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USDA targets 5,000 Iowa cattle in BSE testing
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)--A government plan to test for Bovine Spongiform Encephlopathy includes at least 5,000 cattle in Iowa, according to a copyright story in the April 24 edition of The Des Moines Register.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin the voluntary testing effort in June to determine whether the United States has any infected cattle.
The first reported U.S. mad cow case was found last December in Washington state.
The effort won't be easy. Industry experts say many farmers and ranchers will be hesitant to have cattle checked for fear one could test positive.
"It will be for the good of the whole industry" to have the testing done, said John Schiltz, the Iowa state veterinarian. "When you want to try to find out the extent of the problem, this is the only way to accomplish that."
The USDA plans to test 200,000 to 270,000 high-risk cattle nationwide over a 12-month period. The testing will target older animals that are ill, lame or have died on the farm--the cattle considered most likely to have the brain-wasting disease, known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
The department has set varying targets for each state, depending on estimated number of high-risk cattle. Iowa's goal is 5,001 to 6,700. Through the first six months of last year, there were 38 cattle tested for mad cow in the state, according to USDA records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
California has the biggest goal to meet--at least 24,483--followed by Texas, Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania and Minnesota.
Ron DeHaven, administrator of the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said he is cautiously optimistic that the U.S. target can be met.
"There may be a state or two that may have some problem," he said.
By testing 201,000 animals, the department will get an estimate that is 10 times as accurate as previous efforts. Researchers would be 95 percent confident of finding one infected animal in every 10 million cattle. Testing 268,500 would yield a 99 percent confidence level. There are about 100 million cattle in U.S. herds.
The department has been under pressure to increase its testing since the December case. Last year, the USDA tested about 20,000cattle, enough to find one infected cow in every 1 million head. The USDA also plans to test 20,000 healthy cattle that are at least 30 months of age. The disease is rarely found in younger livestock, scientists say.
The tests will be done using rapid sampling kits now used in Japan and Europe. Results take a couple of days with the rapid tests.
The USDA has developed preliminary testing plans for each state but has not released them. The department also has promised toreimburse veterinarians and farms but has not finalized payment amounts.
Date: 5/13/04
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