Young Japanese Bull May Have Mad Cow Disease
Date: 01-Dec-04
Country: USA
Final test results on the Holstein bull, from Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, were expected by the end of the week. If the disease were confirmed, it would be the youngest bovine found with the disease in Japan since testing began in 2001.
USDA spokeswoman Alisa Harrison said the department wanted to learn more about the situation.
"We will be discussing it with our Japanese colleagues at the earliest opportunity," she said. "Until then, it is too early to offer an opinion on how this might affect the efforts to resume trade between both countries."
Japan agreed in late October to allow resumption of some beef sales from the United States. The plan called for allowing beef from US cattle proven to be less than 21 months old. US officials say mad cow disease, formally named bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is an ailment of older animals.
