Special Coverage: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) "Mad Cow Disease"

The first case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), or "mad cow disease," in the United States was confirmed on December 25, 2003. Naturally, cattle producers are quite concerned with how this case will affect both their operations and their markets.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) maintains a Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) Web page with recent information and background material on BSE, as well as press releases and updates from USDA.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also maintains a page devoted to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, which includes both consumer and industry information.

Information from USDA indicates that the incubation period for BSE in cattle is 2 to 8 years. Epidemiological data from the BSE outbreak in Great Britain suggest that the disease could be spread by animal feed containing contaminated meat and bone meal as a protein source. In addition to being fatal to infected cattle, BSE has been linked to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) in humans, which is believed to be caused by eating neural tissue, such as brain and spinal cord, from BSE-affected cattle. New regulations being implemented by USDA are designed to reduce the risk of BSE-carrying neural tissues from entering the food system.

The National Center for Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control has a web page on Bovine Spongiform Encepalopathy and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association also offers a Mad Cow Disease Web site with facts, questions and answers, and background on BSE, CJD, and nvCJD.

Market observers have noted that concern over "mad cow disease" is likely to spur increased interest in beef considered to be at low risk of BSE due to the way it is produced. For example, organic, "grass-fed," or "pasture-raised" beef is thought by many to present less risk of BSE because the animals are less likely to have consumed animal protein than industrially raised beef. However, since the terms "grass-fed" and "pasture-raised" lack precise legal definitions, they offer only limited assurance regarding animals' histories or diets. By contrast, "certified organic" does carry a legal definition regarding production practices and feed. Even so, concerns about how BSE may spread from a cow to its offspring, and lack of enforcement of feed standards for either organic or conventionally produced beef, make it difficult for producers to prove that any cattle are free of the disease.

Recent media coverage of BSE and its relationship to sustainable agriculture:

Local Beef, Hold the Anxiety, Boston Globe, 7/6/05

How now, brown cow?: Calls for locally raised, grass-fed beef rise, Brattleboro Reformer, 7/6/05

Grass-fed cattle may reduce mad cow risk, Decatur Daily, 7/3/05

Mad Cow Fuels Organic Beef Demand, South Dakota Ag Connection, 6/30/05

Little Changes in Aftermath of Mad Cow, The Oregonian, 12/24/04

USDA program for mad-cow tracking could be tough sell on Western ranches, Associated Press in Salt Lake Tribune, 11/22/04

Organic Farmers’ Co-operative first to launch web-based meat tracking system, Stirling Community Press (Canada), 10/27/04

Organic Beef Making Strides Toward Mainstream, KCRA-TV, 10/22/04

Rapid detection tests for BSE could save cows' lives, just-food.com on The New Farm, 9/24/04

Governor Rounds a Big Supporter of Beef Program, South Dakota Ag Connection, 7/28/04

Retailers, Consumers Hungry for Organic Beef, Reuters on Planet Ark, 7/2/04

Mad Cow Effects Ripple through Food Economy, The Christian Science Monitor, 3/12/04

Mad Cow Scare Has Consumers and Industry Looking at Organic Ways, Kansas City Star, 2/11/04

Beef Industry Unveils Post-Mad Cow Ad, Associated Press in The Mercury News, 1/26/04

Mad cow puts a spotlight - and pressure - on ranches producing beef the natural way, Sacramento Bee, 1/22/04

Meat Seen as Organic Industry's Last Frontier, Reuters on Planet Ark, 1/13/04

Maine organic beef farms see uptick in sales, Portland Press Herald, 1/12/04

How Now Mad Cow?, CNN, 1/7/04

Scientists Discover That Enzyme Degrades Mad Cow Disease Prion, North Carolina State University press release, 1/5/04

Suddenly, Organic Beef is a Hot Item, Sacramento Bee, 1/2/04

Meat Industry, National Public Radio Talk of the Nation, 12/30/03

Organic beef gains amid mad cow scare, The Christian Science Monitor, 12/29/03

Mad Cow Case Sparks Organic Beef Debate, National Public Radio, 12/29/03

State's ranchers ask what's the beef?: Younger, grass-fed cattle not at risk for disease, they say, San Francisco Chronicle, 12/25/03

Additional information on sustainable, organic and grass-fed beef production:

Alternative Meat Marketing, ATTRA

Alternative Beef Marketing, ATTRA

NCAT's Organic Livestock Workbook, ATTRA

Sustainable Beef Production, ATTRA

Impact of BSE on Organic Meat Industry, Organic Monitor

Grass-Fed Basics, Eat Wild

Niche Beef Project, American Farmland Trust

Grass Fed Practices and Products, Washington State University Stevens County Extension

Last Updated December 28, 2007

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