R-CALF Accuses Brazil of Hiding Confirmed BSE Case

By CnAgri Print

According to a Brazilian notification submitted today to the World Organization for Animal Health, commonly known as the OIE, Brazil identified a cow that died in December 2010 that was a suspect for a neurological disease such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or mad cow disease).

The notification indicates that in early 2011, Brazil subjected the suspect cow to only one of two primary tests for mad cow disease - a histopathological test - that indicated the cow was negative for mad cow disease. However, it was not until mid-2012 that the brain sample of the suspect cow was subjected to the second primary test for mad cow disease - the immunohistochemical test, which tested positive for BSE.

Brazil claims the long delay between the two primary tests for BSE was due to a combination of a work overload at its testing laboratory and OIE rules that caused Brazil to lower the priority of testing the suspect cow in its laboratory. According to Brazil, the OIE allows 'fallen stock' and cattle 'over 9 years' to be classified with a "low diagnosis priority level."

After the brain sample tested positive in mid-2012, the sample was sent to the OIE reference laboratory in Weybridge, United Kingdom, where it again tested positive for BSE on December 6, 2012.

"The two-year delay in Brazil's disease notification is a symptom of the failure of the OIE's global system that erroneously assumes foreign countries, particularly developing countries, have the same means, commitment and capabilities as the United States to control and eradicate diseases," said Max Thornsberry, D.V.M. and chair of R-CALF USA's Animal Health Committee, who added, "This shows that the United States should not be relying on the OIE or on foreign countries to ensure that food imported into the United States is safe."

According to import data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Brazil imported approximately 67 million pounds of beef into the United States since the Brazilian BSE suspect was identified.

"That means the U.S. imported enough beef from Brazil in 2011 and 2012 to feed over 1 million Americans their annual consumption of beef," said R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard.

"None of that Brazilian beef imported into the U.S. during the past two years was subject to BSE mitigations that are supposed to apply to countries where BSE is known to exist, meaning U.S. consumers have been subjected to an unnecessary and avoidable risk of mad cow disease from Brazil," Bullard added.

"Like the October 2012 discovery of well over a million pounds of contaminated beef imported from Canada, this failure by Brazil to provide timely notice of its disease problem clearly demonstrates that USDA's ongoing reliance on foreign countries and the OIE to protect U.S. citizens from unsafe imports is absolutely foolish and without basis, and is another example of why we need country-of-origin labeling," Thornsberry concluded.