American experts European BSE crisis did not affect the United States (12.6)

U.S experts said that due to the strict implementation of beef import laws and cattle feed regulations, the European BSE crisis did not affect the United States, so Americans do not have to worry about the safety of their beef A report released earlier this month by the U.S Committee on agricultural science and technology said that the United States has tested 12000 cattle for BSE in the past 10 years, including 2300 in the past year, and none of them were positive But scientists point out that the United States still needs to develop better detection methods, because many problems about the origin, occurrence and spread of BSE still need to be solved Currently, detection of BSE in the United States is slow and can only be carried out on dead cattle Mad cow disease was first discovered in Britain 14 years ago The United States stopped importing British beef in 1989 and extended the ban to other European countries in 1997, including Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden In 1997, the U.S Food and Drug Administration banned the use of animal protein such as meat and bone meal as cattle and sheep feed Since the discovery of BSE in Europe, the United States has tracked the whereabouts of 496 cattle imported from Britain and Ireland in the 1980s 32 of them are unknown Only four of the other cattle are still alive and have been isolated Another 35 cattle imported from Europe to the United States before the 1997 ban were quarantined and regularly inspected The U.S Food and drug administration has listed BSE and related diseases as the most important food safety research topic DCS (author:)