NEWS RELEASE
Texas Animal Health Commission
Box l2966 " Austin, Texas 78711 " (800) 550-8242 " FAX (512) 719-0719
Bob Hillman, DVM " Executive Director
For info, contact Carla Everett, information officer, at 1-800-550-8242,
ext. 710, or ceverett@tahc.state.tx.us
For Immediate Release -- September 3, 2004
Working Your Herd This Fall?
Consider Important Cattle Health Issues!
Whether youre sorting calves for sale, moving the herd to fresh
pasture, or deciding which cows to keep, working cattle in cooler
weather makes sense. Its also a good time to address important herd
health issues that can affect Texas ability to trade and move cattle
freely.
snip...
Finally, Dr. Hillman urged producers to call the TAHC to report downer
cattle, so brain tissue samples may be collected and tested for BSE, or
bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Downer, or non-ambulatory cattle are
no longer accepted at livestock markets or slaughter plants, as they are
considered at high-risk for the brain-wasting disease, he pointed
out. Call us, and we can assist with tissue collection from the animal.
The USDA in June launched an intensive national BSE testing program,
aiming to collect and test samples from more than 200,000 head of cattle
by late December 2005, to determine if BSE is present in the U.S., and
if so, at what level. As of early September, all of the 48,000 samples
tested so far were negative. Of those, more than 2,600 have been from
Texas-origin cattle.
It can be frightening to look for disease, admitted Dr. Hillman. But
if we dont, disease can gain a foothold in Texas, and eradication will
be extremely costly, and the industrys market share and reputation
could be damaged. If you see something unusual, call your veterinarian,
or call the TAHC. Dont wait till its too late.
--30--
seems the downers are just being buried (SSS) and the staggering
and stumbling CNS cattle they cannot bury, they simply refuse to
TSE/BSE test and send straight to render. as i have said before,
one of my son's father-in-law has worked on the killing floor
slaughtering downers all his life and they have ceased to come in
and he tells me they are burying them. lots of them...TSS
May 13, 2004
Failure To Test Staggering Cow May Reflect Wider Problems
Rep. Waxman raises concerns that the recent failure of USDA to test an
impaired cow for BSE may not be an isolated incident, citing the failure
of USDA to monitor whether cows condemned for central nervous system
symptoms are actually tested for mad cow disease.
- Letter to USDA
http://www.house.gov/reform/min/pdfs_108_2/pdfs_inves/pdf_food_usda_mad_cow_may_13_let.pdf
http://www.house.gov/reform/min/pdfs_108_2/pdfs_inves/pdf_food_usda_mad_cow_may_13_let.pdf
===============================================
THAT ONE TEXAS MAD COW IS ONLY TIP OF ICE BURG;
No mad cow results for nearly 500 cows
By Steve Mitchell
United Press International
Published 8/11/2004 11:23 AM
WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture failed
to test for mad cow disease or collect the correct portion of the brain
on nearly 500 suspect cows over the past two years -- including some in
categories considered most likely to be infected -- according to agency
records obtained by United Press International.
The testing problems mean it may never be known with certainty whether
these animals were infected with the deadly disease. Department
officials said these animals were not included in the agency's final
tally of mad cow tests, but the records, obtained by UPI under the
Freedom of Information Act, indicate at least some of them were counted...
snip...
--
Steve Mitchell is UPI's Medical Correspondent. E-mail sciencemail@upi.com
Copyright © 2001-2004 United Press International
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20040810-042935-2066r
MULTIPLE FLAWS IN THE SYSTEM;
July 13, 2004
IG Audit Finds Multiple Flaws in Mad Cow Surveillance Plan
Rep. Waxman raises questions about the effectiveness and credibility of
USDA's response to mad cow disease, citing an audit by the USDA
Inspector General that finds systemic deficiencies in the Department's
surveillance plan and new evidence that USDA misled the public in the
wake of the detection of an infected cow in Washington State.
- Letter to USDA
http://www.house.gov/reform/min/pdfs_108_2/pdfs_inves/pdf_food_usda_mad_cow_july_13_ig_let.pdf
http://www.house.gov/reform/min/pdfs_108_2/pdfs_inves/pdf_food_usda_mad_cow_july_13_ig_let.pdf
IG Draft Audit
http://www.house.gov/reform/min/pdfs_108_2/pdfs_inves/pdf_food_usda_mad_cow_july_13_ig_rep.pdf
http://www.house.gov/reform/min/pdfs_108_2/pdfs_inves/pdf_food_usda_mad_cow_july_13_ig_rep.pdf
SUPPRESSED PEER REVIEW HARVARD BSE STUDY
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/topics/BSE_Peer_Review.pdf
WHERE oh where have all those downers gone? (SSS;-)
TSS
