On May 19, the USDA confirmed an atypical case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) found in a five-year-old or older beef cow at a slaughter facility in South Carolina. The animal did not enter slaughter channels and did not present a risk to food supply or human health, USDA said.
“Given the United States’ negligible risk status for BSE, we do not expect any trade impacts as a result of this finding,” the department said in a news release.
USDA confirmed the cow tested positive for atypical L-type BSE during routine surveillance of cattle that are deemed unsuitable for slaughter. The cow was wearing a radio frequency ID tag that traced it back to a herd in Tennessee.
Atypical BSE usually occurs in older cattle and can arise spontaneously in all cattle populations, USDA said. This is the seventh detection of BSE in the U.S., with six of the seven cases found to be atypical.
“Atypical BSE cases do not impact official BSE risk status recognition as this form of the disease is believed to occur spontaneously in all cattle populations at a very low rate,” USDA said. “Therefore, this finding of an atypical case will not change the negligible risk status of the United States and should not lead to any trade issues.”
In response to the case’s detection, U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) President Justin Tupper said, “This animal never entered slaughter channels and at no time entered the food supply chain due to the effectiveness of the surveillance team and, as a result, domestic and international trade markets can remain active and strong with no hit to consumer confidence.” — Anna Miller, WLJ managing editor
