AVMA Response to BSE Finding in California Dairy Cow

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., April 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Veterinary Medical Association today released the following statement in response to the detection of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a dairy cow from central California.

"The finding of this BSE-positive cow is not particularly surprising, and it is certainly no cause for alarm," said Dr. Ron DeHaven, chief executive officer of the American Veterinary Medical Association. "It is not surprising because we have known for several years that there is a very low prevalence of BSE in our nation's cattle population. USDA has maintained a good, targeted surveillance program for the disease, and it is expected that we might find such cases periodically. 

"This finding is not cause for alarm because the tissues of any infected cows that pose a food safety risk, i.e., specified risk materials or SRMs, have been kept out of the human food supply since early 2004. What this finding does confirm is that the safeguards put in place by the USDA several years ago are working as they are intended."

Dr. DeHaven is a past Administrator of APHIS and was USDA's Chief Veterinary Officer in Dec 2003 when the initial case of BSE was found in the U.S.

For more information, please visit, www.avma.org.

The AVMA and its more than 78,000 member veterinarians are engaged in a wide variety of activities dedicated to advancing the science and art of animal, human and public health. Visit the AVMA Web site at www.avma.org for more information.

SOURCE American Veterinary Medical Association