In May, Canada confirmed that a single cow from a commercial farm in northern Alberta tested positive for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, more commonly known as "mad cow disease." Mad cow disease has not crossed our borders, and CBP officials are determined to keep it out.

Prevention
In 1989, the U.S. government took immediate action to protect American herds against mad cow disease. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) placed prohibitions on the import of ruminants-cud-chewing animals like cattle, sheep, and goats-and their byproducts from countries with confirmed cases of mad cow disease.

Fast forward to 2003. Canadian headlines reported their first known case of mad cow disease and the United States placed Canada under its mad cow disease restriction guidelines. The USDA dispatched technical teams to Alberta to help our neighbors discover the source of the disease.

Precautions on the homefront
In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) formulated regulations known as the "animal feed rule," an important safeguard in the production of feed.

The FDA and state regulatory agencies have also increased the number of inspections of animal feed manufacturers, feed mills, and other companies responsible for keeping prohibited animal protein out of cattle and other ruminant feed. So far, the FDA has conducted more than 19,000 inspections in the feed industry, and every year it inspects 100 percent of the firms that actually handle prohibited material because feed containing ruminant protein can legally be fed to swine and poultry.

In fiscal year 2002, USDA tested 19,990 cattle for mad cow disease by spot-testing high-risk animals such as animals that cannot stand, those that die on the farm, older animals, and animals exhibiting neurological problems. This level of testing is much higher than the standard set by the Office International des Epizooties, the organization headquartered in Paris, that has oversight for animal health in 162 member nations. Under the international standard, a country free of mad cow disease, like the United States, would be required to test only 433 head of cattle per year. The USDA is now testing 41 times that amount.

In addition to USDA's cattle testing, CBP inspectors at the northern border have special collection and disposal methods for confiscated products and have a formal reporting system for confiscated or refused items. That information is sent to the Office of Field Operations and then to the USDA everyday. Inspectors also monitor in-bond shipments of Canadian agricultural products that have been added to the ban. National cargo selectivity criteria have been established to serve as an electronic alert to CBP inspectors for restricted cargo.

Hunters get a break
On August 15, the USDA lifted the ban on elk, caribou and other wild ruminants from Canada-bison, elk, caribou, deer, moose, musk ox, mountain goats, and mountain sheep. Relaxation of the ban also allows some beef products to be imported from Canada.

CBP officials will require hunters returning to the United States to obtain Canadian hunting licenses and special permits. The form and additional information can be found on the USDA Web site at www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/bse/bse.html.

Hunters can import meat by air, mail, or courier through any U.S. airport. Hunters who drive back into the U.S. are limited to the following U.S.-Canadian border crossings:

Maine	- Houlton
Vermont	- Highgate Springs and Derby Line
New York	- Champlain, Alexandria Bay, Buffalo (Lewiston,   Peace, and Rainbow bridges)
Michigan	- International Falls
North Dakota	- Pembina
Montana	- Sweetgrass, Rooseville
Washington	- Blaine (Peace Arch, Pacific Highway, Cargo Ops),   Lyndon, Suman (Cargo), Oroville

So go ahead and enjoy your picnics and backyard cookouts. You can rest assured that CBP inspectors are keeping a sharp and educated eye out for any meat products or animal feed that might pose a threat to the health of the people or the livestock of the United States.

What is Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)? It is a chronic, degenerative neurological disease affecting the central nervous system of cattle. Worldwide, more than 185,000 cattle have tested positive for BSE since the disease was first diagnosed in 1986 in Great Britain. There is no treatment and infected cattle die. BSE is not a contagious disease that spreads from cow to cow. BSE is caused by a self-replicating protein and not by a virus or bacteria. This protein is introduced when BSE-infected tissue or tissue products are added to animal feed and fed to cattle. Can BSE cross over into humans? Yes, the human form of BSE is vCreutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD). Approximately 135 people worldwide have been infected with vCJD-a rare and fatal human neurological disease that occurs in people with an average age under 30. The first fase of vCJD was described in 1994 in England, nearly a decade after the first case of BSE was recognized in cattle. It was not till 1996 that the link between vCJD and BSE was positively established. Some cases of vCJD are thought to result from eating beef products from cattle infected with BSE in the mid-1980's. Unlike the BSE epidemic, the vCJD outbreak has shown only a modest increase. What should I do? The FDA and USDA are recommending no changes in what Americans eat. Both agencies continue to recommend a balanced and varied diet.