Is the U.S Beef Supply Safe from BSE?

Debbie McAllister

Comm 260W

Final Project

Is the U.S beef supply safe from BSE?

On Dec. 23, 2003, disaster struck the U.S. food supply and devastated beef producers in the country. It was on this day that a dairy cow in Washingtonstate was found to have Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, more commonly known as BSE or “Mad Cow Disease.”

“I remember hearing the news of the BSE outbreak in 2003. I grew up on a dairy farm and the situation made me extremely nervous for cattle producers and for the safety of the U.S. food supply,” said Keri Connelly, Penn State junior-Health and Human Development.

BSE is a fatal disease that causes slow, progressive neurological degeneration in cattle. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (USDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), the exact makeup of the BSE agent is not fully understood. It is thought to be a modified form of a protein known as a prion. Prions become infectious and accumulate in neural tissues causing fatal, degenerative, neurological disease. The scary thing about prions is that they are resistant to common food disinfection treatments, such as heat, to reduce or eliminate their infectivity or presence.

The first case of BSE was reported in the United Kingdom in November 1986. The exact source of the outbreak is uncertain, but most scientists believe that the cattle became infected when fed feed contaminated with scrapie-infected sheep meat and bone meal. Scrapie is a prion disease in sheep that is very similar to BSE in cattle. The only case to ever be diagnosed in the United States was in December 2003. This animal was imported from Canada in 2001.

Humans can be affected and are susceptible to BSE. It has not been scientifically proven yet, but a rare, fatal brain disorder called variant Creutzfeldt - Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans is linked to the consumption of products contaminated with the BSE agent. As of Dec. 1, 2003, a total of 153 cases of vCJD had been reported in the world. Only one case has been reported in the United States and the young woman likely contracted the disease while living in the United Kingdom.

Preventing against BSE is a high priority ofU.S. federal organizations like the USDA Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as organizations in the cattle industry like the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). Based on the facts and observations surrounding BSE, many regulations have been put into effect to assure the safety of the U.S. beef supply and to decrease the opportunity of BSE cases in the country.

“BSE has now hit the United States and is a concern to the world’s food supply. As producers in the industry, it is important for them to take biosecurity precautions on their farms for the safety of their business and food supply,” said Jamie Bechtel, PennStatesophomore-Agriculture Business.

In 1989, the USDA prohibited the importation of live animals and beef products from countries with cases of BSE. This regulation was eventually expanded to ban importation from all European countries. Additionally, feed bans were put into effect in 1997 outlawing the use of mammalian proteins in the manufacturing of ruminant feed. After the diagnosed case of BSE in the United States in 2003, 10,410 pounds of raw beef were recalled from the slaughtering plant in Moses Lake, WA where BSE was found.

Several new policies were made effective in January 2004 by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) following the events at the end of 2003. Cattle tested for BSE can not be marked “inspected and passed” until confirmation is received by FSIS and the plant that the animal is indeed negative. High risk materials such as skull, brain, trigeminal ganglia, eyes, vertebral column, spinal cord, tonsils, small intestine and dorsal root ganglia of cattle 30 months of age or older are prohibited from the human food supply, including dietary supplements and cosmetics. Dorsal root ganglia are clusters of nerve cells connected to the spinal column along the vertebral column. Finally, the practice of air-injection stunning during slaughtering was banned to ensure that portions of the brain are not dislodged into carcass tissues.

“As an industry, we expect strict adherence to these measures. We applaud USDA’s efforts to evaluate these systems to ensure animal and public health,” said Terry Stokes, Chief Executive Officer NCBA.

In addition, material from dead cattle and downer cattle is banned from FDA-regulated human food, dietary supplements, and cosmetics. Downer cattle are those that are unable to get up. It is a possible symptom for cattle that are BSE-positive. Other feed regulations include the ban of poultry litter, plate waste from restaurants and blood protein supplements.

“The effects of these regulations are not just economic, but influence other markets such as nutrient management, cattle markets and rendering plants,” remarked Dr. Robert Van Saun, Department of Veterinary Science, PennStateUniversity.

Despite the various regulations already in place, research is still being conducted to learn more about this tragic disease. “Although our current rules are strong, when it comes to public health and safety we cannot be content with the status quo. We must continue to make sure the public is protected to the greatest extent possible,” assured FDA Health and Human Service Secretary, Tommy G. Thompson.

BSE has not been as large of a problem in the United States as it is in the European countries for a few reasons. First, the render methods used in this country are high temperature systems, which can reduce the risk of BSE contamination by one log. Low temperature systems were used in the United Kingdom which increased their risk. Another reason is that U.S. cattle producers were not as dependent on feeding meat and bone meal before the feeding bans as some of the other countries in the world. The United States has ample supply of plant proteinssuch as corn, soybeans or oats to use in feeds.

As a result of the BSE tragedy in the United States in 2003, beef export markets took a heavy hit. According to approximately 90 percent of the U.S. beef export markets shut down following the BSE-positive cow in 2003. Obviously, this meant a devastating blow to the economy of the cattle industry. The largest importers of U.S. beef were Japan, Korea, Mexico and Canada. The United States supplied over half of the beef products imported by Japan in 2003. Japanese markets pay a premium price for high quality beef and beef variety meats. This resulted in an additional crunch on U.S. producers.

The United Stateshas since reestablished trade with their largest importer, but the Japanese set strict guidelines that make only a small portion of the U.S. market available to export to them. Ideally, they want the meat from each animal tested BSE-negative. The United States usually exports meat from animals under or around 30 months of age. Japan wants all the imported meat from the United States to be under 20 months of age and still quality grade Choice, which rarely happens in the U.S. beef industry.

First of all, the tests for BSE used in the United States will generally not show positives until the cattle are at least 74 months of age because it is a progressive disease. Secondly, it is difficult to ensure the high quality grades the Japanese desire when they want such young cattle. The animals don’t really have enough to time to be on grain and develop their finish or marbling, which determines quality grade and taste.

“Testing cattle less than 30 months of age is a waste of our resources because nothing will test positive until 74 months of age. Only a small amount of what we market will meet Japanese regulations. Only about 18 percent of U.S. beef is less than 20 months and Choice,” said Dr. Gary Weber, NCBA Director of Research.

The U.S. food supply is believed to be safe by officials due to the extensive regulations enforced, as well as the other standard practices used. The risk of BSE being present in the United States is incredibly low. There is less than one case per 10 million cattle over 24 months of age and less than four cases of BSE-positive cattle born before the feed bans.

“Even though the chances of BSE occurring in the United Statesare extremely low due to our stringent precautions, it is still imperative that we research BSE and lead the way for the rest of the world in setting guidelines,” said Christopher Jeffcoat, PennStatejunior-Animal Science and Agricultural Business.

BSE has in fact landed in the United States and its impact is still being felt by producers, federal organizations, and most importantly consumers. The risk seems to be low at the present time, but nonetheless it is still there. There is no cure for BSE or vCJD and testing procedures impose their own time limitations. However, statistics show that beef demand has increased since 1996, despite the BSE outbreak. Also, 93 percent of consumers are confident in the safety of U.S. beef.

“Even if the bans are not complied with 100 percent, eventually we will still be able to eradicate this disease from the United States,” Weber confidently stated. “We have exceeded the standards for prevention in this country.”