Frequently Asked Questions About BSE

1. Frequently Asked Questions About BSE

2. General Questions Has BSE been found in the United States? Yes. One cow in Washington state has been identified with BSE. The dairy cow was born in Canada and imported into the U.S. in 2001.

3. General Questions What is BSE? BSE is a degenerative neurological disease in cattle that scientists believe is caused by misfolded proteins, called prions, which build up in central nervous system (CNS) tissues eventually killing nerve cells.

4. General Questions How is BSE spread among cattle? BSE does not spread from animal to animal, only through feed containing ruminant-derived meat and bone meal (MBM) from BSE-infected cattle.

5. General Questions Can humans get mad cow disease? Research from the United Kingdom supports an association between BSE and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD).

6. General Questions What is the difference between BSE, sporadic CJD and vCJD? BSE, sporadic CJD and vCJD are all Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) which are a class of rare brain diseases, some of which affect humans while others affect animals. While BSE is found only in cattle, sporadic CJD and vCJD are found in humans. Sporadic CJD and vCJD are distinctly separate brain diseases, each with its own unique clinical and histopathological features.

7. BSE in the United States Is U.S. beef safe? Yes. The BSE agent is not found in meat – only in central-nervous-system (CSN) tissue, which was removed from the index cow before the meat was processed.

8. BSE in the United States What is Advanced Meat Recovery or AMR? AMR is a technology that removes muscle tissue from the bone of beef carcasses under high pressure without incorporating bone material. AMR product can be labeled as “meat.”

9. BSE in the United States How does USDA look for BSE? BSE surveillance system was begun in 1990 and is designed to detect BSE if it exists in the United States at a level of one in one million cattle. The system works.

10. BSE in the United States What is the status of the index cow’s herd mates and progeny? USDA is conducting an aggressive investigation and has begun a trace-back process to identify all animals associated with the index cow.

11. Meat Products What safeguards have been in place to protect the U.S. beef supply? Scientific studies show that the BSE disease agent is not found in beef muscle meats or milk.

12. Meat Products In 1990, the United States became the first country without BSE within its borders to test cattle for the disease. BSE affects older cattle, typically over 30 months of age. The vast majority of the cattle going to market in the United States are less than 24 months old and would not pose a risk of BSE.

13. Meat Products In 1997, the United States banned the feeding practices that scientists believe spread this disease. The United States was the first country without BSE within its borders to implement a feed ban.

14. Meat Products According to the Harvard University Center for Risk Assessment, the system to detect and eliminate BSE in the United States is effective.

15. Beef Safety Are additional precautions being taken to protect the beef supply? Yes. On December 30, 2003, USDA announced additional measures to ensure that U.S. beef remains the safest in the world. USDA has taken these measures out of an “abundance of caution.”

16. Beef Safety New measures include: • USDA has banned all non-ambulatory cattle from the human food chain. • Any cattle tested for BSE are not allowed into the food supply until tests show that it is safe.

17. Beef Safety • Specified Risk Material (SRM) from cattle over 30 months of age will be banned from entering the human food supply. • The rules for Advanced Meat Recovery will be broadened to further ensure that potentially infective nerve tissue will not be present in human food.

18. Beef Safety What is the beef industry doing to protect the beef supply? NCBA supports the steps taken by USDA. Past industry efforts include, in 1996, NCBA’s petitioning of USDA to implement a ruminant feed ban. NCBA has worked with USDA to implement other precautionary measures.

19. Beef Safety The beef industry also carries out checkoff-funded producer education regarding BSE and animal health. In addition, checkoff-funded research is focused on understanding and eliminating BSE.

20. Beef Safety Why doesn’t the United States test every animal as is done in other countries? Unlike Europe, the U.S. does not have a BSE epidemic. USDA began a BSE testing program in 1990. The program tests 47 times more cattle than called for by international guidelines.

21. Organic Beef Is organic beef safer than conventionally produced food? No. Science does not show that organic beef is safer than conventionally produced beef.

22. Organic Beef Research shows that BSE is not found in beef muscle cuts or milk, so all U.S. beef—organic or conventionally produced—is safe and wholesome. Since BSE is only spread through contaminated feed, the 1997 feed ban implemented by the FDA protects both the U.S. conventional and organic beef supply.

23. Organic Beef Organically produced food is no safer or more nutritious than conventionally produced food. Organic food differs from conventionally produced food in the way it is grown, handled, and processed. Beef, regardless of type, is one of the most heavily regulated and stringently tested of all foods.

24. Organic Beef Consumers have a variety of products to choose from including conventional (or natural), grass-fed, and organic beef. These types of products are defined by a marketing distinction, not a nutritional or safety difference.

25. For Further Information • For accurate and up-to-date information on BSE, please visit www.bseinfo.organd http://aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/bse/bse. html.

26. Producer Funded Efforts • BSE information and research efforts are funded with beef checkoff dollars and are managed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association on behalf of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and state beef councils. • BSE regulatory and trade efforts are funded by NCBA member dues.