Washington, D.C.  -  The new state agriculture testing facility on Auburn University’s campus should be upgraded to help expedite USDA testing for Mad Cow and other animal diseases, Congressman Mike Rogers said today.

Rogers, a member of the Committee on Agriculture, said while the current animal testing system is working as expected, yesterday’s discovery of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in an Alabama cow underscores the need for additional regional USDA testing facilities. He said the nation’s only BSE testing facility is in Ames, Iowa. An upgraded testing center at Auburn could help increase the Agriculture Department’s ability to detect quickly and control any future animal disease outbreak, he said.

“The continued safety of our nation’s food supply is dependent upon a robust system for testing and evaluating our nation’s livestock,” Rogers said. “Upgrading the state facility at Auburn University is a common sense approach to further strengthening USDA’s testing capabilities, and I respectfully ask Secretary Johanns consider this request.”

Rogers said in his letter an upgraded state testing facility at Auburn could address the growing animal testing demands of the Southeast region. “While it is important to note the current system continues to prove its effectiveness in detecting and testing for BSE, the addition of this new facility at Auburn University to USDA’s national testing infrastructure could further enhance our nation’s efforts to protect and secure our food supply,” he wrote.

Rogers said in 2004 he sent a letter to then-Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman on the same issue after BSE was detected in a Washington state cow. “I appreciate the diligent efforts of USDA and state officials in monitoring this most recent discovery, and encourage Federal officials to consider upgrading this Alabama facility for their national and regional animal testing efforts,” he added.

Rogers serves on the House Committee on Agriculture, and is Chairman of the Homeland Security subcommittee on Management, Integration, and Oversight.

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