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USMEF backs international BSE report
By Philip Seng
President and CEO
U.S. Meat Export Federation
We agree with determinations in the international panel report on measures relating to the incidence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the United States that U.S. efforts are consistent with OIE (Office International Des Epizooties) guidelines and that further harmonization of trading rules governing beef products from countries with a low risk of BSE is needed.
This report acknowledges the extraordinary efforts of our government and our industry to assure control of this non-contagious animal disease and protect the public safety; however, it may not fully take into account that the U.S. has been actively working on BSE prevention and surveillance for more than 15 years.
In 1989, the United States instituted an import ban on live animals and beef products, such as meat and bone meal, from any country known to have BSE. A year later, we began a surveillance program focusing on animals with the highest risk of neurological disease. We were the first country to institute a surveillance program without having the disease within its borders. Testing increased over the years until it reached a level 46 times that recommended by the OIE. These measures, when combined with aggressive control for foodborne pathogens and a uniform, transparent and effective inspection system, mean the U.S. produces safe and wholesome beef.
When a single case of BSE was discovered in the U.S., the government and industry responded by raising the bar even higher. New procedures to increase surveillance, remove risk materials and prevent possible contamination of the human food supply, combined with stronger feed restrictions and tighter enforcement are aimed at making one of the world's safest foods, even safer.
The panel offers a number of potential BSE risk-aversion strategies, each based on different assumptions about the risk that actually exists in the U.S. Some of these recommendations go well beyond OIE guidelines. Clearly, our government must now consider these options. We believe steps taken since 1987 - especially those new protocols activated in the past few weeks--serve to mitigate the known and likely risk.
For our trading partners who are now reviewing the international panel report, we ask they also consider the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis comprehensive multi-year assessment of the risk of BSE in the U.S. This analysis, conducted prior to the first case of BSE in Canada and reviewed again after that case, concluded "measures taken by the U.S. government and industry make the U.S. robust against the spread of BSE to animals or humans." We believe, as do others in the industry, that it is imperative the panel's recommendations be evaluated in light of the Harvard model.
Finally, the panel noted "exporting countries feel significant national social and financial impacts when importing countries fail to comply with international rules regarding trade." Inasmuch as OIE guidelines clearly indicate that meat, milk and dairy products from countries with prevalent BSE (which the U.S. certainly is not) may be safely traded, we call on the more than 140 nations that recognize OIE guidelines to restore U.S. beef trade as soon as possible.
Date: 2/16/04
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