Posted February 20, 2014
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
(APHIS) has published a final rule amending import regulations for animals and
animal products regarding bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly
known as “mad cow disease.” The Federal
Register notice is available here. Agri-Pulse reported on the story here.
The rule, effective March 4, amends the regulations
governing importation of animals with regard to BSE. The new system classifies regions in other
countries as to BSE risk, based on importation conditions, inherent risk of BSE
in specified commodities, and the BSE risk status of the region which the
commodity originates.
The new system is consistent with the system used by
the World Organization for Animal Health, the organization which sets international
standards related to animal health. The
system will classify regions as having negligible, controlled, or undetermined
risk for the disease.
The regulatory action is authorized under the Animal
Health Protection Act, 7 U.S.C. 8301 et seq.
BSE causes variant Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease (vCJD),
which humans can contract from eating meat contaminated with brain or spinal
tissue from cattle infected with BSE. BSE
is particularly difficult because it is not destroyed when cooked.
For more information on food safety, please visit the
National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
