Taiwan monitors US mad cow case

Source： Taiwan Today
By Kwangyin Liu
The ROC government has asked the U.S. to provide a detailed report on a recent case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease, according to the Executive Yuan April 25.

“The U.S. is responsible for presenting Taiwan with a thorough epidemiological investigative report upon occurrence of the disease,” Government Information Office Minister Philip Yang said, citing a 2009 protocol signed by the ROC representative office in the U.S. and the American Institute in Taiwan.

Also in line with the protocol, policies concerning the import of U.S. beef will be reconsidered should the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) downgrade the nation’s BSE risk classification from “controlled” to “undetermined,” according to the ROC Council of Agriculture.

Based on the effectiveness of its BSE control measures, the OIE categorizes a country’s risk status as negligible, controlled or undetermined. The U.S. is listed as having controlled risk, sources said.

According to a statement by U.S. Department of Agriculture Chief Veterinary Officer John Clifford April 24, a dairy cow at a rendering facility in California became the fourth confirmed case of BSE in the country since 2003.

As this animal was never presented for slaughter for human consumption, it presents no risk to the food supply or to human health, the statement noted. It also pointed out that milk does not transmit BSE.

As part of an ongoing BSE surveillance program, the USDA takes samples from approximately 40,000 animals each year. Since 1998, the COA has taken 7,418 samples from cattle to screen for the disease according to OIE standards, with all tests negative, the council said.

Although countries including Japan, Mexico and South Korea have decided not to halt U.S. beef imports, the California case has sparked fear among consumers and prompted local retailers to suspend U.S. beef sales, sources said. (THN)

Write to Kwangyin Liu at kwangyin.liu@mail.gio.gov.tw