| The
U.S. government plans to maintain its expanded level of
testing for bovine spongiform encephalopathy - rather than
scaling back testing in December as originally planned,
Newsweek magazine reported.
USDA
Secretary Mike Johanns says he wants to continue testing
about 1,000 cattle per day: "I have just been very reluctant
to even set a date as to when we would bring that to a close.
It's safe to say the enhanced surveillance is going to extend
beyond the end of December."
Johanns
said his decision to continue expanded testing - which began
in June 2004 after the United States reported its first
case of bovine - is not about Japan's hesitancy to reopen
its market to U.S. beef. Prior to the import ban, Japan
bought more U.S. beef than any other foreign customer. Johanns
said he wants to make sure testing represents all regions
of the country and that healthy animals are tested.
"I've
said time and time again, there is little risk of BSE in
U.S. beef, but it is obvious that we have not yet convinced
key trading partners of that," Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa)
said. Harkin and other lawmakers have been pressuring USDA
to do at least 20,000 more tests on cows that are healthy
before testing is scaled back.
The
government has been testing only "high risk" cattle - animals
showing signs of BSE, such as an inability to stand or nervous
system problems.
Johanns'
predecessor, Ann Veneman, promised to test healthy animals
based on recommendations from a panel of international experts
on BSE. Johanns said he recently reread Veneman's comments
on testing healthy animals in transcripts from a Congressional
hearing.
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