WASHINGTON, May 4 (UPI) -- The recent case of a Texas cow that had symptoms of mad cow disease but was not tested is not an isolated event, a federal veterinarian told UPI.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinarian who requested anonymity said cows displaying central nervous system disorders, such as the one in Texas, are often not tested for mad cow disease. These animals are considered the most likely to be infected with the disease.
Felicia Nestor, senior policy advisor to the Government Accountability Project, a group that works with federal whistleblowers, told UPI she has uncovered evidence that the Texas case "is not an isolated incident."
USDA spokesman Ed Loyd said the agency's procedure is to test any and all cows with CNS signs for mad cow disease.
Since the cow, which was processed April 27 but was banned from the human food supply, was not tested, it will never be known for certain whether it suffered from mad cow or some other condition.
