Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)

1. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) Billy Moss Area Livestock Teacher North Region Agricultural Education February 2004

2. About the U.S. Case • The U.S. case confirmed in Washington on Dec. 23 2003, was a 6 ½ year old Holstein cow that was non-ambulatory at the time. • The farm has been quarantined and information has been received that indicates the infected cow was of Canadian origin.

3. As of December 31, 2004, the following rules will be implemented in the U.S.: • No “downer” (non-ambulatory ) animals will be processed at slaughter facilities anywhere in the country. Your options for them are: bury, burn, or compost. • Any animal at slaughter showing symptoms of BSE will not be allowed into the food chain until a negative BSE test has been confirmed.

4. As of December 31, 2004, the following rules will be implemented in the U.S.: • Specified Risk Materials (skulls, eyes, nervous tissues, etc.) of cattle greater than 30 months of age will not be allowed in beef products intended for human consumption. • “Air Injection” stunning at slaughter plants will be prohibited. This process has already been largely replaced by captive bolt stunning.

5. As of December 31, 2004, the following rules will be implemented in the U.S.: • No mechanical separation allowed for beef products intended for human consumption. Advanced Meat Recovery (AMR) is a method of mechanically stripping meat from bone that was developed in 1994. • As a result of the BSE case found in Washington state, a HIGH priority is being placed on the development of a National Animal Identification Program.

6. Facts About BSE • The BSE agent is NOT found in cuts of beef, such as steaks and roasts. • The pryon protein that causes BSE is found in the Central Nervous Tissues, such as the brain and spinal cord, of the animal. • BSE has not been proven to be a genetic disease.

7. Facts About BSE (cont’d) • BSE is transmitted by the ingestion of contaminated feedstuffs. A preponderance of evidence suggests that the disease is spread by the “oral consumption of rendered animal” ( usually consumed as a protein source). The most critical animal health control measure - a ban on feeding animal ruminant – derived meat & bone meal supplements to cattle – has been in place in this country since 1997.

8. Facts about BSE (cont’d) • The U.S. banned imports of cattle and bovine products from countries with BSE beginning in 1989. • The U.S. began a surveillance program for BSE in 1990 and was the first country without the disease within its borders to test cattle for the disease. The surveillance system targets all cattle with any signs of neurological disorder as well as those over 30 months of age that are non-ambulatory.

9. Facts about BSE (con’t) • USDA has recently placed a ban on feeding poultry litter to beef cattle. The concern is that poultry feed, which contains meat and bone meal (which is a cheap source of protein), could provide BSE infection in beef cattle.

10. What have we learned as a result of this singular case of BSE being discovered in the U.S.? • The value of beef exports in this country amounts to 10% of the total beef produced. It is an important 10%. In addition to the high quality cuts of beef we ship out of country, we also export livers, short ribs, tongues, etc. for more than they are worth here, so we derive extra value from those premium products, thus creating a valuable niche market for items that would be of lesser value in the states.

11. What have we learned as a result of this singular case of BSE being discovered in the U.S.? • As a country, we import mostly 86-90% lean beef product from countries such as Australia and New Zealand. These imports go primarily to fast food outlets. • There is an additional 45M# of beef/week extra when we can’t export. It will have to be ground up for burger instead of sold at a premium.

12. What have we learned as a result of this singular case of BSE being discovered in the U.S.? • There is a complex interaction between imports and exports in our industry. • There needs to be established basic principles of trade among nations based on sound science. • The one advantage we do have is that the market place is very current, but with every passing day that our export market remains closed, time is against us as the cattle on feed add weight to the final carcass value.

13. What have we learned as a result of this singular case of BSE being discovered in the U.S.? • We must remain consumer confident in the U.S. One consistent message – the ultimate message – that we as producers and knowledgeable consumers must promote is that BEEF IS SAFE!

14. What have we learned as a result of this singular case of BSE being discovered in the U.S.? • An independent authority hired by the NCBA to survey the general public about BSE revealed the following: • 1. Consumer awareness of BSE is at an all-time high. 96% of America has recently heard about BSE. • 2. Consumer confidence levels remain virtually unchanged from pre-December 23. 89% of the general public believes that beef is safe, with 75 % eating the same amount of beef as before December 23.

15. Country of Origin Labeling(COOL) Billy Moss Area Livestock Teacher North Region Agricultural Education February 2004

16. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) • This concept was brought about to identify U.S. meat from foreign meat and would be used as a marketing tool to promote beef grown in the U.S. • COOL legislation was passed in the 2002 Farm Bill.

17. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) • The bill would require an origin on covered products. All steps in the chain (production, feedlot, slaughter, fabricator, distributor, and retailer) will be held responsible for accuracy of the claim. Non-compliance with the claim can result in a $10,000 fine.

18. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) • The USDA will require a verifiable record-keeping audit trail with a goal of 48 hour traceback in any incident.

19. Mandatory Animal ID Billy Moss Area Livestock Teacher North Region Agricultural Education

20. Mandatory Animal ID • Mandatory Premise and Animal ID is Coming! Current discussion holds that a Premise ID will first be required, identifying each place of production. Individual Animal ID would soon follow.

21. How should individual producers prepare for Mandatory Animal ID? • Document the origin of every animal on your place. You can use the following to get started: • 1.) Bills of Sale – If you run stockers or background, keep as many records of your purchase as you can. • 2.) Record Books – If you are a cow/calf operator, ID everything! Start simple – write down descriptions of each cow and eartag them. Record if the animal was home raised or purchased. If purchased, record where you bought her. With each calf crop, write down birthing dates and descriptions.

22. How should individual producers prepare for Mandatory Animal ID? • Document the origin of every animal on your place. You can use the following to get started: • 3.) Vet and Feed Records – buy an 88 cent notebook and write down any pertinent information. Record the serial and batch numbers on any vaccine you administer, as well as the date and what group of cattle received it. • 4) Any others items you feel are inportant to tracking the animals in your operation.

23. How should individual producers prepare for Mandatory Animal ID? • ID all animals. Start with eartags. A permanent tattoo in the ear would be a wise investment. • Develop an on-farm record keeping system. • Get as much information as possible in regard to future purchases.

24. How should individual producers prepare for Mandatory Animal ID? • Expect to have to provide information to verify origin of cattle at all future sales. • Verification may have to be done by a 3rd party at some point. • Use electronic ID and market cattle within a system where you will receive production data to support management changes.

25. Sources of Information • www.BSE.org • www.USDA.org • Moser Ranch sale catalog • Newspaper and magazine articles