BSE Satellite Presentation

Questions & Answers

Due to the widespread interest in our program, not all questions were addressed on air. Please find following those questions that were not addressed, and the answers from our expert panel. If your question is not yet listed, be sure to check this page again for updates.

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BSE/Pathology/Prion Questions
Answers from Dr. Nolan Hartwig and Dr. John Lawrence, Iowa State University Extension

Has BSE ever been found in beef cattle? Have the only cases been dairy cattle?
Iowa
Lawrence: Yes, the cow found in Canada in May 2003 was described as an Angus or Angus-cross in a beef herd. The current science suggests BSE is not likely a breed-related issue, but rather reflect the management of the cattle. Dairy cattle are more likely to be fed a protein supplement that could contain ruminant by-products than are beef cattle that nurse a cow on pasture.

Would it be possible to get the chronological data of tracing the cow that was presented during the broadcast?
Lawrence: USDA has the chronology in its web site, www.usda.gov.

Is there any connection with BSE and Progressive Supra Nuclear Palsy in humans?
Novah, Ohio
Hartwig: Since I am not a physician, I always hate to comment very much on human diseases. My reading on Progressive Supra Nuclear Palsy in humans does indicate a different symptomatology and pathological development than that which occurs in vCJD in people. You have probably seen this, but I suggest you access:
http://www.parkinson.org/psp.htm and
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/cjd/cjd_fact_sheet.htm
These two websites will give you a thumbnail sketch of the two diseases and you can see the differences. If this applies to a specific case, I suggest you contact a physician about any questions you may have.

What research do we have about the potential of prions from composted BSE infected cattle entering the ground water supply?
Dodge County, Wisconsin
Hartwig: I don’t know of any research that addresses this specific question. Certainly there is potential for contamination of ground water of any animal tissue or material if it is not properly disposed of. In many areas of the country, of course, burial is not an option because of the nature of the subsoil/bedrock/etc. This is the case, for example, in Northeast Iowa where materials can percolate through the underlying limestone into ground water.

With CWD considered a much smaller risk to humans, will the Feds or states impose a 5 year BSE surveillance program on bovines? Meaning, like they have for CWD? What makes this TSE of less importance?
Wadena, MN
Hartwig: USDA has a large (20,000 samples last year) surveillance program for BSE. The BSE surveillance has been in place for several years and will continue into the future.

There are two recent publications in prestigious peer-reviewed scientific journals using new sensitive tests for prion levels that demonstrated that prions accumulate in muscle tissue of mice and guinea pigs to substantial levels prior to levels increasing in nervous tissue. A critical error that was made in the UK handling was government and veterinary assurance that things couldn’t happen. As an Extension Specialist, I worry about the complete loss of credibility of the current USDA/FDA/Extension assurances if/when prions are found in bovine muscle tissue my understanding that those tests are currently underway in Dr Purser’s lab at UCSF. What’s your recommendation to avoid further problems?
Maryland
Hartwig: There are differences between the various prion diseases. Our best information is that these prions are not found in muscle tissue.

Can a person infected with vCJD or even CJD that has surgery cause contamination of the disease to other people. IE – “Can surgical instruments be sterilized because of the high heat resistance of the diseases? If so will the cattle producer be blamed for the contamination?
Anamosa, Iowa
Hartwig: The transmission of a disease during a medical or surgical procedure is referred to as iatrogenic transmission. This has occurred in a few cases with CJD. I don’t know about vCJD but I don’t think so. This has occurred when surgery is done on the brain, at least in most cases. This has caused a great deal of concern in the medical community, given the difficulty of sterilization. Surgeons in particular are aware of this possibility.

Has there ever been a link established between BSE and classical CJD?
Thad
Hartwig: No. There is no known connection, and research projects have shown differences between the two diseases. This does not, however, give us license to be careless, or even casual, about handling deer and elk.

Has BSE ever originated in a country that wasn’t in a dairy bovine?
Spencer, IA
Hartwig: BSE is more common in dairy animals in the U.K., most likely because feeding by-products is more common in dairy, especially to young calves. It is, however, commonly found in beef animals. The May 20, 2003 case in Alberta was in an Angus cow.

Is there not anyone studying, a live BSE infected animal? If not, why not? Focus on a cure, a cause, and a solution for this other than elimination of every animal. Sounds a little barbaric to me. Do we not learn anything from history? Small Pox, Rabies, Typhoid…ect. Why not isolate his herd of young cattle and try to get some “real” facts about BSE? Instead of playing to the general political public that these politicians are playing to?
Marquez, TX
Hartwig: The risk of maintaining a herd from which a known infected animal has been identified is considered to be too great. The human medical community has not been able to develop any successful treatments for CJD, vCJD, or any of the other prion diseases. Some products are being tested for this. The likelihood of ever getting something like this FDA approved for use in domestic food animals is extremely unlikely. The British have studied BSE infected herds in great detail. For instance, they conclude that there is only about a 10% increase in the likelihood that a calf born to a BSE infected dam will develop BSE. We also know that it unusual to have more than one or two animals in an infected herd actually develop the disease. What you call playing to the general public by politicians is regarded by most of the scientific community erring on the side of caution and protecting the public health.

What percentage of slaughtered cattle are routinely tested for BSE? Beef? Dairy?
Elkader, IA
Hartwig: Last year, about 20,000 head of cattle were tested for BSE. 75% of these were non-ambulatory (downer) animals, the rest were aged cows that are most likely to show evidence of BSE. This sampling interval allows scientists to conclude that there is a 95% probability of finding one in one million infected animals. With a slaughter of 33 million head or so annually, the percentage is low, but the effectiveness of this surveillance is higher than one would think. It is our understanding that USDA intends to increase the sample size in 2004.

Why are the 450 calves being killed if the prions cannot be passed on to offspring?
Enterprise, OR
Hartwig: It is our understanding that USDA cannot identify the calf from the infected cow with 100% certainty. Destroying the entire herd is “erring on the side of safety.”

Is it true that no one has been able to transmit BSE to cattle in the laboratory using various means, eating brushes, injecting tissue into healthy animals? How do BSE symptoms differ from Chronic or Acute Organophosphate poisoning/reaction? I believe BSE to have its root cause in organophosphate poisoning possible long term low to moderate level. BSE cases in great Britain have dropped in correlation with elimination of phosment dipping requirement.
Grundy County, Iowa
Hartwig: BSE cases in the U.K. have dropped dramatically in response to the ban on feeding ruminant by-products. Acute organo-phosphate poisoning causes salivation, incoordination, trembling, convulsions, and death in a very short period of time (hours or less). Chronic organo-phosphate poisoning will cause similar signs but spread out in time. We are all too familiar with episodes of this type in the United States. Cattle herds in the U.K. that have never been treated with organo-phosphates have experienced BSE. The microscopic lesions are just not the same. The organo-phosphate theory has been pretty well disproven.

If prions are not found in blood why humans living in the UK can’t donate blood? Why does the UK get their blood supply from the US?
Ida County, IA
Hartwig: This is a case of erring on the side of caution. It is also a very logical question. It is always possible that prions from vCJD in the human could be assocfiated with white blood cells, although the possibility of this is considered to be extremely small. We have learned from the HIV/AIDS situation to protect our blood supply at all costs.

My mother died from “conventional” CJD in 2002. Many dollars are spent each year on research to find a cure for diseases, such as cancer, which affect many people. Since CJD affects far fewer people, do you foresee any increase in efforts to find a cure for CJD or BSE?
Plymouth County, Iowa
Hartwig: Losing a family member from a disease that is regarded as “rare” is certainly no consolation from people like you. Research is being conducted on the prions and on possible cures. Hopefully this will yield results in the near future. We all know, however, how difficult and slow progress has been on Alzheimer’s, other dementias, M.S., ALS, Parkinson’s, and many other CNS diseases. You family’s unfortunate loss helps emphasize how important it is for us to keep vCJD out of the human population and BSE out of our cattle population.

Why is meat and bone meal banned for ruminants when TSE prions are not present in blood or meat?
Kitsap County, Washington State
Hartwig: The animal by-products that are rendered into meat and bone meal could easily include brain and spinal cord. Hence, prions could be included in these products. BSE was certainly spread in the U.K. and somewhat on the European continent by these products. Hence, the ban.

If animals under 30 months are not found to have BSE, then how can pork be cleared of the potential for TSE’s when commercial animals are slaughtered before 30 months?
Kitsap County, Washington State
Hartwig: Older swine—the physiological equivalent of aged cows, have been intensively surveyed for evidence of a TSE. Non have been found.

Are the other cows imported with the index BSE cow going to be slaughtered and tested for BSE?
Kitsap County, Washington State
Hartwig: Yes, although at this time (1/12/04), officials have not been able to absolutely trace all of the 82 animals that included the BSE positive cow in Washington State. US and Canadian officials are actively tracing these animals now.

If animals under 30 months don’t have BSE why is the calf herd being slaughtered? Will those calves be going into the food chain or rendered?
Kitsap County, Washington State
Hartwig: They are being slaughtered to preclude even the remotest possibility that they could at some point enter the food chain. The calves will be rendered. They will not enter the food chain. This is the reason they are being euthanized.

If the index cow can be traced via DNA, why can’t her calf be traced with DNA? Wouldn’t her calf be a valuable research animal?
Hartwig: You make a good point. I am not personally involved in the trace-back and trace forward of these animals. Once the calf entered a herd of 450 and its identity was lost, all 450 animals would have to be tested. We have to remember that much of this has been done in the U.K. where BSE has occurred with considerable frequency.

If humans are presumed to get vCJD from CNS of infected cattle how can we assume pigs or chickens can not get it? Is the assumption that they will not have a long enough incubation period? Follow up- Have we not been able to find TSE in pigs or poultry because of the short life span and incubation period? Do we know at what point in its lifetime a BSE infected animal might be able to pass along the infective prions? In other words, if they become infected with BSE at a young age (less than a year) but it does not manifest until 30 months or more, would there be any risk from CNS tissue ingested from the animal at 1 year to 30 months of age?
Hancock County, Iowa
Hartwig: Older poultry and swine have been extensively surveyed for evidence of any of the TSE diseases—none have been found. Certainly a high concentration of BSE prions in the brain, as is seen in old cows, is biologically more dangerous. Hence, a greater degree of safety in younger animals. We cannot say when an absolute cut-off period would occur, so all animals from exposed herds are destroyed.

What breed was the cow in Canada? How do they think she caught the BSE?
Story County, Iowa
Hartwig: The Canadian cow, diagnosed last May 20, was an Angus. How she got the disease is unknown. It has been assumed that she developed the disease from consuming contaminated meat and bone meal, but this has not been absolutely proven. The Washington state case was a 6 ½ year-old Holstein from a dairy herd. She was born in Canada.

How are prions destroyed?
Ringgold County, Iowa
Hartwig: Prions can be destroyed by very high heat, very strong acids and alkalis, probably over time by ultra-violet light (sunlight), and also by exposure to micro-organisms such as those that exist in the soil. This area needs more research, since we know that the prions are relatively heat resistant relative to living organisms such as bacteria and viruses.

Has BSE ever been transmitted orally by feeding non-injected cattle animal protein taken from known infection-tissue?
Story County, Iowa
Hartwig: Yes. This has been done with several species, including cattle, laboratory mice, and a few others. Hence, we know that the prions are the major causative agent for BSE.

Is it possible for BSE to come from some plant protein rather than from animal feed?
Timberlake, South Dakota
Hartwig: No. Pure plant protein that has not been contaminated with infected animal protein cannot cause BSE. Thus, soybean, cottonseed, and other vegetable protein sources are safe. The ruminant protein ban precludes getting any meat and bone meal or other by-product in cattle diets, thus protecting our cattle from infection just in case there would be a few BSE infected animals in the population.

What temperature do they normal render carcasses, both in the U.K. and U.S.?
Hancock County, Iowa
Hartwig: This varies somewhat, but temperatures in the U.S. generally reach 280 degrees F or so. The rendered material is thoroughly degraded, and most prions that might have been present would be denatured. In the U.K., a lower temperature was used for a period of time, and this may have been a major factor in the spread of BSE in the 1980s in that country.

Would the use of bone meal as a fertilizer be transmissible to animals thru the crops raised on that fertilizer?
Stevens County, Washington
Hartwig: No. Realistically, dilution and degradation of the prions would eliminate any chance of infection, even if the bone meal were contaminated with prions.

Why would even one downer cow or steer not be isolated from other cattle during the sale & transport process?
Seminole County, Oklahoma
Hartwig: The bulk of downer animals are those that are injured in the transportation process. Leg fractures and other traumatic injuries cause the animal to become non-ambulatory. Animals that historically were transported from farm to slaughter facilities were almost always isolated from others in order to prevent further trauma.

If BSE is only passed through feed, why do the cattle from the herds that contain the 11 cows from Canada need to be destroyed? I think only calves from feedlot are sacrificed thus far?
Madison County, Missouri
Hartwig: There is apparently a problem with complete and fully reliable identification of these animals. USDA is erring on the side of caution in order to assure the public that no infected animals are in the food supply. The calves that were destroyed are small calves in an operation that purchased the calf that was born to the BSE positive cow. They were destroyed because of a lack of ability to absolutely identify the individual calf from the infected cow, and, again, to reassure the public that no infected tissue gets into the food supply. Again, it is a matter or erring on the side of caution, and reassuring the American consumer.

Does BSE manifest itself spontaneously? It has been reported that CJD happens naturally.
Utah Cattlemen’s Association
Hartwig: Classical CJD (not vCJD) does manifest itself spontaneously. It occurs in about one in one million people; almost always older people. A rare familial (inherited or at least genetically related) form also exists. Your question goes directly to one of the great unknowns about BSE! The working theory for quite some time was that, in the United Kingdom, scrapie of sheep made a “jump” to cattle, becoming what we call BSE. The prions that cause both scrapie and BSE are quite different. Some no believe that BSE spontaneously occurred in cattle in the U.K., and was then spread by feeding improperly processing animal by-products back to cattle. If this is true, then it is possible that we could see an occasional “spontaneous” case in cattle. The important thing here is to keep it from spreading and becoming a major problem for the beef and dairy industries, as it did in the U.K. in the 1980s.

Why can’t they trace the calves from the 450 animals destroyed, and use these calves to do testing on the BSE problems?
Johnson County, Kansas
Hartwig: My understanding is that USDA feels that it is quicker and “cleaner” to destroy the calves. These calves came from all over the area, not just from the infected herd. Trace-back would not provide the assurance that destroying the herd does, would be expensive, and would be very time consuming.

Is it correct to say that BSE cannot be detected in DNA? Is there anyway to test a live animal at the producer’s site before going to slaughter or sale?
Lee County, Illinois
Hartwig: There is no DNA in the proteinaceous prioins that cause BSE and related diseases. It is true, however, that normal prions are produced under the “genetic direction” of DNA. It is important to remember that these are normal prions, not the disease producing ones that cause BSE and related diseases.
More rapid tests are being developed so that we can tests animals quickly. No live animal tests are available now, but were are optimistic that they will be in the relatively near future.

What, if any, is the relationship of organo phosphates, (used in spraying cattle) to abnormal prion development?
Winnebago County, Illinois
Hartwig: The brief answer is, none. This was theorized but has been pretty well discounted. BSE has occurred on an Island off the British coast where no organ-phosphates were used. Animal testing has pretty well established abnormal prions as the cause, not organo-phosphate toxicity.

Does destroying a BSE-infected carcass by burning eliminate the BSE prions?
Missouri
Hartwig: It will probably eliminate most of the prions that cause BSE, but those prions are pretty heat resistant, so we recommend complete incineration followed by burial in accordance with state regulations, if burning is to be used at all.

As an Extension specialist in an urban state with a highly educated population, many people are aware of Dr. Richard Marsh’s work regarding an outbreak of mink spongiform encephalopathy from feeding downer cows.
University of Maryland
Hartwig: This is a concern but needs verification. Mink ranchers have long avoided sheep offal for the same reason, presumably because of concerns about scrapie getting into their mink. All of this badly needs research. We have to keep in mind that Dr. Stanley Prusiner’s original work only was published in the 1980’s. It challenged almost everything we thought we knew about transmissible diseases—namely a disease agent that contains no DNA (or RNA, as in the case of some viruses). We need more research and verification. This is not a challenge to the findings of others, but in an applied situation such as the BSE cow in the state of Washington, we have to go with the best science that is available. It is possible that there are TSE diseases that we do no know about, but research scientists are certainly looking for them.

You keep referring to the prions as the cause of BSE and other TSEs. Has it actually been proven that prions cause the disease? Or are prions merely an indicator of the presence of the disease? Please refer to http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,107188,00.html
Penn State University
Hartwig: We certainly do not know the “alpha and omega” about the prion diseases. There are still unanswered questions, but the research that has been done certainly seems to verify the transmissible nature of prions without any accompanying genetic material. This has been a difficult issue for many to accept, but the preponderance of research seems to indicate that prions and only prions are the transmissible agents. With several of the TSE diseases, however, there does seem to be a genetic susceptibility factor.

From data presented, it seems that TSE diseases in animals always originate in DOMESTICATED animals, and not in the wild. This indicates a link between domestication and these diseases, why do these diseases not occur in the wild, but only in animals exposed to humans and domestication? Should the association between domestication and the diseases be followed as a possible cause of TSE diseases in animals?
Penn State University
Hartwig: Excellent question! The susceptibility of the host and the environment always play an integral role in any disease outbreak. Rather than being the “cause” of the TSE diseases, at least in a literal sense, it is probable that the close association of confinement, “artificial” diets, and our previous lack of knowledge about the transmissibility of these diseases via the diet is a major contributing factor. Chronic wasting disease of deer and elk would seem to verify this, although CWD is not transmitted in the wild with apparent ease.

At what stage of disease progression in the animal is it thought to be most transmissible to other species?
Penn State University
Hartwig: As the disease progresses, the “concentration” of abnormal prions in the central nervous system increases. Therefore, an animal with clinical disease would be the greatest risk for transmission via meat and bone meal.

If CWD has reached the wild deer herd, is this a health risk to human who consume this meat?
Penn State University
Hartwig: There is not evidence at this time that CWD can be transmitted to man. This conclusion is based on differences between the prions themselves and differences in the transmissibility to various laboratory animal species. The ability to transmit CWD to non-human primates, however, gives one cause for caution. Deer hunters should scrupulously get rid of the brain and spinal cord. Also, when field dressing an animal, the head and associated nerve tissue should not be left in the field for carnivores and raptors to carry about, perhaps exposing other deer and elk.

Can the disease be contracted through one exposure or does it take multiple exposures?
Decatur County, Illinois
Hartwig: The best answer, but not one we want, is that this is unknown in the “real world.” It probably takes multiple exposures in nature, but I cannot be absolutely sure of this. It also depends somewhat on the concentration of prions in the feed.

Could you address the idea that in the US we slaughter approximately 35 million head of cattle a year or 135,000 head on business day? What is the real risk in contracting the protein in the US?
Decatur County, Illinois
Hartwig: Based on the intensity of our sampling interval and the fact that we have never found an animal with clinical signs of BSE that has been common in the United Kingdom, our risk is probably extremely small. It is probably not zero, but so small that it is not a significant risk for beef consumers. Preventive measures, such as the quarantine and slaughter, surveillance, and the ban on feeding ruminant protein to ruminants provide a great measure of security for beef consumers.

How come we do NOT have a government vet in all packing plants during kill hours?
Atlantic, Iowa
Hartwig: We have a government veterinarian at all federally inspected slaughter plants. Some small, state inspected plants depend on trained food inspectors who identify and withhold slaughter from animals showing signs of disease until they can be examined by a veterinarian. These food inspectors also officially hold (retain) carcasses that are found to have evidence of disease when examined post mortem. Veterinarians cover these small plants on “patrol” assignments. Well over 92% of us livestock is slaughtered under federal inspection.

Why in UK did the people contract the disease from eating the beef? Was it a common practice for them to eat the brain or other risk materials?
Roseburg, Oregon
Hartwig: Eating the brain and high risk materials was more common in the U.K. than here. We must also remember that the rate of BSE reached a high level before scientists realized that it was a human health risk. The first case of BSE was diagnosed in 1986, the first case of vCJD in 1996.

Is it known how the prions are absorbed across the brush border of the small intestine and ultimately absorbed into the lymphatic system as you stated? If this mechanism is unknown, how can we be sure that the prion comes from consumption of tainted products?
Gainesville, Florida
Hartwig: I do not believe that the precise mechanisms of crossing the endothelium of the intestine are known, but the fact that this does happen has been demonstrated. It is a little counter-intuitive, given that proteins are normally broken into amino acids before absorption. Research on laboratory animals has demonstrated this, however.

Isn’t it most likely due to the incubation period for BSE that this animal was infected in Canada?
Deuel County, South Dakota
Hartwig: Yes. The long incubation period would indicate that this is the case.

How can the BSE prion be destroyed? I understand that it withstands incredible heat, freezing, etc.
Deuel County, South Dakota
Hartwig: Very strong acids or alkalis will destroy the prions. Degredation of the prions probably takes place in nature, such as in the soil, etc. There are some unknowns about this, but even the hardy prions don’t last forever.

Why would we send the most infectious parts of the cow (brain, spinal cord, lower pat of the small intestine) to be rendered when it could accidentally be included in cattle feed?
Deuel County, South Dakota
Hartwig: This is an area of controversy. We do worry about cross-contamination from poultry and swine feed to cattle feed, such as in delivery trucks, mixing equipment, and on farms were multiple species are fed. Feed mills are inspected for this by the FDA. Most mills that manufacture both cattle and swine/poultry feeds do this in separate facilities so that cross contamination cannot occur. I do have some concerns about delivery trucks and on-farm segregation of feedstuffs.

How will producers that euthuanize down cattle and need to comply with the time disposal deadlines imposed by their department of Natural resources, know if these “deads” are BSE infected cattle?
Dodge County, Wisconsin
Hartwig: In most cases, the cause of downer animals is known, although certainly not always. We urge producers to have such animals examined by a veterinarian. Brain tissue samples should then be submitted. USDA is working out incentives so that the level of this testing increases dramatically, given the ban on taking downer animals to harvest facilities.

The cow that was caught was found because it was injured. Are there uninjured cattle that are being processed that have BSE?
Athens, Georgia
Hartwig: Surveillance of 20,000 cattle in 2002 and 2003 only picked up the one animal. “Normal” or healthy older cows are part of the sample population, so they are included in the survey. All were negative. Survey results would tell us that there is very small, perhaps less than 1 in 1 million chances of BSE infected cattle going to slaughter.

USDA is testing calves from the indexed cow, due to remote possibility of transfer through placenta. If those calves test positive, does that mean that BSE can be transmitted through blood?
Story County, Iowa
Hartwig: It doesn’t necessarily mean it is transmitted thought blood. In the U.K. where they have lots of experience with this, the incidence of a calf born to a cow that shows up later with BSE is only increased by about 10%. This may be do to increased genetic susceptibility of the calf (closely related to dam), perhaps other factors. I think that the main reason is to reassure the public that the calf has been destroyed and will never enter the food supply—an extra precaution if you will. Also, they seemed to be unable to specifically identify the calf—it could have been one of several in the herd, so they euthanized them all.

If a cow in my herd tests positive for BSE and my herd is destroyed, is there a program that will reimburse me? If so, what agency handles it and what is the rate of pay?
Iowa resident
Hartwig: In all program of this type, reimbursement is done by USDA. APHIS gets the appraisal done. I assume that Farm Services Administration would actually handle the funds. The reimbursement rate is described as “fair market value.” There is no extra-reimbursement for future reproductive life, purebred stock, etc. So we definitely don’t want to let BSE get a real start in the U.S.

Have they found BSE in the beef breeds? All we ever see is dairy breeds.
High Moor, SD
Hartwig: About 75% of so of the cattle found to have BSE in the United Kingdome were dairy breeds, so we definitely get it in beef breeds. The Canadian cow diagnosed last May 20th was a beef animal. The prevalence is higher in dairy breeds, probably because historically they were more likely to be fed animal by-products that beef breeds. This is just a management factor and has nothing to do with susceptibility.

Are all downer cattle banned from the food supply? Or will they be held back for testing? And once they are cleared can they enter the food supply?
Ida County , IA
Hartwig: All downers are banned from the food supply. They are not held back. I doubt if we will be harvesting non-ambulatory animals (downers) for a very long time, if ever.

A cow is fine when loaded on the pod but by time she arrives at the packer or the kill floor she’s having problems (fighting with other animals, overcrowding, whatever). Would she be a downer? Whose responsibility is she – producer, trucker?
Indianola, IA
Hartwig: If she is down, from fractures, injuries, etc., she is called non-ambulatory and cannot be harvested. Insurance is available to producers to cover this.

How did the farmer know that the cow had BSE? Could you please tell me the symptoms the cow showed. I would also like to see a picture, if one is available.
Courtney D.
Hartwig: The farmer did not know the cow had BSE. She was sent to slaughter because she was non-ambulatory (downer), having suffered a difficult calving and resulting pelvic injury. (This is the second hand information that I have—from USDA). The cow showed no signs of BSE at all. She was sampled because of the on-going surveillance program for cows of this type. They just happened to pick it up. There are no pictures available. The motion picture that you may have seen on TV of a cow staggering and falling was old file footage from a cow in the United Kingdom taken several years ago. We have never seen this in the U.S. The TV stations do not make it clear that this is old file footage and not the cow that was diagnosed positive in the state of Washington.

Are definitive tests available for BSE or scrapie? What is the procedure for farmers who suspect an animal has either disease?
Hartwig: Farmers who see an animal that shows evidence of dementia, incoordination, belligerence, or other signs should contact a veterinarian. A careful examination should be done. We have an old adage in veterinary medicine about cows showing signs of central nervous system diseases: CALL IT RABIES UNTIL YOU ARE PROVEN WRONG. This is because of the serious health implication of that infectious disease, transmission of the virus by saliva, and the obvious risk to human health. That doesn’t mean that all cattle exhibiting CNS diseases have rabies—it just means make sure you rule it out. There is not room for mistakes. We DO HAVE RABIES IN THE UNITED STATES, AND DIAGNOSE IT WITH SOME FREQUENCY. Diagnosis is based on examination of brain tissue. We have only found one case of BSE in a U.S. cow—that was the case diagnosed on December 23rd. We should, of course, be alert. There are other fairly common central nervous system diseases including listeriosis, thromob-embolic meningo encephalitis, and polioencephalomalacia. The last two are found with some frequency in feedlot cattle. Polioencephalomalacia is caused by an entirely different organism than the one that causes disease in man. These diseases do not have public health implications. The definitive tests are performed by taking brain tissue from the animal at necropsy and submitting to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory at Ames, IA. Veterinarians do that.

What is the risk for BSE if there is any beef skeletal remains left in the pasture where beef cows are grazing? Do cows chew on bones in pastures?
Ida County, IA
Hartwig: We can find no evidence in the United Kingdom where this type of exposure has been incriminated as a cause of spread of BSE. Certainly, if we knew we had an infected animal, we would want to dispose of it by complete incineration—to ash. Cows may occasionally chew on the bones of dead animals, but usually just lick them, and only casually. They tend to avoid a dead animal, for obvious reasons, until decomposition is complete and only the skeleton remains. Because of this, we would certainly not want to leave dead animals in the open where licking/consuming the parts is possible. Preventing disease spread is the reason state law requires proper disposal (picked up by rendering company, incineration, or proper deep burial) within 24 hours.

Are definitive tests available for BSE or Scrapie? What is the procedure for farmers who suspect an animal has either disease?
Hartwig: The available and approve tests for BSE are Immuno-histo-chemistry (IHC) performed in a laboratory by trained pathologists, and histo-pathology, again requiring that slides are read by a trained pathologists. Both tests are used in the USDA surveillance program. There is no “quick” lab test that is approved for BSE diagnosis in the United States. Scrapie is diagnosed the same way, although another test using tonsil biopsy tissue is also available for scrapie diagnosis.

What is the possibility of pasture contamination leading to new cases of BSE?
Midland, South Dakota
Hartwig: There is no good research-based information that I can find on this. U.V. light will eventually denature the prions. There is an enormous dilution factor as well. Also, there is a minimum infective dose that would be required, and this would be very difficult to get from the environment. So, in my view, that risk from soil contamination is extremely low and gets lower as time goes by. I wish I had some research to cite, but there doesn't seem to be any.
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USDA/State Regulation, Animal Testing, and Investigation Questions
Answers from Dr. John Lawrence, Iowa State University Extension, and Dr. David Schmitt, Iowa Department of Agriculture

Do the Canadian case and the Washington case have a common denominator other than just Canada such as specific area, feed source, herd members?
Washington State
Lawrence: The USDA and Canadian government are exploring all leads and looking for a common link, but have not announced one yet.

Is there was any compensation to the farmers for the loss of the cattle that are being destroyed as part of the investigation by the USDA?
Scott County, Iowa
Lawrence: Yes. I am not aware of the details, but typically the farmer is paid “fair market value” for the animals. I spoke to a USDA economist that was working on the indemnity plan.

Are there any plans to change the wording in the law that states a producer could slaughter a 1400# Angus steer (if it would have a broken leg) at a local locker for a producer's personal use?
Manchester, Iowa
Hartwig: At the present time, there are no plans to change the rules on banning slaughter of non-ambulatory (downer) cattle. I am not sure I agree with this, but for now that is the rule.

Have the other Canadian cows imported from the same herd as the BSE index cow been tracked down? Have any of these cows entered the human food chain?
Washington State
Lawrence: Dr. Ron DeHaven of USDA gave the following report at a January 9 press conference: There were 112 animals that were sold in that dispersal herd, which we now think to be the birth herd of the positive cow. We know that 82 of them came or were listed on a health certificate for export to the United States. Of those 82, we believe that 81 of them actually entered the United States, and we have reason to think that the 82nd one actually stayed in Canada. But the 81 would have included of course the positive animal.

The remaining 30 animals went to various locations in Canada, and 17 of them potentially could have been exported to the United States. It's my understanding of the epidemiological information at this point that we have no hard evidence to suggest that any or all of those 17 animals in fact did come to the United States. But nor can we rule that out at this point. So those are part of the overall investigations that continue on both sides of the border, but no definitive information at this point to say that any or all of them in fact did come to the United States. If we do get such information, well, first of all, we will leave no stone uncovered in an attempt to find out where they did go. And if they came to the United States, then certainly we would aggressively pursue that as part of our investigation.

Is there a test for live cattle?
Lawrence: The Europeans and others have been researching such a test for 15 years or more and have not developed one.

Will stockyards be required to test or face regulations for handling older cows?
Alabama
Schmitt: Stockyards are not required to test for BSE.

What is the government's plan to do to assure the safety of the beef supply?
Poweshiek County, Iowa
Schmitt: Specifically, USDA has taken the following actions:

Downer Animals. Effectively immediately, USDA will ban all downer cattle from the human food chain. USDA will continue its BSE surveillance program.

Product Holding. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service inspectors will no longer mark cattle tested for BSE as “inspected and passed” until confirmation is received that the animals have, in fact, tested negative for BSE. This new policy will be in the form of an interpretive rule that will be published in the Federal Register.

To prevent the entry into commerce of meat and meat food products that are adulterated, FSIS inspection program personnel perform ante- and post-mortem inspection of cattle that are slaughtered in the United States. As part of the ante-mortem inspection, FSIS personnel look for signs of disease, including signs of central nervous system impairment. Animals showing signs of systemic disease, including those exhibiting signs of neurologic impairment, are condemned. Meat from all condemned animals has never been permitted for use as human food.

Specified Risk Material. Effective immediately upon publication in the Federal Register, USDA will enhance its regulations by declaring as specified risk materials skull, brain, trigeminal ganglia, eyes, vertebral column, spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia of cattle over 30 months of age and the small intestine of cattle of all ages, thus prohibiting their use in the human food supply. Tonsils from all cattle are already considered inedible and therefore do not enter the food supply. These enhancements are consistent with the actions taken by Canada after the discovery of BSE in May.

In an interim final rule, FSIS will require federally inspected establishments that slaughter cattle to develop, implement, and maintain procedures to remove, segregate, and dispose of these specified risk materials so that they cannot possibly enter the food chain. Plants must also make that information readily available for review by FSIS inspection personnel. FSIS has also developed procedures for verifying the approximate age of cattle that are slaughtered in official establishments. State inspected plants must have equivalent procedures in place.

Advanced Meat Recovery. AMR is an industrial technology that removes muscle tissue from the bone of beef carcasses under high pressure without incorporating bone material when operated properly. AMR product can be labeled as “meat.” FSIS has previously had regulations in place that prohibit spinal cord from being included in products labeled as “meat.” The regulation, effective upon publication in the Federal Register, expands that prohibition to include dorsal root ganglia, clusters of nerve cells connected to the spinal cord along the vertebrae column, in addition to spinal cord tissue. Like spinal cord, the dorsal root ganglia may also contain BSE infectivity if the animal is infected. In addition, because the vertebral column and skull in cattle 30 months and older will be considered inedible, it cannot be used for AMR.

In March 2003, FSIS began a routine regulatory sampling program for beef produced from AMR systems to ensure that spinal cord tissue is not present in this product. In a new interim final rule announced today, establishments have to ensure process control through verification testing to ensure that neither spinal cord nor dorsal root ganglia is present in the product.

Air-Injection Stunning. To ensure that portions of the brain are not dislocated into the tissues of the carcass as a consequence of humanely stunning cattle during the slaughter process, FSIS is issuing a regulation to ban the practice of air-injection stunning.

Mechanically Separated Meat. USDA will prohibit use of mechanically separated meat in human food.

I have a question regarding labeling. Do you think in the future they will label meat from animals that have been tested for BSE?
Blair, Pennsylvania
Schmitt: Only meat labeled “inspected and passed” may be used for human food.

Did Dr. Schmitt say that an animal ID system is being put in place by USDA? If I have a downer cow on my farm can I process it for my own use?
Black Hawk County, Iowa
Schmitt: Question 1: While many cattle in the United States can be identified through a variety of systems, USDA Secretary Veneman announced on December 30, 2003, that USDA will begin immediate implementation of a verifiable system of national animal identification. The development of such a system has been underway for more than a year and a half to achieve uniformity, consistency and efficiency across this national system.

“USDA has worked with partners at the federal and state levels and in industry for the past year and a half on the adoption of standards for a verifiable nationwide animal identification system to help enhance the speed and accuracy of our response to disease outbreaks across many different animal species,” Veneman said. “I have asked USDA’s Chief Information Officer to expedite the development of the technology architecture to implement this system."

Question 2: The new rule applies to cattle presented for processing by USDA/FSIS inspected facilities and custom slaughter facilities. There is nothing to prohibit a producer from slaughtering/processing his/her own beef for their own use on their own property – meat inspection authority, both federal and state has to do with meat/poultry that are slaughtered and processed in commerce, either, inspected, custom, or retail.

Regarding the slaughter house of indexed cow, what are they doing to verify that the slaughter facility is free of contamination?
Poweshiek County, Iowa
Schmitt: The facility is a USDA/FSIS inspected facility and they have cleaned and sanitized.

What will happen if they can’t find all 87 cows that came with the indexed cows from Canada? (What will USDA do?)
Roseau County, Minnesota
Schmitt: It was determined that 81 (including the BSE positive cow) animals moved from Canada into the herd in Washington. After looking at the whole population of 4,000 animals and reviewing birth records of animals on the farm. it has been possible to eliminate from the at-risk population of animals those that would have been born on this farm. It has also been able to eliminate from the at-risk population animals that may have entered the herd, but entered the herd at a time different from when it is known this positive cow entered the herd. So through this process of elimination, the at-risk population has been narrowed down to about 258 animals that could have been part of this shipment of 81 animals.

Of that 258 at-risk population, records would suggest that 110 of them have been pulled from the herd, and epidemiologists are doing further investigation to trace those animals out. One hundred and twenty-nine of those at-risk population on the farm are the ones that are being targeted for depopulation. There are 19 for which we have no record of them being culled from the herd, nor any other record to suggest that they are still on the farm. So investigators are focusing to identify those other 19 animals.

Were the Washington cattle producers who owned cattle that had to be destroyed compensated?
Iowa Producer
Schmitt: Compensation has been discussed, but I have not heard of the details.

What is being done by the state to stop the practice of culled dairy cows being sold back into dairy herds by cattle jockeys against the wishes of the producers who culled?
Waterloo, Iowa
Schmitt: The 2002 legislature enacted a law concerning the disposition of slaughter dairy cattle. This legislation amended Iowa Code of Law section 172.E, subsection 1, Code Supplement 2001 to read as follows:

If a livestock market accepts dairy cattle upon condition that the dairy cattle are to be moved directly to slaughter, the dairy cattle shall be segregated with other livestock to be moved directly to slaughter until sold to a packer. A person shall not knowingly sell the dairy cattle to a purchaser other than to a packer at the livestock market. A person other than a packer shall not knowingly purchase the dairy cattle atthe livestock market.

The language requires a “condition that the dairy cattle be moved directly to slaughter…” be fulfilled. This condition must be initiated by the producer making his intent known to the livestock market that his cull dairy cattle are to go directly to slaughter. The auction market is responsible for the segregation and selling to a packer for movement of these animals directly to slaughter. In addition, the auction market will be responsible for documenting animals presented for sale, or required to be sold, to “slaughter only”.

What criteria should small lockers and processors use to evaluate cattle that they suspect may have BSE?
Plymouth County, Iowa
Schmitt: Non-ambulatory disabled cattle offered for inspection at our Iowa custom processing facilities are to be given a final disposition by our Iowa veterinarian supervisors and condemned in the pens, denatured as required of all condemned livestock, and disposed of without entering any edible department in the plant. All parts of 9CFR 309 apply. All parts of 9CFR 314 apply to the disposition of condemned products at official establishments with no tanking facilities. Non-ambulatory disabled cattle sent for CUSTOM slaughter and processing are NOT to enter the plant whether the plant is custom or official.

If cattle become non-ambulatory disabled AT THE PLANT, all humane handling requirements as outlined in USDA/FSIS Directive 6900.2 apply.

In the event that our veterinarian supervisor finals a beef that is suspected of having BSE, the veterinarian supervisor will obtain a brain stem sample and send it to NVSL in Ames for BSE analysis. NVSL is prepared to use a screening test that will give negative results within 36-48 hours, while a presumptive positive analysis on the screening test will require days, perhaps weeks. The tested animal must be retained until the test results are known. If a company chooses to immediately discard such an animal, before the BSE test results are known, inspection staff will have to consult with the Des Moines office for appropriate disposition as it will be unacceptable to send a possible BSE to rendering.

Of those 9 animals that were identified as herd mates of the indexed cow, have those animals been tested for BSE, and if not, will they be?
Iowa County, Iowa
Schmitt: From the herd in Washington where BSE was found, 129, plus or minus, will be euthanized and tested. They will be euthanized in accordance with the American Veterinary Medical Association guidelines on humane euthanasia. Samples from those animals will be collected and sent to National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, for testing. The carcasses then will be held pending negative tests. Those that are negative would then go to a landfill, and then other appropriate measures will be taken in terms of disposition of the carcasses of any animals that may test positive.

What is the definition of non-ambulatory? There seems to be confusion among cattle buyers.
Centerville, Iowa
Schmitt: USDA/FSIS – “ALL non-ambulatory disabled cattle are NOT eligible for human food.” Non-ambulatory disable cattle (regardless of age) are defined in USDA/FSIS Directive 6900.1 revision 1 as, “Livestock that cannot rise from a recumbent position (downer) or that cannot walk, including, but not limited to, those with broken appendages, severed tendons or ligaments, nerve paralysis, fractured vertebral column or metabolic conditions”.

USDA/FSIS is making this decision based on the “Adulteration” definition in the federal meat inspection act which says in part, “If it consists in whole or in part of any filthy, putrid, or decomposed substance or is for any other reason unsound, unhealthful, unwholesome, or otherwise unfit for human food.” That is why no rule making or law change is needed to support their position.

It is important to note the exact language in the definition – “that cannot rise from a recumbent position (downer) or that cannot walk”. This is to be taken literally and means that a beef with a broken leg that can rise and walk is okay to be offered for inspection or custom slaughter while a beef with a broken leg that cannot rise and walk is NOT eligible for slaughter or to enter human food channels.

The prohibition of non-ambulatory disabled cattle from being eligible for human food applies to CUSTOM cattle as well as cattle offered for inspection, as the adulteration definition in the federal act applies to both custom and official/inspected cattle.

If the cow diagnosed with BSE had not been a downer, would it have otherwise been diagnosed with BSE? If not, how likely is it that BSE-infected cows have been slaughtered for food consumption?
Clark, Georgia
Schmitt: Random sampling is currently done. By statistics, current testing levels provide for finding one positive BSE animal in one million animals processed at a 95 percent level of confidence.

Why aren't we increasing to address the issue of prohibited materials crossing into the US?
Spencer, West Virginia
Schmitt: Based on determinations by USDA announced August 8, 2003, USDA no longer prohibits the importation of hunter-harvested wild ruminant products intended for personal use and it began to accept applications for import permits for certain products from Canada, including:
Boneless sheep or goat meat from animals under 12 months of age; Boneless bovine meat from cattle under 30 months of age; Boneless Veal (meat) from calves that were 36 weeks of age or younger at slaughter; Fresh or frozen bovine liver; Vaccines for veterinary medicine for non-ruminant use; and Pet products and feed ingredients that contain processed animal protein and tallow of non-ruminant sources when produced in facilities with dedicated manufacturing lines. These are the only products permitted entry into the US from Canada.

How does producer with a downer cow determine whether it is from an injury or from BSE?
Miller, Missouri
Schmitt: Examination of the downer cow by a veterinarian may determine if the cow is injured or has a metabolic condition. The only way to determine if the cow has BSE is to obtain a brain stem sample after the cow has died and send it to National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames for BSE analysis.

If a farmer takes in a non-ambulatory cow to their local locker and they know why it is non-ambulatory – breaks leg, back, etc. Can they utilize meat for home use?
Ottumwa, Iowa
Schmitt: No. USDA/FSIS – “ALL non-ambulatory disabled cattle are NOT eligible for human food.” Non-ambulatory disable cattle (regardless of age) are defined in USDA/FSIS Directive 6900.1 revision 1 as, “Livestock that cannot rise from a recumbent position (downer) or that cannot walk, including, but not limited to, those with broken appendages, severed tendons or ligaments, nerve paralysis, fractured vertebral column or metabolic conditions”.

USDA/FSIS is making this decision based on the “Adulteration” definition in the federal meat inspection act which says in part, “If it consists in whole or in part of any filthy, putrid, or decomposed substance or is for any other reason unsound, unhealthful, unwholesome, or otherwise unfit for human food.” That is why no rule making or law change is needed to support their position.

It is important to note the exact language in the definition – “that cannot rise from a recumbent position (downer) or that cannot walk”. This is to be taken literally and means that a beef with a broken leg that can rise and walk is okay to be offered for inspection or custom slaughter, while a beef with a broken leg that cannot rise and walk is NOT eligible for slaughter or to enter human food channels.

The prohibition of non-ambulatory disabled cattle from being eligible for human food applies to CUSTOM cattle as well as cattle offered for inspection, as the adulteration definition in the federal act applies to both custom and official/inspected cattle.

Non-ambulatory disabled cattle offered for inspection are to be given a final disposition by our veterinarian supervisors and condemned in the pens, denatured as required of all condemned livestock, and disposed of without entering any edible department in the plant. All parts of 9CFR 309 apply. All parts of 9CFR 314 apply to the disposition of condemned products at official establishments with no tanking facilities. Non-ambulatory disabled cattle sent for CUSTOM slaughter and processing are NOT to enter the plant whether the plant is custom or official.

If cattle become non-ambulatory disabled AT THE PLANT, all humane handling requirements as outlined in USDA/FSIS Directive 6900.2 apply.

How long will the quarantine with the herd in Washington be in effect? How many cattle are being quarantined? Will there be any compensation to the owner?
Monona County, Iowa
Schmitt:
· The information given indicates the Order of Quarantine was issued by the state of Washington. It will be the determination of the state of Washington, under their authority, to release the quarantine.
· The number of animals in the index herd was reported to be approximately 4,000.
· I have heard that USDA is discussing the matter of owner compensation.

Will a cow that dies in the pasture or on the farm need to be tested (brain tissue) by a veterinarian before it is allowed on a rendering truck or buried?
Lee County, Iowa
Schmitt: No

Has Canada banned meat and bone meal being fed back? When?
Storm Lake, Iowa
Schmitt: Yes. The ruminant meat and bone meal ban was instituted in Canada in 1997. This is the same year the United States instituted this ban.

How many cows are being tested in Canada? In the US it’s 1 in a million head.
Storm Lake, Iowa
Schmitt: I do not have an answer for the number of cows being tested in Canada.

What will happen to downer cattle that cannot be killed at plant or locker plant? Who will test cattle? Owner or slaughter plant – USDA Vet?
Polk County, Iowa
Schmitt: In the event that our Iowa veterinarian supervisor finds a beef at a custom slaughter facility that is suspected of having BSE, the veterinarian supervisor will obtain a brain stem sample and send it to NVSL in Ames for BSE analysis. NVSL is prepared to use a screening test that will give negative results within 36-48 hours, while a presumptive positive analysis on the screening test will require days, perhaps weeks. The tested animal must be retained until the test results are known. If a company chooses to immediately discard such an animal, before the BSE test results are known, inspection staff will have to consult with the Des Moines office for appropriate disposition as it will be unacceptable to send a possible BSE to rendering.

Could we have some follow up on the requirements for injured (broken leg, etc.) cattle? If they are processed at a locker and go back for home use, I know it is human food but it does not go into the chain.
Garner, Iowa
Schmitt: The prohibition of non-ambulatory disabled cattle from being eligible for human food applies to CUSTOM cattle as well as cattle offered for inspection, as the adulteration definition in the federal act applies to both custom and official/inspected cattle.

What will happen to cattle that are injured or go down in transit? Will they be tested and held even if they are less than 30 months? How will packers handle this? Realize that answers to this may not be available immediately.
Garner, Iowa
Schmitt: Non-ambulatory disabled cattle offered for inspection are to be given a final disposition by veterinarian supervisors and condemned in the pens, denatured as required of all condemned livestock, and disposed of without entering any edible department in the plant. All parts of 9CFR 309 apply. All parts of 9CFR 314 apply to the disposition of condemned products at official establishments with no tanking facilities. Non-ambulatory disabled cattle sent for CUSTOM slaughter and processing are NOT to enter the plant whether the plant is custom or official.

Concerning the rule prohibiting slaughter of downer cattle: It appears the rule makes no distinction about the reason for an animal being unable to walk on its own power. Is any consideration given to a farmer who sees an animal break a leg and wants to have it butchered for home use?
Manchester, Iowa
Schmitt: No.

Is there any discussion on identifying all cattle previously imported into the United States?
Corson County, South Dakota
Schmitt: Yes. However, in the last five years several million cattle have been imported into the United States from Canada. Many of those cattle were feeder cattle that were processed before 20 months of age. It is important to note that both cattle that have been positive for BSE originating in Canada were born prior to the ruminant feed ban in 1997 and therefore the risk is considered to be extremely low.

Does the ban on mechanical separation pertain to all cattle processed from here on out, or only those that may have been alive and fed banned feeds prior to 1997? Am I correct in assuming this is to prevent the inclusion of the dorsal root ganglion I processed meats?
Univ. Nebraska – Lincoln, NE
Schmitt: This applies to all cattle and ALL Specific Risk Material (SRM) is not to be used for human food.
Specific Risk Material (SRM) – cattle over 30 months of age – includes the skull, brain, trigeminal ganglia, eyes, vertebral column, spinal cord, and dorsal root ganglia. All these are NOT to be used for human food. ALL cattle – the small intestine is not to be used for human food with a reminder that tonsils from all cattle are already prohibited for use as human food.
Advanced Meat Recovery (AMR) – This product is NO longer defined with Mechanically Separated Beef and never included spinal cords and no longer includes dorsal root ganglia. The AMR process may no longer include vertebral column and skull of cattle 30 months or older

If you have a cow that becomes a downer during shipping, what is the disposition of the carcass at that point? Does the receiving shipping inspector at the slaughter facility have the authority to distinguish between medical or physical occurrences that resulted in a downer cow to make the decision to go ahead and process it or is the new regulation a “blanket” regulation that will not allow ANY downer cow to enter the food supply regardless of cause?
Univ. Nebraska – Lincoln, NE
Schmitt: USDA/FSIS – “ALL non-ambulatory disabled cattle are NOT eligible for human food.” Non-ambulatory disable cattle (regardless of age) are defined in USDA/FSIS Directive 6900.1 revision 1 as, “Livestock that cannot rise from a recumbent position (downer) or that cannot walk, including, but not limited to, those with broken appendages, severed tendons or ligaments, nerve paralysis, fractured vertebral column or metabolic conditions”. This is a blanket statement.

Were the brains, spinal cord and intestines rendered from the index cow in Washington? If so, was the rendering recalled?
Thompson, Iowa
Schmitt: Yes, the brain, spinal cord and intestines were rendered. We have been informed that FDA has located all of the rendered material from this cow and it is currently being held and will be disposed.

Home use and commercial commerce of slaughtered animals is two different worlds. Are you trying to tell me that I cannot eat an animal I know to be disease-free simply because it has a broken leg?
Kitsap County, Washington State
Schmitt: The new rule applies to cattle presented for processing by USDA/FSIS inspected facilities and custom slaughter facilities. There is nothing to prohibit a producer from slaughtering/processing his/her own beef for their own use on their own property – meat inspection authority, both federal and state has to do with meat/poultry that are slaughtered and processed in commerce, either, inspected, custom, or retail.

As I understand, Japan currently tests each individual animal for slaughter for BSE. Has there been any consideration to do the same in the U.S? I have read the technology is available to test each animal for slaughter with a cost of less than two cents per pound of carcass weight. Is this true?
Lawrence: I am not aware of the cost of testing and I don't believe that the "quick tests" are approved at this point. In addition to the cost of the test are there added cost like lab space, holding carcasses or heads (although the word is that the quick test is 36 hours and carcasses are typically chilled 48 hours so that shouldn't be an issue), added staff. Are there false positives from the quick test? If so how do you verify it (destroy the carcass in case the quick test is correct, hold enough brain tissue for a full test)? At 2 cents a retail pound (I have also heard 3-5 cents) that is about $12 per head on a 1200 pound steer. The long run profit to feed cattle is about $10-15 per head.

Since the disease doesn't express itself until the animal is 36 months old (there have been a few found younger and Japan found 2 at 21-24 months, athough they may have been false positives) and since approximately 80 percent of our cattle are slaughtered before they are 24 months old what will testing all cattle show us? Should we test all cattle over 30 months of age or at least a larger sample of them?

Why was there not a ban on non-ambulatory going into the food stream once BSE was discovered in Canada?
Hardin County, Iowa
Lawrence: The US was considered a BSE free country before the December 23 announcement and since the cow was confirmed to come from Canada may be able regain that status. The Senate did pass legislation in 2003 that would have excluded nonambulatory cows from the human food supply. It was narrowly defeated in the house. USDA announcement December 30 will exclude them.

Can dairy cattle be exported and imported? Since beef cattle cannot be exported and imported? Are beef cattle the only quarantined meat for export and import?
Tama County Iowa
Lawrence: Both beef and dairy cattle can be imported from Canada without quarantine. There are health restrictions on cattle exported to Canada because the US has had diseases that Canada has eradicated or doesn’t have. It does occur. Seven northwest US states export feeder cattle to Canada during the fall and winter and in some years we export more feeder cattle to Canada than we import from them.

Give non-ambulatory animals that are safe to hungry/needy countries – tax write off for producers?
Idaho
Lawrence: USDA new rules will not allow non-ambulatory cattle to go to human consumption anywhere in the world.
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Feed Questions
Answers from Dr. Dan Loy and Dr. Nolan Hartwig, Iowa State University Extension

Does blood (in milk replacer) contain infected prions?
Oregon
Loy: Blood is one of the exempted protein products because the prions in infected animals are presumed to be concentrated in central nervous system tissues.

Please explain whey there is no danger in feeding porcine meat products to cattle.
Stillwater County, Montana
Loy: There is no known TSE that infects swine. Therefore pork does not pose a risk of transmission.

Is there a risk from poultry feed and protein sources in that feed, and then feeding poultry litter with that original feed source to beef cattle?
Tioga County, Pennsylvania
Loy: If the poultry were fed infected ruminant proteins, a risk of transmission to cattle by feeding the poultry litter could not be ruled out.

Do you anticipate any changes in the use of animal products to make animal feed?
Greene County, Iowa
Loy: (see answer to next question below)

What about feeding non-ruminant meat and bone meal (specifically hogs) to cattle? Should it be banned?
Stillwater County, Montana
Loy: Present scientific knowledge suggests that feeding porcine meat and bone meal is quite safe. Any ban would be to prevent accidentally feed mix-ups.

I have received questions dealing with pet food issue. Are CNS products used in pet food production?
Clemson University, South Carolina
Loy: Yes, I believe meat and bone meal and perhaps other protein products are used in pet foods.

Why are producers allowed to feed animal protein to poultry, hogs, and catfish?
Madison County, Iowa
Loy: (see answer to next question below)

Why was animal protein introduced into the feed supply of herbivores?
Bernalillo County, New Mexico
Loy: Feeding meat and bone meal to animals including ruminants is a practice as old as the rendering industry. The idea was (is) to convert environmental waste to useful nutrients.

Is the feeding of tallow, either via milk replacer or as fat added to feed ration in feedlot, allowed? If so, should it be discontinued?
Midland, South Dakota
Loy: As with blood, fat is believed to be quite safe since the prion concentrates in CNS tissue in infected animals.

What level of concern, if any, is there where meat and bone meal fed to poultry, where the poultry litter is fed back to cattle?
Loy: Currently it would be advisable to feed only poultry litter to cattle from operations that do not feed ruminant meat and bone meal.

What safeguards are being implemented to prohibit the use of meat (especially non-muscle meat) from downer cows in pet food?
Colorado
Hartwig:
Most, if not all, pet food companies will avoid purchasing SRMs for use in their products. Muscle meat from downer cattle will not go into pet food since they will not be harvested at all at abattoirs. Cat food should be regarded as safe, given that the precautions to keep BSE out of the human food chain are also being followed for pet foods, at least from abattoirs. Rendering companies have been made aware of this risk a long time ago, as have pet food manufacturers. I think the risk is very small. Controls, however, are probably not as tight for what goes into pet foods as they are for human food.

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Market Questions
Answers from Dr. John Lawrence, Iowa State University Extension

Will there be two different types of BEEF traded on CME? Beef steers, and Heifers, then a cow market? This would reflect a true sorted beef market and would not pull all beef as being equal.
Dubuque County, Iowa
Lawrence: Currently only grain fed steers that grade 65% Choice are traded on the CME. Heifers nor cows can not be delivered against the CME contract, but heifer prices are close enough to steer prices to may hedging possible. The price relationship with cow prices is unpredictable enough to make hedging cows difficult at best.

What should a producer be looking at for risk management? Futures, Options, etc.
Cass County, Iowa
Lawrence: I have concerns about market prices. Fed prices increased during the first full week of January, but volume was only 567,000 head. This is 15% less than the same week a year ago, and 9% less than the average for the 4th quarter of 2003. It appears that slaughter was reduced to the level we could eat domestically. If slaughter remains at these levels cattle in feedlots will get heavier adding to total supplies and causing problems later in the summer. Check www.iowabeefcenter.org for additional market updates and analysis.

Given this scenario I encourage producers to try to get some level of risk protection. It currently appears that feeder cattle are over priced given the uncertainty in the market and may weaken in the days or weeks ahead. I would hedge newly purchased cattle because this event may have a long tail before markets fully recover. Futures are trading and are working slowly higher. Most of the cattle in the lot have higher breakevens and producers should shift to survivor mode and out of profit mode. I would watch for opportunities to sell on the rallies. With the volatility in the market it is possible to have limit up and limit down moves in the same day so you must be involved in the marketing decision. Because of the volatility options will be high price compared to normal conditions. The USDA approved cattle price insurance product was pulled off the market within hours of the announcement of finding the cow in Washington state and has not returned yet. Check www.iowabeefcenter.org “economics” section for tools to help evaluate your marketing alternatives.

How do you watch/track domestic Beef Consumption?
Polk County, Iowa
Lawrence: Consumption is estimated base on production of beef. We have good estimates of how much beef is in inventory (cold storage), what is exported or imported, and what is processed each day or week in US plants. Consumption is assumed to be anything that was produced adjusted for changes in inventory and trade. We will get estimates of calculated consumption in the months and quarters ahead. Our more immediate indication of consumption is whether retailers are reordering beef at the same or different pace than they were before.

If BSE does continue to be a problem, how long do you think it will be till it hits the Midwest states like, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, or North and South Dakota?
Minnesota
Lawrence: The occurrence of BSE will depend on the movement of infected cattle and/or infected feed. If other cattle are positive and they were sold to the Midwest one could be here now. However, the investigation to find the cows from the same herd as the positive cow and to find the possible source of contamination.

Some believe that due to the age and condition of the cow, she never should have been processed. Do you think the strong beef market contributed to this?
Greene County, Iowa
Lawrence: Traditionally, the US and other countries have utilized the meat from all cattle that were inspected as wholesome. This has been the same with supplies are large with low prices and when supplies are tight and higher prices. USDA implemented rules December 30 that will prevent nonambulatory cows from entering the food chain in the future.

Why can’t the media find a better shot of a downer cow?
Clinton County, Iowa
Lawrence: I believe that the industry is working to provide the media with better pictures.

Where do I find market price information for current markets and for prices before December 23?
Iowa
Lawrence: You probably found this site it is cattle auction prices for slaughter cattle including cows: http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsmnpubs/. Across the top is a brown bar where there is a "search" button. I suggest finding a report you want to see. The last one will be posted. In the upper left corner will be the number of the report. If you use that number in your search it will bring up past reports by date for the same market.
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Animal ID / COOL Questions
Answers from Dr. John Lawrence, Iowa State University Extension

There were several questions regarding the national animal identification program that USDA said it wanted to accelerate. I will try to address the questions below, but here are two pieces of background information on animal identification:

· The US Animal Identification Plan is outlined at www.usaip.info . This plan was developed by a coalition of over 60 groups representing animal agriculture and USDA. In some respects the planning process started several years ago and with greater urgency in 2002. It was presented October 14 to the US Animal Health Association and provided USDA with direction for the implementation of a national animal identification program.
· An excellent source of information about electronic identification for cattle is a web site by Kansas State University www.beefstockerusa.org . This site has a summary of a recent survey of companies offering EID for cattle. It also has a spreadsheet tool to help producers estimate the cost of incorporating EID into their management system.

Should a producer start a EID system for his herd or wait for a national system?
Hardin County, Iowa
Lawrence: I encourage producers to begin doing their homework to learn about EID and the USAIP (see references above). I also suggest that producers begin experimenting with EID in their herd if they plan to also use the EID as part of their management system. If you do not plan to use the EID for your own records there is probably little use in starting without knowing what USDA will require. Several private companies have tags, hardware and software for EID (see reference to www.beefstockerusa.org). Efforts are being made such that existing EID systems will be compatible with the national system, but it is a good idea to discuss it with the supplier.

There have been and will continue to be efforts to get government assistance to help pay for the cost of implementing a national ID systems, but I am not aware of any specific proposals. The of the system costs include farm level costs (tags and readers and software if you plan to use it), animal movement costs to auction, some feedlots, and packers (readers and soft), and the software and data base development to make the system functional.

How are they going to guarantee that the identity of an animal stays with that animal through the entire slaughter and process?
Missouri
Lawrence: I have not been able to confirm where identification back to the producer stops in the USAIP, but it needs to be identified before the program begins. I the Canadian Cattle identification system the producer’s identification ends at the inspection station where the animal has been inspected and approved as wholesome. If that is the case in the US there is no need to carry the producer’s ID through slaughter and processing.

If a national ID program is implemented, what is your estimate on cost to producers for such a program?
Utah
What will be the cost of the national ID system-to the producer, overall?
Black Hawk County, Iowa
What will it cost the producer per calf and will it be tag, tattoo, metal tag, injectible or what media will probably be used?
Western Nebraska
Lawrence: I refer you the Kansas State University web site above for more details, but it really depends on what you do with the system and how the cost to the entire chain are shared. The current proposal calls for using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags for cattle. The tags are about the size of three quarters stacked together and have a unique number imbedded in an antenna in the tag. It is read by a hand-held or stationary reader that transmits a signal to read the tag. If you only have the tag because it is required and do not use in your management system for records then your only cost is the cost of the tag and entering it is the system. The cost of tags is coming down, but is in the $2-3 per tag range. The software to utilize the information is an additional charge and can range from less than $1 to $2 per tag. There will be approved tagging sites (auction markets, collection yards, etc) that can put the tags in so a producer would need to have a reader, computer, or even a tagger if they choose not to. The approved site will charge for the service and to cover their cost of owning a computer, reader, and software.

How difficult will it be to put in place? When will it take place?
Black Hawk County, Iowa
Animal ID plan are you interested in accelerating more than the proposed plan?
Hillsboro, Texas
Do you think a national ID system will be developed soon?
Black Hawk County, Iowa
Lawrence: I will refer you to the www.usaip.info site discussed above. It has a proposed implementation plan that was aggressive, if not impractical. Perhaps the greater attention will put needed resources to speed the process. The proposed timeline called for:
–July, 2004: all states have a premises identification system in place;
–February, 2005: unique, individual or group/lot numbers be available for issuance;
–July, 2005: all cattle, swine, and small ruminants possess individual or group/lot identification for interstate movement;

How with this effect seed stock will we have to chip ID all animals for national tracking?
Lawrence: The plan calls for identification of all cattle with individual EID. Since breed associations already have a numbering system USDA is working with the associations to make the transition smooth.

My questions concern the issue of cattle identification. At the slaughter plant when the head is removed, what then? The carcass itself should be able to be traced. Has there been consideration of using DNA analysis? If a DNA process is available at a reasonable cost to the producer, shouldn't the producer receive a premium for their efforts to provide the safest beef available to the consumer?
South Dakota
Lawrence:
See my earlier response about how far into the processing plant than animal may be traced. Some Australian beef supply chains do have a DNA system to trace animals beyond processing on an as needed basis. As part of their Guaranteed-Tender program a blood sample is taken with the animal ID is read and the sample is stored. No DNA testing is done unless an unsatisfied customer brings back a piece of meat. A DNA sample is take from the customer’s meat and using records the product is traced back to the plant and time of kill. DNA testing is done on the cattle near that time of kill to identify the individual animal. Since BSE is detected by testing the brain, holding the product on animals until test is completed seems like a more practical solution.

COOL Questions
Is this whole situation going to have any affect on the country of origin implementation?
Cass County, Iowa
Do you think this BSE problem will speed up the implementation of the country of origin labeling program?
Utah
How will the current BSE situation effect upcoming decisions on COOL?
Lawrence: On November 22 a deal was announced in conference committee that would have delayed implementation of COOL two years, until September 30, 2006. The House of Representatives passed a spending bill that included that agreement in December but the Senate did not vote on the bill until after the Christmas break. The Senate is more favorable toward COOL and Senators than that strongly support it have said that they will bring COOL out for additional discussion given the discovery of a cow that tested positive in the US. It is unclear at this point whether the Senate support for COOL or the USDA and NCBA support for national identification will be adopted first or if they are somehow linked together.
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Composting Questions
Answers from Dr. Tom Glanville, Iowa State University Extension

If a BSE – infected animal is composted, could BSE be transmitted through the soil into a plant that is consumed by other cattle?
Denison, Iowa
Glanville: At this time relatively little is known about the biodegradability of BSE prions. Consequently, composting is not an approved method for disposing of carcasses from cattle known to have BSE. Plant biology is not my area of expertise, but I did pose this question to a cell biologist and to biochemist on the faculty at Iowa State University. Both indicated that the risk of transmitting BSE through plants is believed to be very low since plants typically do not take up fully formed proteins.

Would composting cattle pose more of a threat in terms of predatory animals carrying bacteria and disease elsewhere?
Compton, Rhode Island
Glanville: Not necessarily. Properly operated composting operations quickly produce internal temperatures that are sufficiently high to kill many common pathogens. Furthermore, a properly constructed composting operation that uses sufficient cover material prevents easy access by predators, and also suppresses odors that might attract them.

Composting has been widely used for mortality disposal in the US broiler and turkey production industries for the past decade, and many in the swine industry are now using it as well. Poultry and livestock producers are very cautions about potential biosecurity hazards that might threaten the health of their herds or flocks. If significant evidence of a link between composting and predator- or rodent-borne disease were to emerge, this information would quickly become public knowledge and the poultry and livestock industries would abandoned composting in favor of other disposal methods.

How long after composting an infected TSE carcass is it safe to spread the remains on a field that will later be grazed?
Penn State University
Glanville: As noted during the presentation, relatively little is known about the biodegradability of TSE prions, so composting is not an approved method for disposing of TSE-infected carcasses.

How are we going to control rodents in a composting pile and the problems that rodents create?
Sibley, Iowa
Glanville: As noted in response to an earlier question, composting has been widely used for disposal of poultry and swine mortalities throughout the U.S., and reports of serious rodent problems are rare. I would add that one of our early cattle composting research test units did become infested with rats, but that this problem appears to have resulted from installation of plywood leachate collection trays (for research purposes) which created hollow spaces beneath the pile. The plywood leachate collectors have been replaced with PVC troughs that do not create open cavities in or beneath the test piles, and evidence of rodent activity has decreased greatly.

If composting diseased cows, particularly BSE infected cattle, is not allowed then why did you discuss that option? What about other diseases such as hoof and mouth, are they killed in the composting process? And if BSE is not taken up by plants then why can't these animals be composted and spread on fields? Has any research been done on infected soil and cattle grazing on infected soil?
Kitsap County, Washington State
Glanville: New USDA rules implemented in late December of 2003 ban all non-ambulatory cattle from the food chain regardless of cause. This new rule may increase the number of animals that must be disposed of on-farm due to lameness, accidental injury, and a variety of non-BSE-related illnesses. If this occurs, composting may be of interest to those producers who are seeking alternatives to rendering or on-farm burial.

Research and field experience have shown that a variety of human pathogens can be reliably killed by composting. Based on this, the US Envir