APHIS Finalizes Bovine Import Regulations

WASHINGTONUSDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) revealed a final rule to complete efforts to modernize the agencys import regulations for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)also known as "mad cow disease"to allow safe trade of bovines and bovine products, while protecting the United States from BSE. 

When the rule takes effect, APHIS will use the same criteria and categories that the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) uses to identify a countrys BSE risk status. APHIS will base its import policy for a particular country on that countrys risk classification as determined by OIEs risk evaluation. 

The rule also allows APHIS to conduct its own assessment when deemed necessary, such as when a country is not yet classified by the OIE for BSE risk and requests that APHIS conduct a risk evaluation using criteria equivalent to that used by OIE. 

This action will bring our BSE import regulations in line with international standards, which call for countries to base their trade policies on the actual risk of animals or products harboring the disease," said John Clifford, Ph.D., APHIS deputy administrator and chief veterinary officer. Making these changes will further demonstrate to our trading partners our commitment to international standards and sound science, and we are hopeful it will help open new markets and remove remaining restrictions on U.S. products." 

This regulation does not change other measures that are currently in place in the United States.  A robust BSE surveillance program monitors the health of the U.S. cattle population, while human health is protected by measures that ensure the safety of U.S. beefthe most important of which is the ban on cattle materials that have been shown to carry the BSE agent from the food supply. 

BSE is a progressive neurological disease among cattle that is always fatal. It belongs to a family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Affected animals may display nervousness or aggression, abnormal posture, difficulty in coordination and rising, decreased milk production, or loss of body weight despite continued appetite.

The most recent confirmation of BSE in the United States was found in a dairy cow from central California in 2012. The cow, which was not considered a food safety threat since it never entered the food supply, was euthanized humanly shortly thereafter.