& Reuters News Agency
A second inconclusive test for BSE in the United States in as many weeks has been proven negative.
On June 30 and July 2, U.S. officials announced that two animals testing “inconclusive” in rapid testing passed the more advanced immunochemistry, or IHC, test conducted at the Ames, Iowa national laboratory.
American officials are testing more high-risk animals for BSE and are informing the American public when initial, rapid test results fail to clear an animal.
Ted Haney of the Canadian Beef Export Federation said the fact there is more testing increases the likelihood of inconclusive and false positive tests.
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The United States Department of Agriculture has tested 8,585 cattle since it initiated and expanded a screening program for the disease earlier this year.
The announcements of the two initial test results sent Chicago Mercantile Exchange August fed cattle delivery contracts down $4 US per hundredweight last week and left markets jittery.
“The public, and the markets, need to realize that we’re likely to hear more announcements about inconclusive results in the future, and that it is in everybody’s interest to not overreact,” said J. Patrick Boyle, head of the American Meat Institute.
Boyle’s association represents meat packers and food processors and June 15 it called on the USDA to cease the announcements of preliminary findings because they disrupt markets.
Rob McNabb of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association agreed.
“It is a bit of departure from what we do or what (the USDA) was doing (in BSE testing prior to June 1.)
“We need to minimize market impact,” he said.
On July 2, USDA spokesperson Julie Quick defended the policy.
“We still feel that it’s best for the public to hear the information from us first.”
American cattle producer organizations were at odds over the policy.
The small Montana based R-CALF group suggested that the USDA should only report inconclusive tests if the animal is foreign born, while the larger National Cattlemen’s Beef Association defended the USDA approach, saying it calms rumours within the markets and the consuming public.
Haney said the American test results have no effect on opening the border to live animal trade.
“That is a separate situation. The U.S. has a frustrating, time consuming process of making trade rules. Right now, they’re tied up in the process of producing a boilerplated, completely bulletproof set of new rules for trade in live (Canadian) cattle, one that R-CALF won’t be able to challenge. These test results have no effect on that,” he said.
