05/01/06 BSE Testing Program

05/01/06 BSE Testing Program

BSE Testing Program. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. U.S. Ag Secretary Mike Johanns held a teleconference Friday to release USDA`s analysis of its enhanced BSE surveillance program - and to lay the groundwork for scaling back that program - perhaps as soon as June. Johanns said USDA scientists - after analyzing the results and patterns of more than 700-thousand BSE tests conducted since 1999 - concluded BSE is almost literally a one-in-a-million occurrence in adult U.S. cattle. JOHANNS: They concluded that the most likely number of BSE cases present in the United States is between 4 and 7 animals out of a herd of 42 million cattle. Those would be adult cattle. USDA experts conclude therefore that the prevalence of BSE in the United States is less than 1 case per 1 million adult cattle. Johanns said if USDA`s analysis is confirmed by independent experts - the current level of BSE testing - typically thousands of cattle each week - just isn`t necessary. JOHANNS: There's little justification for continuing surveillance at this level once our analysis is affirmed by peer review, ensuring we have a very, very scientific prevalence estimate. So I look forward to getting the results of the peer review and as I said, we hope the peer review will be competed by the end of May. Then we'll see how science and international standards guide us from here. As of April 23rd - USDA had tested over 696-thousand cattle under the enhanced BSE surveillance program - which began in June of 2004 - including over 21-thousand healthy adult cattle. Dr. Ron DeHaven - the Administrator of USDA`s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service - said USDA`s BSE testing had far exceeded international guidelines for determining the rate of BSE in the nation`s cattle herd. And he said when USDA returned to a more normal testing level - the Agency would likely test around 40-thousand head of cattle at high-risk for BSE each year. DEHAVEN: That testing program clearly will continue to focus on the same targeted high-risk animals, meaning that we will continue to test those animals that if they have the disease these would be the animals most likely to test positive. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.
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