Scientists work on identifying variation in bovine prion gene
US - Do genes affect bovine spongiform encephalopathy - also known as BSE or “mad cow” disease? Are some cattle more susceptible than others?

USDA says Canadian mad cow case won't impact trade
US - The day after Canada detected its ninth case of mad cow disease, the United States on Thursday said beef trade with its northern neighbor would remain unaffected and promised to press ahead with a draft rule to allow older Canadian cattle into the...

Canada confirms its second case of BSE
US - Canada has confirmed its second case of BSE. The affected dairy cow was born in the province of Alberta, just like the only other cases of mad cow disease discovered in North America: one in Canada in 2003 and one in the US in the same year.

U.S. aide bluntly describes her beef
US - The United States turned up the pressure on Korea to negotiate a settlement of a controversy over the import of U.S. beef here on Monday in Washington.

Identifying Variation in the U.S. Bovine Prion Gene
US - Bovine spongiform encephalopathy - BSE, or mad cow disease - is a serious threat to the U.S. beef industry.

Company develops BSE resistant cow
IOWA - Mad Cow, or BSE, is blamed on a deformed particle called a prion so Roble says they bred a cow with no prions in its brain at all.

FDA Proposes Barring Certain Cattle Material From Medical Products As BSE Safeguard
US - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is proposing to limit the materials used in some medical products in order to keep them free of the agent thought to cause mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE.

USDA proposed to allow additional imports from BSE minimal-risk countries
US - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service today announced a proposal to expand the list of allowable imports from countries recognized as presenting a minimal risk of introducing bovine spongiform encephalopathy...

BSE Announcement May Have Hurt Domestic Beef Sales
US - A USDA Economic Research service study released Friday provides evidence that the U.S. government announcement of finding cows in Washington State infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy in 2003 resulted in a dip in beef purchases.

Saudi man is third US mad cow case, CDC says
US - A Saudi-born man living in Virginia has been identified as the third reported U.S. case of a human form of mad cow disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

BSE inconclusive not expected to disrupt progress with Japan
US - USDA yesterday announced it had an "inconclusive" result on a rapid test for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) for a cow at an undisclosed location. Tissue samples have been sent to USDA for confirmatory testing. Results of those tests are not...

Comment Period for BSE Rule Extended
US - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection has reopened the comment period for a proposed bovine spongiform encephalopathy rule. Source: WisconsinAgConnection.com

US Pushing Japan to Change Beef Rules
US - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said the United States will press Japan to remove the age limit on imports of U.S. beef, hardening its demand from an earlier call for raising the limit to 30 months from the current 20 months. Source:...

Creekstone answers USDA in court over mad cow testing
US - Creekstone Farms Premium Beef has answered the U.S. Department of Agriculture's court documents opposing the company's motion for summary judgment in its lawsuit againstUSDA. Creekstone sued the USDA in March for refusing to allow the Arkansas...

BSE testing: What does the customer want?
US - Last week we looked at the arguments that have been put forward by the USDA, the National Cattleman's Beef Association, and others in support of the USDA action denying Creekstone Farms the right to conduct BSE tests on all of the cattle that are...

End of cheap corn? Sharpen your pencils
US - Dan Childs, ag economist with the Noble Foundation at Ardmore, Okla., says stocker operators have to look harder at supplemental feeding strategies and put a pencil to cost of gains in light of rising corn prices. Childs said United States has...

Vegetables of Mass Destruction - No Chicken Left Behind
US - The government recognizes the need to keep bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), better known as Mad Cow, out of the food chain, and we all expect it to. This involves (among other things) testing animals to make sure none of them carry BSE -...

US Loses Steam In Regaining Asian Beef Markets
US - The latest deal struck by U.S. negotiators to resume beef exports to Asia has so far yielded no new business, and trade has even taken a small step backward, with new restrictions now that more mad-cow concerns have surfaced regarding neighboring...

USDA rule change speaks to need for COOL
USDA - On October 3rd, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service changed the rules governing U.S. beef exports to Taiwan, prohibiting shipment to Taiwan of beef derived from Canadian slaughter cattle. USDA opened the U.S. border to Canadian slaughter...

Despite easing of beef bans, restrictions still hamper U.S. exports
US - From Taiwan stopping importing Canadian beef products from the United States to South Korea's strict rules about bone fragments, it continues to be a rough ride for the U.S. beef industry even though more countries have begun lifting their bans...