Mad Cow USA

You may purchase a copy of *Mad Cow USA by Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber online at amazon.com.

Also see Mad cow disease, Mad Cow Canada -- Mad cow disease was first identified in the United States on 23 December 2003:


 * "Ann Veneman, agriculture secretary, said the positive test for BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) was 'presumptive' and would be confirmed in a British laboratory. But she said the administration was confident that the finding was accurate and had already implemented measures to curb its spreading."


 * "The infected cow identified yesterday was a Holstein which was tested because it was a 'downer', unable to walk, when it arrived at a Washington state slaughterhouse. The meat from the cow was nevertheless sent to a processing plant."


 * "An isolated case of BSE was identified in Canada in May, but Ms Veneman said there was no immediate evidence of a link with the cow identified yesterday."

Thirds Reported Case Of Mad Cow
"Despite the confirmation of a third case of mad cow disease" in the United States, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) "intends to scale back testing for the brain-wasting disorder blamed for the deaths of more than 150 people in Europe," reports Libby Quaid. [http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/feeds/ap/2006/03/14/ap2594725.html The USDA's John Clifford mentioned the decrease in testing when he announced the latest mad cow case, in an Alabama animal. The lower testing levels haven't been finalized, "but the department's budget proposal calls for 40,000 tests annually," or one-tenth of one percent of U.S. cattle slaughtered. Consumer Union's Jean Halloran called the reduction "a policy of don't look, don't find." The National Cattlemen's Beef Association's Gary Weber said, "The consumers we've done focus groups with are comfortable that this is a very rare disease." The Christian Science Monitor notes that current, higher testing levels are "far lower than the percentage tested in Europe or Japan." The new case of mad cow may delay the opening of Asian markets to U.S. beef. 

Related articles

 * Mad Cow USA/How now mad cow?
 * Mad Cow/Where's the BSE free beef?
 * Mad Cow USA/Could the Nightmare Happen Here?
 * Did 'Rejuvenation' Therapy Kill George Balanchine?
 * Swallowing Anything: The Hype Behind Alternative Remedies

Other Related External Links

 * USDA Web Page on BSE.
 * Mad Cow Disease: The Risk to the U.S., Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, November 16, 1998.
 * Livestock producers hope 'mad cow disease' will not reach U.S., Extension Service, University of Minnesota, March 21, 2001.
 * Official Mad Cow Disease Web Site, last updated June 18, 2001.
 * USDA Marks Progress on Prevention of "Mad Cow" Disease, U.S. Mission to the European Union, January 15, 2003.
 * Robert Stein, Mad Cow Variant That Hits Humans Is a Puzzle, Washington Post, January 3, 2004.
 * Marc Kaufman, "Testing for Mad Cow Disease To Expand USDA's Handling of Issue Being Challenged", Washington Post, March 16, 2004, Page A01.
 * U.S. Department of Agriculture, "Transcript of Remarks From Technical Briefing on BSE and Related Issues With Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman and USDA Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Ron DeHaven", March 15, 2004.
 * Lyndsay Moss, "Transfusion patients banned from donating blood", PA News, March 16, 2004.
 * Steve Mitchell, "Feds probing alleged mad cow cover-up," UPI, May 2, 2005.
 * "USDA finds 1,000 violations of mad cow rules. Meat plants cut corners, failed to remove banned materials," Reuters (MSNBC Online), August 15, 2005.
 * Donald G. McNeil Jr, "U.S. Offers New Animal Feed Rules, but Critics Assail Them", New York Times, October 4, 2005.
 * Marc Kaufman, "Agency Fought Retesting of Infected Cow", Washington Post, February 3, 2006; A07.
 * Libby Quaid, "Update 12: Government to Scale Back Mad Cow Testing", Forbes.com, March 14, 2006. (This is an Associated Press story).
 * Brad Knickerbocker, "Third mad cow case in US raises questions about testing: As officials confirm that a cow in Alabama had the disease, public-interest groups urge more systematic monitoring", Christian Science Monitor, March 15, 2006.