Attacking mad cow

Thirty countries have banned U.S. beef imports since a single case of mad cow disease was confirmed in Washington state Dec. 23. Missouri's position as the second-leading producer of beef cows in the nation makes the need to control mad cow disease all the more pressing.

While local cattlemen are waiting to see how the market reacts to the mad cow scare before shipping their stock for slaughter, agriculture officials are acting swiftly.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has banned non-ambulatory animals from the human food supply. Known as downed animals, these cattle are so injured or sick they must be brought to slaughterhouses on forklifts or dragged with chains.

Large hamburger restaurant chains such as McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King do not buy downed cattle. Neither does the federal school lunch program.

The USDA also is requiring companies that use advanced meat recovery equipment to put more controls in place. AMR gleans brain and spinal cord tissue that is known to transmit the disease.

Other safeguards include:

Requiring a negative test result before meat is sold from cattle at higher risk of mad cow disease due to age or neurological problems.

Prohibiting the use of small intestines from cows and the brain and spinal tissue from cattle older than 30 months. The latter safeguard is based on the three-year incubation period for mad cow disease.

Prohibiting air-injection stunning of cattle.

The USDA is not prohibiting the use of high-risk cattle in pet foods or chicken and pig feeds. The USDA has banned cattle products from sheep, goat and cattle feed since 1997.

Missouri Department of Agriculture officials met with farm and livestock representatives and federal agriculture officials in Jefferson City, Mo., on New Year's Eve to talk about the new safeguards. During the meeting, Missouri stockmen said they want a better definition of non-ambulatory.

But estimates of the number of downed animals annually in the United States amounts to range from 130,000 to 200,000, a relatively small percentage of the 35 million cattle slaughtered annually in the United States.

At this point, keeping animals that are incapacitated out of the human food chain is prudent. Taking the steps necessary to ensure the safety of our food supply and restore consumer confidence is in the best interest of all, including Missouri cattlemen.