U.S. at 'low risk' for mad cow

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- While Japanese officials have found another instance of mad cow disease, Harvard University researchers tried to reassure Americans the United States remains safe from the deadly livestock disease.

The Agriculture Department Friday released a study performed by Harvard researchers indicating an "extremely low risk" of bovine spongiform encephalopathy spreading to U.S. livestock.

Early protection systems put into place by the Agriculture and Health and Human Services departments were cited as the reason why mad cow disease was unlikely to get into U.S. livestock and cause the same havoc that has occurred in recent years throughout Europe.

"We are firmly confident that (mad cow) will not become an animal or public health problem in America," said George Gray, a deputy director of the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis.

Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said she intends to keep the livestock disease, which affects the brain and can be fatal, from hurting cattle and other animals here.

She plans to have her agency boost the number of mad cow tests it conducts, with more than 12,500 cattle samples targeted in 2002 -- up from about 5,000 this year.

The Agriculture Department also will publish a policy options paper explaining what additional regulatory actions may be needed to reduce the risk of livestock exposure to the disease.

The agency also will issue a proposed rule prohibiting the use of certain stunning devices that immobilize cattle during slaughter, and will publish an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking to consider more rules for the disposal of dead stock on farms and ranches.

"We cannot let down our guard or reduce our vigilance," Veneman said. "Even if (mad cow) were to ever be introduced, it would be contained, according to the study.

The report came on the same day Health Ministry officials in Japan announced they discovered a third case of mad cow disease in the Asian nation, an indication the disease is spreading.

Officials said a Holstein cow slaughtered on a farm near Tokyo tested positive twice for the disease.

Also, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported an investigation into the spread of mad cow in Britain suggested a laboratory mistake in labeling brain matter from cows and sheep hampered officials' attempts to control the spread of the disease.