U.S authorities are looking to quiet concerns spurred by the first reported case of mad cow disease in the U.S. in six years.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says no part of the cow has entered the food chain.
SOUNDBITE: U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack saying:
"This sampling isn't just a random number that we select. It's based on a international standard and it allows us to detect BSE at a very, very, very low level, which is why we're confident in the supply of beef and dairy products that we are supplying to our consumers and to the world's consumers."
A dairy cow from this California facility was taken to a collection center last week. Tissue samples from cow's brain tested positive for Mad Cow or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy.
There is no evidence that humans can catch the disease from drinking milk from an infected cow. This latest report comes just as the U.S. beef industry is starting to recover from a case in 2003 that prompted worldwide concern about U.S. beef and cost the nearly $3 billion dollar in lost revenue.
Deborah Gembara, Reuters.
