MAD COW DISEASE
 
USDA says mandatory mad cow tests wouldn't work  Mandatory testing of cattle for mad cow disease would not improve on the current voluntary system because the government still could never be sure producers were complying, an Agriculture Department official said Wednesday.Even under mandatory testing, if a producer did not want an animal tested, ''it would be very difficult for us to find out,'' said Dr. Ron DeHaven, administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service....
USDA defends mad cow monitoring system U.S. Department of Agriculture officials Wednesday defended a new program that monitors mad cow disease in the United States, saying they have fixed many of the flaws found in its previous version.  "I do believe that the food supply is safer today,"said Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, responding to members of Congress who questioned its validity. "We have done everything that we can to give as much information as we can to the public and maintain our credibility."  Veneman and two other USDA officials testified for three hours before a joint hearing of the House Committees on Government Reform and Agriculture. She said an expanded testing program and tighter procedures for handling sick cattle should reassure the public that beef is safe to eat....
U.S. agriculture chief concedes testing program still needs work In the face of a critical audit from her own department's inspector general, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said Wednesday that the expanded testing program for mad cow disease is on track but conceded some adjustments might be needed.  "Not surprisingly, given the scope of our task, our efforts continue to evolve in order to assure the successful implementation of such an extensive undertaking," Veneman said during a joint hearing of the House Agriculture and Government Reform committees.  A draft of an audit prepared by the Agriculture Department Office of Inspector General concluded that the testing program has serious flaws that could undermine its credibility and lead to questionable estimates of how widespread the disease is among the nation's cattle and dairy herds....
Column: Mad cow hysteria The federal government is fanning the flames of a consumer panic at the expense of common-sense food safety.     Just in time for your July Fourth barbeque, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) jumped the gun and announced two cases of "inconclusive" Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), better known as mad cow disease. Only after making its ominous announcement did the agency later announce, "Oops, never mind."  That the USDA was concerned enough to follow up its initial assessment with more elaborate testing is well and good. That it blew the whistle before securing all of the facts is asinine....
U.S. eyes renewed beef sales to Japan  The Bush administration hopes this summer to reach terms with Japan that would allow a resumption of beef exports.Japan, the top overseas destination for U.S. beef, and other markets banned red meat from America after the December discovery of mad cow disease in Washington state. While U.S. consumers generally have remained confident in the safety of meat, major trade partners have not."We are hopeful we will see an opening of the Japanese market in the near future," Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman said yesterdayat a joint hearing by the House Government Reform and Agriculture committees....