Ban on US beef to be lifted by Netherlands Antilles 

Wednesday, February 18, 2004

GREAT BAY, St. Maarten: According to the Head of the Hygiene & Veterinary Department Antonio Boyrard, the ban on U.S. beef issued by the Antillean Government will be lifted gradually in the coming months. "However certain food safety measures will need to be put into place first," said Boyrard.

Dr. Ron DeHaven, Deputy Administrator of Veterinary Services for USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, announced last week that the field investigation of the case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or Mad Cow Disease, in a cow in the State of Washington is complete.

A report from the International Review Subcommittee commended the U.S. authorities on the open and transparent manner in which the investigation was conducted and the manner in which their findings were reported to the public and the media.

The report identified several positive findings and actions taken by the U.S. since finding the BSE positive cow and that all relevant information had been obtained at this point. 

The epidemiological tracing and DNA evidence proves that the BSE positive cow slaughtered in the State of Washington on December 09, 2003, was born on a diary farm in Calmar, Alberta, Canada, on April 09, 1997. The cow was transported to the United States in September 2001 along with 80 other cattle from that diary farm. A brain sample collected from the cow at slaughter tested positive for BSE on December 23.

The epidemiological investigation to find additional animals from the source herd led to a total of 189 investigations leading to complete herd inventories on 51 premises in three States, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The inventories involved the examination on more than 75,000 animals.

A total of 255 animals of interest were identified on 10 premises in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Animals of Interest are defined as animals that were or could have been from the source heard in Canada. All 255 animals were depopulated and BSE testing was negative on all of them.

  Back...

  Most popular articles: viewed, printed and e-mailed

  Printable version