MAD COW NEWS

One-Fourth Of Americans Doubt Beef's Safety A new poll finds the mad cow scare has one out of four Americans doubting the safety of the nation's beef supply. But two-thirds say they think the beef supply is safe, according to the CNN-Time poll. And three-fourths think the beef they buy at their local stores is safe. Sixty-three percent said they eat the same amount of red meat as always. About a fourth in the poll said they had quit eating red meat or reduced their consumption of it because of the mad cow case. Nine percent said they didn't eat red meat before the announcement and don't eat it now. Exporters worry beef will spoil during ban U.S. beef exporters say the clock is ticking. Bans on U.S. beef imports have stalled some container traffic at West Coast ports and threatened delivery of millions of dollars of Asia-bound beef. The U.S. Meat Export Federation, a nonprofit trade association based in Denver, estimates that as many as 2,000 containers filled with $200 million worth of banned beef are either en route or held up at customs facilities in foreign ports. The containers are refrigerated, keeping the beef either fresh-chilled or frozen. The cold temperatures eliminate the threat of immediate spoilage, but a prolonged ban could mean the loss of tons of meat and millions of dollars...Experts: Don't blame mad cow on trade The dairy cow in Washington state found to have BSE, or mad cow disease, should not be blamed on expanded trade between Canada and the United States, dairy industry officials say. The Washington state cow is believed by investigators to have been born in Canada. About 50,000 head of dairy animals enter the United States from Canada each year. Total cattle imports from Canada had reached 1.7 million head before trade was stopped in May after an Alberta cow was found to have the disease, said Don Ault, a St. Paul-based dairy economist for Sparks Cos. Of Canadian dairy cattle, several thousand animals represent high-quality breeding stock from top-flight dairy and breeding farms that are not likely to be a health risk to any American herds, said Ed Jesse, dairy economist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. And even lesser-quality animals, which might include the Holstein dairy cow most recently diagnosed with BSE, are more an accident of government dairy policies than trade measures involving beef or other industries, said a spokesman for the National Milk Producers Federation in Washington, D.C. "Canada has milk production quotas," said Chris Galen, the dairy group's vice president of communications. "Cows and heifers that can't be used on Canadian farms are sold, and some come here."...Jumble of Tests May Slow Mad Cow Solution he nation's first case of mad cow disease has led to urgent calls for more and better tests to screen animals at the slaughterhouse door. But the universe of testing for this elusive disease is murky. The extent and nature of testing varies from country to country. The tests are not foolproof, and there are many to choose from in a heated international competition. The leading test manufacturers are Bio-Rad based in France, Prionics AG in Switzerland and U.S. Abbott Laboratories, which recently acquired rights to a test developed in Ireland. But in addition, at least 54 other companies are vying for position in the lucrative world testing market...Attention Shoppers: Sale On Beef Low-carb dieters may find cause to rejoice in the mad cow scare. The industry expects beef prices to drop 15 percent in the coming weeks because almost every country in the world now refuses to buy U.S. meat. Exports were nearly 10 percent of the market--about 2.7 billion pounds of red meat annually--all of which will now be swelling supplies headed for American supermarkets and restaurants. Prices could plummet further if U.S. consumers begin to turn up their noses at beef. But so far, Americans appear to be maintaining their renewed love affair with steaks and burgers. Although no figures are yet available, fast-food chains, upscale restaurants, and grocery stores all report no falloff in beef sales, which amount to $70 billion annually...Livestock sale postponed, partly because of mad cow fallout A large cattle sale planned Tuesday at Montana's largest livestock auction has been postponed, partly because of market uncertainty following discovery of a Washington state dairy cow infected with mad cow disease. The sale of an estimated 2,000 head of stock cows and bred heifers at the Public Auction Yards here will be rescheduled later this month, said sale manager Bob Cook. He said there also were factors other than mad cow: A number of consignors were snowed in and the number of stock cows sold nationally in December, before the mad cow disclosure just before Christmas Day, was higher than usual...Protestors Mad About Mad Cow Disease An animal rights group is urging Kentuckians to become vegetarians following the nation's first case of mad cow disease. Members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals plan to pass out free vegetarian starter kits SAturday afternoon outside Horseshoe Saloon and Steakhouse on North Broadway in Lexington. The kits include a pamphlet of recipes and advice for changing one's diet. The event is part of the group's national ad campaign...Border reopening hopes dashed Hopes that the American border would reopen soon to Canadian cattle dimmed Friday when U.S. officials signalled the recent confirmation of a first mad cow case south of the border could delay resumption of trade. The revelation further blackened the mood for the Canadian cattle industry, transforming optimism for a buoyant market next week into another anxious game of wait-and-see...Stores with tainted beef won't be identified, federal officials say Federal officials said Friday they will not tell consumers which California stores sold beef from a cow infected with mad cow disease. The U.S. Department of Agriculture had announced some of the beef, which officials say poses little human risk, had been shipped from the Pacific Northwest to California. Officials have not said what part of the state received the meat, or which stores sold it...Mad Cow Variant That Hits Humans Is a Puzzle Charlene is the only person in the United States confirmed to have the human form of mad cow disease, in which a misshapen infectious protein inexorably erodes the brain. She is believed to have contracted the insidious disease by eating infected beef during her first 13 years of life, when her family was living in Britain. Charlene's story is the kind of tragedy that the United States is desperately trying to avoid after the discovery of the first U.S. cow carrying the infection. "I'm terrified that this is going to happen again. It's like being in the U.K. again, watching this all over again," Patrick said. "I'm worried that people may be eating beef that is contaminated and that down the road people are going to start to die from this disease."...Despite case, U.S. could claim mad cow-free status Despite discovery of its first case of mad cow disease, the United States could still claim to be free of the ailment, experts say -- an approach that a consumer group says would be a mistake. The designation would hinge on whether the infected cow was imported, as early evidence suggests. Scientists are expected to report early next week if the infected Holstein milk cow in Washington state was born in Canada, based on two separate DNA tests. "We have the opportunity to preserve our export market," said Michael Stumo of the Organization for Competitive Markets, a group that supports small farmers. It wants the Bush administration to declare the United States "provisionally free" of mad cow, also called bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Standards set by the World Organization for Animal Health say a nation can be classified as provisionally free of mad cow when the disease is found in imported cattle and authorities are diligent in rooting it out and in maintaining safeguards...Australia to Slaughter 350 Cows From U.S. The Australian government plans to ask ranchers to slaughter 350 cows imported from the United States to prevent the spread of mad cow disease, a newspaper reported Saturday. Animal Health Australia, a government-affiliated agency, said owners of the cattle would be compensated for turning over the cows for slaughter, the Sydney Morning Herald reported...Cattle futures going up Cattle futures in Chicago rose for the first time since the U.S. reported its first case of mad cow disease amid signs that Americans aren't eating less beef following the disclosure. U.S. beef sales weren't affected much in the first several days after the Dec. 23 mad cow report, according to Cattle-Fax, a national market research firm based near Denver. Cattle futures plunged 19 percent in the first five sessions after the announcement as beef exports stopped. Cattle for February delivery rose 0.275 cent, or 0.4 percent, to 73.8 cents a pound on the Chicago Mer cantile Exchange. Prices on Wednesday fell less than the market limit for the first time in five sessions. There was no trading yesterday because of the New Year's holiday...Pet food ingredients under scrutiny in wake of mad cow After the discovery of the nation's first case of mad cow disease, Suzanne Tibbetts is looking at the pet food labels in her cupboard a little more closely. She wants to know exactly what "meat byproducts" are, and what risks, if any, they pose for her cats -- animals susceptible to a form of the fatal brain-wasting illness...Hide industry hit by mad cow scare All the ripple effects from mad cow disease haven't hit hard yet, but everyone from New York leather wholesalers to Seattle shippers is worrying that it may tenderize their profits. Containers of domestically produced cattle hides that would normally be made into leather coats, pants and shoes are gathering dust at Pacific Northwest ports. The situation heightens concern as each day passes. "I know it's devastating to the beef and hide industry, and it affects us as well," said Dianne Gunn, national logistics manager for Hyundai Merchant Marine, based in Dallas. Hyundai ships several hundred containers of beef hides a week to Korea through the ports of Tacoma and Long Beach, Calif. Containers that arrived on Korean docks are being held until government officials rule on their fate, she said. Another 30 containers that haven't left U.S. ports are being held at Hyundai's terminals. Gunn said five of those are at the Port of Tacoma. And Hyundai isn't the only company holding up hides...Cow disease hinders Tyson Foods Until late last month, it appeared that the $2.8 billion bet Tyson Foods Inc. made on beef was paying off in spades. The longtime chicken purveyor had perfectly timed America's renewed love affair with beef by acquiring IBP Inc., the biggest meatpacker, in 2001. Profits from those cattle-slaughtering plants were rolling into Tyson coffers. But in the wake of the discovery of the first U.S. case of mad-cow disease, that gamble suddenly looks risky. The single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, in a Holstein that U.S. investigators believe originated in Canada already has shut down crucial foreign markets for Tyson beef. Very likely the discovery will increase Tyson's cost of doing business. No American company has more at stake in the mad-cow calamity than Tyson, which controls 27 percent of the domestic beef market. Tyson recently began slapping its famous name on hundreds of beef products after an expensive two-year effort to replicate its value-added strategy for chicken items...Medical procedures could spread mad cow disease, expert warns: Blood transfusions, surgical instruments could transmit the disease It's too soon to rule out a new wave of mad cow disease in humans, echoing the 1990s British epidemic, but this time transmitted by medical procedures instead of bad meat, says one of Canada's top mad cow experts. As officials scramble to confirm whether an Alberta farm is the source of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease, Britain continues to investigate the death of a patient who died from the human form of the fatal brain infection after receiving blood from an infected donor...Mad cow testing questioned by disease experts Testing more cattle for mad cow disease may not necessarily weed out more infected animals, two leading experts on animal brain diseases say. Beth Williams, a University of Wyoming professor and chronic wasting disease expert, said additional testing is also not an effective use of public health resources. Williams said she believes that the U.S. Department of Agriculture already appropriately tests for mad cow disease, using targeted surveillance to draw blood from cattle that show signs of the disease such as poor coordination, fever and weakness. "If you want to find something that's pretty rare in the cow population, you look for the animals that are most likely to have that disease," she said. Another leading veterinarian agreed that more testing may not find more mad cow disease but said it could improve public perception of the U.S. meat supply both domestically and abroad...Technology, BSE alter ranchers' thinking Cattle ranching is becoming a brave new world. It's not unusual to see a Montana cattleman recording herd notes in a digital Palm Pilot, instead of a spiral-bound notebook. About 20,000 livestock animals here already wear electronic ear tags, and ranchers are beginning to debate the merits of embedding microchip identification tags into their animals. "Life is changing out there," said Steve Pilcher, executive vice president of the Montana Stockgrowers Association. "Modern technology is slow to come to our industry, but it is making itself known." Modern times - and Montana's recent mad cow scare - are finding the state's industry leaders in surprising support of an electronic, national cattle identification system...Beef scare has folks boning up on bison Buffalo . . . it's what's for dinner? Some consumers with a hankering for red meat are looking for alternatives to beef after the recent report of the nation's first case of mad cow disease. Many are turning to buffalo...U.S. meat for Yukon Quest sled dogs banned by Canada due to mad cow U.S. beef, pork and chicken products destined for dogs in an international sled-dog race will not be allowed across the Canadian border because of fears about mad cow disease. Organizers of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race this week notified mushers Canada will not allow dog food containing the meat products to cross the border because of health concerns. The notice came as many mushers were working to meet a Jan. 23 deadline for having food ready to be delivered to drop points along the 1,600-kilometre course from Fairbanks to Whitehorse...