APHIS REGULATIONS TO PREVENT “MAD COW” DISEASE

APHIS REGULATIONS TO PREVENT “MAD COW” DISEASE

APHIS REGULATIONS TO PREVENT “MAD COW” DISEASE

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has amended its rules to prohibit the imports of certain animal materials and their derivatives from regions considered at risk of introducing bovine spongiform encephalopathy, popularly known as BSE or “mad cow” disease.

   BSE is primarily spread through the use of ruminant-based animal feed. The deadly neurological disease may be transmitted to humans who eat infected meat products.

   The rules, which take effect Dec. 7, cover imports of fresh meats and edible products other than meat (excluding milk and milk products and under certain conditions, gelatin) from ruminants. The countries included in the ban cover all of Europe and Oman.

   Additionally, APHIS will require meat products, when imported from regions not considered at risk for BSE, be accompanied by government certification regarding the species, region of origin, processing, and handling of the materials and animals from which they were derived.

   “These actions are necessary to ensure that materials containing the bovine spongiform encephalopathy agent are not imported into the United States,” the agency said.