Originally published June 19 2005
USDA claims bovine in latest mad cow case was born before feed ban
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The USDA says the bovine involved in the latest as-yet-unconfirmed case of mad cow disease was born before the 1997 feed ban designed to prevent infected cows from being used to feed healthy cows, reports Health Central.
The animal that is suspected of being the second-ever U.S. bovine to harbor "mad cow" disease was born before implementation of 1997 rules designed to prevent parts of infected cows from being used in livestock feed, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday.
The latest possible case of "mad cow" isn't confirmed, despite two positive results in preliminary "rapid screening" tests.
Tissue samples from the bovine have been sent to a veterinary lab in England; more thorough results should be available sometime next week, the agency said.
Scientists say the most common way for animals to contract mad cow, clinically known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is to eat the infected parts of other animals, the Bloomberg news service reported.
If the latest case is confirmed as "mad cow," the fact that the animal was born before the 1997 rules took effect demonstrates that the feed restrictions have been working as designed, experts told the wire service.
Only one case of BSE has ever been confirmed in the United States, involving a Holstein found in Washington state in 2003.
That animal was later traced to Canada, which has had three other cases, Bloomberg reported.
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