As a member of the livestock industry your friends, neighbors and even the media may ask your opinion on the topic of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) and if our food supply is safe. This is an opportunity for each of us to speak up and take a leadership role in providing accurate information on the topic.
One resource that provides accurate, up-to-date information on current BSE developments is at: www.bse.org. This Web site is maintained by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. In addition to news updates the site includes information about the steps the U.S. has taken to keep BSE out of the food supply, how animals are inspected before slaughter and how the disease is transmitted. All are great information points that consumers need to know.
Another resource is at: http://www.bseinfo.org/dsp/dsp_locationContent.cfm?locationId=1261
This site is maintained by NCBA and the Cattlemen’s Beef Board. It contains background information on the disease including clinical signs, transmission and incidence.
The third resource: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/bse/bse.html
is from the USDA. Here you can get all USDA releases, transcripts of developing events surrounding the BSE case in Washington state.