University of Arkansas - Daily Headlines

FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, April 05, 2005

BSE, Security Topics at OFPA Convention

U.S. Aggressively Tackling Mad Cow Disease

The BSE crisis resulted in the U.S. losing beef markets in 21 nations, which must be regained one at a time. Japan was the market that the U.S. most wanted to recover and did so in October 2004, but not without long and detailed negotiations. More work remains to implement the new agreement, explained Gary Smith of the Colorado State University animal sciences faculty.

Smith, speaking to the Ozark Food Processors Association 99th annual convention on March 30, discussed his role as a member of technical committees representing the U.S. in the talks with Japan. He currently serves on a U.S. Department of Agriculture team working with Japan to develop a program to implement resumption of the beef trade.

"We're also now working on a national animal identification system after the Japanese wanted to know how we identify them," Smith said. "We haven't (been identifying them), so Japan showed us how they do it. It will use electronic ear tags and global positioning systems, but we're six or seven years away from that."

To read more, please go to http://www.uark.edu/depts/agripub/Publications/Agnews/agnews05-21.html.