APHIS to Enhance BSE Surveillance

October 10, 2005 — 

The USDA's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced plans to enhance its on-going surveillance program to detect bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) by sampling apparently healthy cattle at slaughter.

According to a notice from the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), APHIS personnel will collect tissue samples from "apparently healthy adult cattle 30 months of age and older" at slaughter facilities which have entered into the Healthy Cattle Sample Collection Agreement.

APHIS is planning to test approximately 20,000 brain samples submitted through this program in addition to those collected as a result of the agency's surveillance of high risk cattle such as downers or those exhibiting clinical signs consistent with BSE.

Source: FSIS Constituent Update http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/constupdate100705.pdf