffairs.com does not evaluate or endorse the products and services advertised. See the FAQ for more information.

Company Response Welcome If complaints about your company appear on our site, we welcome your response. Please see the Response Form for more information.

For more information, see the FAQ and privacy policy. The information on this Web site is general in nature and is not intended as a substitute for competent legal advice.  ConsumerAffairs.com Inc. makes no representation as to the accuracy of the information herein provided and assumes no liability for any damages or loss arising from the use thereof. 

Copyright © 2003-2009 ConsumerAffairs.com Inc.  All Rights Reserved.    The contents of this site may not be republished, reprinted, rewritten or recirculated without written permission.