Don't trust USDA about mad cow

Published 5/24/2004
Editorial from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Amid concerns about beef's safety, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has
consistently sent a clear message: Trust us. We've got mad cow disease
under control.

The assurances warrant a heavy dose of caution from U.S. consumers, as
well as officials in Japan and elsewhere who are being urged to resume
importing American beef. Panic isn't in order, by any means. But anyone
who wants to believe the government has a firm basis for its public
assurances should pay attention to what happened last week.
The Washington Post reported that Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman
secretly began allowing imports of Canadian ground beef and other
relatively risky meat cuts last year, soon after suggesting that such a
change wouldn't occur without public debate. She kept doing so for six
months, until a federal judge ruled against an announced expansion of
imports.

Meanwhile, the Agriculture Department's inspector general confirmed an
investigation into whether an official wrongly kept a suspect cow in Texas
from being tested. The cow reportedly showed signs of central nervous
system problems, which are supposed to trigger testing.

There was also troubling news on the scientific front. The Journal of
Pathology carried findings from researchers who say up to 3,800 people in
Britain may carry the agent behind the disease's human form. Their
condition may present risks in blood donations and for attending medical
personnel in surgeries.

The risks from mad cow disease are extremely low. But federal statements
of complete confidence are clearly unfit for human consumption.