UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Judging by unchanged sales of fast-food hamburgers, a Penn State meat expert says, American consumers aren't worried about beef safety in the wake of the United States' first known case of BSE. But new rules about the disposal of "downer" cows are making life complicated for dairy and beef farmers and small slaughter houses.

"A survey conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health two weeks after the discovery showed that only 18 percent of consumers were concerned and 14 percent were going to stop buying beef," says Bill Henning, professor of dairy and animal science and a meats specialist. "Since then, however, it appears as if consumers realize this was an isolated case. It seems most consumers believe that steps taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture are adequate to give them confidence that beef is safe. Demand and prices are recovering quickly. Based on fast food sales, there is apparently very little consumer concern."

A dairy cow diagnosed with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) -- also known as "mad cow disease" -- was discovered late last year on a dairy farm in the state of Washington, but it had been purchased in Canada. Evidence indicates that BSE has been transmitted to humans, causing a fatal variant form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the United Kingdom, but no cases have been reported in the United States. "Even in the United Kingdom, where over 1 million cattle may have been infected with BSE, only 143 cases had occurred since the BSE discovery in 1986," Henning points out. "The risk to human health from BSE in the United States is extremely low."

One of the steps the USDA has taken as a precaution against BSE is to prohibit downer -- or nonambulatory -- cows from entering the food chain. And while that might be the wise thing to protect consumers, it is causing headaches for some producers, Henning points out. "These changes have a pronounced effect on dairy and beef farmers and small slaughter plants," he says. "Farmers have a hard time disposing of cows that become lame, weak or otherwise disabled.

"Cows must be picked up by a rendering company at a cost of $75 to $100 per head or incinerated at an approved facility -- also at a cost of hundreds of dollars," Henning says. "If the animals are not judged to be 'specified risk' -- perhaps just lame with no pathological problem -- they can be composted."

Small beef packers are having a difficult time disposing of the specified risk materials such as brains, spinal cords, small intestines and vertebrae, according to Henning. Some rendering companies in Pennsylvania are not willing to pick up specified risk materials.

"The only currently approved disposal of these materials from specified risk animals is incineration or sending to an approved, lined landfill," says Henning. "Obviously, this is a major obstacle for small packers as they do not have access to such disposal methods. If they are unable to find a renderer who will take these materials, they will be forced to stop slaughter. This will make it difficult for farmers who depend on these packers to buy or process their animals. This may lead to beef cattle price decreases as there will be less competition for their animals."

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EDITORS: Contact Bill Henning at 814-863-3670 or by e-mail at Bhenning@psu.edu.

Jeff Mulhollem Office 814-863-2719 FAX 814-863-9877