Concerns over Mad Cow Disease Raised in Brazil

BRAZILBrazil, one of the world's largest beef exporters, has been able to distance itself from mad cow disease, at least until recently.

The South American country last week notified the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) that it discovered a protein from a dead cow that is believed to cause mad cow disease otherwise known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). However, the animal that died two years ago did not have mad cow disease, according to Brazilian officials.

Still, those assurances didn't mollify world concerns over BSE, which the OIE states is a "progressive, fatal disease of the nervous system of cattle." Reuters reports that Japan has halted beef imports from Brazil.

R-CALF USA (the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America) on Monday sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, asserting that "Brazil is not eligible to import into the United States ruminants that have been in Brazil, meat, meat products, and edible products other than meat."

"Further, until USDA conducts a through risk assessment of the risk of introducing BSE into the United States from Brazil and further conducts a public rulemaking with notice and opportunity for comment should USDA propose to include Brazil as a country with a minimal risk of BSE Brazilian imports of ruminants and ruminant products must be prohibited," wrote Bill Bullard, CEO of R-CALF USA, in the letter.

Earlier this year, USDA confirmed the presence of BSE in a dairy cow from central California, though the agency reiterated no part of the animal entered the nation's food supply. In 2011, there were only 29 worldwide cases of BSE, a dramatic decline and 99% reduction since the peak in 1992 of 37,311 cases.

Australia, Brazil, India and the United States are among the world's leading beef exporters, according to USDA. The agency reported earlier this year that India's beef exports are forecast to surge 29% to a record of 2.16 million tons in 2013, representing nearly one-quarter of world trade. That figure is comparable to Brazil's record exports of 2.19 million tons in 2007, USDA said.