Say Anything Blog

From CNN:

The first case of mad cow disease in the United States has been discovered in Washington state, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Tuesday.

Further tests will be conducted in the UK to confirm the case, said Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman.

"A single cow has tested presumptive positive for BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease. Despite this finding we remain confident in the safety of our food supply," said Veneman.

"While this would represent the first finding of BSE in the United States we have worked hard to ensure our response is swift and effective."

Mad cow disease first appeared in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s and resulted in the slaughter of millions of cattle.

Mad cow disease is believed to be linked to vCJD (variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease), a brainwasting disease in humans with no cure.

Before you start boycotting beef, take a deep breath and be patient. We haven't heard the whole story yet. Hasty, reactionary decisions at this point can be very damaging to our ranching industry.

At this point we don't know much. The cow that tested positive was within our borders, but we don't know if it came across from Canada or if it could have spread the disease to any other cows.

Further, there's a very slim chance that any infected meat has made it as far as our food supply. The cow that tested positive was still alive meaning that it, and likely the herd it is a part of, haven't yet entered the food market.

Lets wait and see how this story develops.