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Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, in announcing the reduction
of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy surveillance program
from about 1,000 cattle per week to about 110, said that
the agency will concentrate on cattle showing symptoms of
the disease and those that can't stand or walk in the testing
program, with only a handful of cattle found dead being
tested.
This reverses the priorities of the enhanced surveillance
program. Under that program, about 85 percent of the cattle
tested for BSE had been found dead on the farm, while only
11 percent were symptomatic or were non-ambulatory.
Dr. Michael Hansen, head biologist at Consumers Union, which
publishes Consumers Reports , had criticized USDA for concentrating
so heavily on dead animals rather than those exhibiting
the brain-wasting symptoms that have given BSE its nickname,
"mad cow disease."
Hansen, however, opposes the 90 percent reduction in animals
tested, and said that he and other consumer groups would
petition Congress to restore previous testing levels.
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