NCBA Advisory

December 27, 2003

To: NCBA Member Organizations
Contact: Rick McCarty, NCBA Denver 303-694-0305
Kendal Frazier 303-694-0305
Subject: BSE Update

December 27, 2003 BSE Update

USDA announced today that its epidemiological investigation of the BSE-infected cow found in Washington State has indicated the animal was imported from Canada. Further, Canadian records indicate the animal is 6 ½ years old, not 4 ½ as originally thought.

Here are details on the USDA teleconference briefing held at 11 am ET on December 27, 2003.

--Information received by USDA at approximately midnight on Dec. 26 indicated the infected dairy cow was born in April 1997, before the Canadian feed ban was in effect. According to the Canadian records the cow is 6 ½ years old, not 4 ½ years as indicted by U.S. records.
--Records indicate the animal entered the U.S. in August 2001 via the Eastport, ID, port along with 73 other dairy animals from a dairy herd in southern Alberta.
DNA test results will confirm whether the index cow matches Canadian records associated with the ear tag taken at slaughter. These results are expected within a week.
--USDA has not definitively identified the dairy cow's birth herd but expects to confirm that soon.
--It is likely that the other 73 imported dairy animals are still alive and these animals also will be traced and tested.
--USDA noted that the relative risk of any of the other 73 animals being infected is low; even in England at the height of BSE infectivity the usual incidence of BSE within a particular herd was no more than one or two animals.
--USDA has not yet made any decision regarding depopulation of animals within the index herd. The USDA TSE Working Group is reviewing the situation and will make a recommendation on any animals that need to be depopulated and tested.
--USDA said, given this incident, it would be prudent for the agency to reconsider its overall program in regard to BSE. This would include looking at the surveillance program in terms of increasing testing and how that might be accomplished. In addition, it would be prudent to consider modifying its policy to specify that product from downer animals that are tested would be held until test results are available.
--FSIS reported that the recall of meat associated with the index cow is making good progress. The meat has been traced to a number of distribution points and final sellers. A significant amount of the meat was not distributed and has been identified and held.
--FDA-CVM reported that all the byproducts from the infected animal have been found and identified and are, according to the government, under control.