US gets the all clear for BSE
21/02/2013
The US had been classified “controlled” after a case of BSE was found in California in April.
In August, an investigation into the incident by the US Food and Drug Administration concluded that the case, involving one 10-year-old Holstein cow, was of the “atypical” variety that appears to occur spontaneously on extremely rare occasions.
The US agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack said of the upgrade: "This is a significant achievement for the US, American beef producers and businesses, and federal and state partners who work in coordination to maintain a system of three interlocking safeguards against BSE that protect our public and animal health. Being classified as negligible risk for BSE by the OIE will also greatly support our efforts to increase exports of US beef and beef products.
“The US continues to press for normalisation of beef trade with several nations in a manner that is based on science and consistent with international standards. US food and agricultural exporters and consumers worldwide benefit when countries adopt international standards."
Saudi Arabia and Indonesia banned imports of US beef following the scare.
The OIE determines a country's risk status based on actions the country has taken to manage the risk of the disease. These include instituting a strong ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban, strictly controlling imports of animals and animal products from countries at risk for the disease, and conducting appropriate surveillance.
It governs the foundational international standards on animal health as well as trade in livestock and animal products and has 178 member countries.
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