What is being done to prevent BSE?
To prevent BSE from entering the United States, severe restrictions were placed on the importation of live ruminants, such as cattle, sheep, and goats, and certain ruminant products from countries where BSE was known to exist. These restrictions were later extended to include importation of ruminants and certain ruminant products from all European countries. Because the use of ruminant tissue in ruminant feed was probably a necessary factor responsible for the BSE outbreak in the United Kingdom and because of the current evidence for possible transmission of BSE to humans, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration instituted a ruminant feed ban in June 1997 that became fully effective as of October 1997. In late 2001, the Harvard Center for Risk Assessment study of various scenarios involving BSE in the United States concluded that the FDA ruminant feed rule provides a major defense against this disease. For additional information about BSE, please read the Mad Cow Disease article.
