Meat & Poultry -- December 2013 - 22

bse 2003

Much like the
rest of the crisis
team, then
Undersecretary for
Food Safety, Elsa
Murano, changed
her Christmas plans
in 2003 to address
the discovery of
BSE in the US for
the first time.

However, Acord is disappointed that the case did not

of the case. They are: Take action before you are forced

spark implementation of a national animal-identification

to; talk openly and proactively with the public; maintain

system, which had been discussed for years and partially

public confidence in government officials; plan how you

developed by 2003.

will communicate; recruit third-party experts; and en-

"Not having an animal traceability system in place

gage top management.

contributed significantly to international market losses,"

Noting the importance of government and industry

he adds. "We could not demonstrate to trading partners

speaking with one voice, NCBA's Stokes says his fear is

that we could trace all the cohorts of the cow in the in-

that this would not occur in today's environment. Inter-

dex case. We could not convince government officials in

nationally, it was important that the US "walk the walk"

importing countries that this was a single case and there

not just "talk the talk". But it ended up experiencing what

would not be more to follow. Those countries remembered

it imposed on other countries in terms of import bans.

the steady trickle of cases in the EU and gave the US no

NCBA's Frazier cites a key aspect of how the BSE case

credit for having had a feed ban in place long enough to

was handled. "In a crisis, you are in a race to establish the

prevent widespread cases of BSE."

'truth,'" he says. "Years of planning and preparation by

"In the US, the government worked with the indus-

industry and government, excellent spokespersons and

try to explain the science and tamp down any emotional

speaking with one voice resulted in maintaining con-

public reaction to this disease," Acord says. "But in oth-

sumer confidence in US beef at a high level among US

er countries, the government succumbed to the emotion

consumers. We were able to establish the 'truth' that US

and to pressures from their beef industries, ignored the

beef was safe."

science and supported their public's panicked reaction."

One huge lesson from the case was the challenges in-

"Perhaps the international arena could have been han-

volved in persuading other countries to start accepting US

dled better in the sense that visits with trade partners

beef shipments again. Lost markets have, to date, cost the

could have included food-safety experts, not just policy

beef industry $16 billion. M&P will examine these chal-

officials, to convince them of the science behind our safety

lenges and the costs in the January 2014 issue. ■

claims," Murano adds.
Harrison cites six lessons learned from the handling

22

* Meat&Poultry * December 2013 * www.MeatPoultry.com

Steve Kay is editor and publisher of Petaluma, Calif.-based Cattle Buyers
Weekly (www.cattlebuyersweekly.com).
http://www.cattlebuyersweekly.com http://www.MeatPoultry.com
Meat & Poultry -- December 2013

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