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Stabenow and Roberts: US Beef and Dairy Safeguards Protect Public Health, Livestock

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chairwoman of Senate Committee on Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry, and Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), the Committee’s Ranking Member, today said that the USDA’s proven firewalls and internationally recognized safeguards that protect against potential cases of BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) worked as intended. Earlier today, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an a-typical result on a random test of a dairy cow at a rendering plant in California. USDA confirmed there was no threat to the public health, no danger to the nation’s food supply and that BSE cannot be spread through milk.

“In the U.S., strong, internationally recognized safeguards are in place precisely so rare cases like this can be detected,” said Stabenow.  “The fact that we’re hearing about this discovery and that there was never any threat to consumers in this case shows that the mechanisms in place for protecting our food supply worked as intended.”

“This case is again proof that internationally recognized science has performed just as it was intended, by immediately detecting a problem, protecting public health and further ensuring the safety of our nation’s livestock,” Roberts said. “I look forward to a good beef dinner tonight.”

Senators Stabenow and Roberts are strong advocates of the use of sound science to protect public health and American agriculture.

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