Safeguards and firewalls put in place by the federal government to keep suspect animals out of the food chain worked well in Alabama, where the nation’s third positive case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy was recently identified. That’s the message the public needs to understand, according to scientists with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

Dr. Lisa Kriese-Anderson, an Extension animal scientist, says the case illustrates how well the system works.

“The farmer and the local vet handled the situation correctly by following all the protocols for handling a suspect animal,” she said.

Kriese-Anderson said that about 600,000 animals have been tested nationally since the surveillance program went into effect two years ago.

“Most of the animals tested from Alabama would fall into the high-risk category,” she said. “Our statistical probability is excellent for finding the 1 in 1,000,000 cow with BSE, and we did. Our farmers and food animal veterinarians are committed to the surveillance program and that’s why the surveillance program works.”

Dr. Jean Weese, an Extension food scientist, agrees with Kriese-Anderson that the important message is that safeguards worked effectively.

“The animal never left the farm thanks to the firewalls that have been in place since the first animal was diagnosed with BSE in December of 2003,” said Weese. “Consumers can eat beef with confidence.”

Listen to Dr. Weese’s comments by clicking on one of the links below.

Soundbite 1: Weese emphasizes the safety of beef. 6 secs

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Soundbite 2: She discusses the rarity of BSE. 22 secs

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Soundbite 3: Weese finds other diseases more worrisome. 12 secs

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Soundbite 4: She explains that BSE is not found in muscle tissue. 12 secs

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