Get bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) news and information.
Triple J Family Farms of Minnesota is recalling about 15,270 pounds of bone-in ribeye because the vertebral column may not have been completely removed, which makes it a risk for BSE. The problem was discovered by FSIS during a Specified Risk Material (SRM) verification. A recent change in the company’s carcass separation practices may have … Read more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is asking for comments on its rule for cow parts that may be used to make human products. The interim rule, “Use of Materials Derived from Cattle in Human Food and Cosmetics” was published in 2005. It would allow the use of some cattle-derrived material, but prohibits the use … Read more
House’s Butchering LLC in Ohio is recalling all beef slaughtered from 2011 to 2012 because they may contain spinal cord and vertebral column materials. The beef is classified as a “low health risk” by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, but the USDA also says that “product containing spinal cord tissue is not allowed to … Read more
The Japanese government decided yesterday to ease restrictions it has placed on U.S. beef imports. Restrictions put in place in 2006 that partially opened the markets did not allow the import of beef from cattle older than 20 months; the industry standard is 30 months. The agreement, dated January 25, 2013, requires that the U.S. … Read more
A report released on December 6, 2012 showed that Brazil was the 26th country to report an incidence of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly called Mad Cow Disease. The USDA assumed that country did not have any BSE cases, so the mitigations that should have been applied to Brazilian beef imports were not. The report … Read more
Black Earth Meat Market Inc. of Wisconsin is recalling 99 pounds of beef tongue product because they may not have had the tonsils completely removed. This is against the law according to the USDA, because tonsils are a specific risk material that can contain the infective agent in cattle infected with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), … Read more
Three Republican legislators from California have written to the USDA, asking them to reopen Central Valley Meat Company, which was closed this week for egregious abuse of animals. The facility was closed after an undercover video shot by Compassion Over Killing showed downed animals being repeatedly shot with bolt guns and abused. The facility is … Read more
The USDA has issued its final report on the investigation into bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), popularly known as Mad Cow disease, on a California dairy cow in April 2012. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) worked with the FDA, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and local officials on the investigation. … Read more
A new study in the American Journal of Pathology has shown that bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as “mad cow” disease”, spreads in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) to the central nervous system (CNS) before it can be detected. Mad cow is a fatal disease in cattle that can be transmitted to humans who … Read more
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) has lifted a quarantine placed on two California dairy farms after a cow was diagnosed positive for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), popularly known as “mad cow disease”, in April 2012. The animal was the country’s fourth case of BSE. The USDA’s National Veterinary Services Labs tested the … Read more