Contact: Rob Ostrander 202-224-5721 Shana Stribling 202-224-0309
Wednesday, December 24, 2003

WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Senator Kit Bond, responding to news reports and early findings of the USDA, praised the agency for moving quickly to detect, understand, and contain any risk associated with our nation’s first potential case of so-called mad cow disease.

“Our agencies must keep our consumers and our herds safe, and it appears that decisive action has been undertaken in a timely manner,” said Bond.

USDA has concluded that the “risks of any human health effects is very low.”

“While cable news has a stirring story to report and consumers need all the facts, I hope we don’t sensationalize this story to a hysterical conclusion that casts unfounded doubts on the world’s safest food supply and injures ranchers unnecessarily who supply perfectly safe sources of nutrition.”

Over 40 million beef animals are harvested for meat every year and this one case is presumed to be the first, pending final tests and follow-up investigation. The disease is not contagious and is not found in muscle cuts of an infected animal such as steaks and hamburger, only in the brain and stem, which are very rarely consumed.

“As a consumer, I think we should be using our brain matter, not consuming it. It is imperative that USDA continue to eliminate any and all risk, as Congress and the public require of them, but I look forward to my Christmas steak dinner.”