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by Seth Teter

Agriculture experts agree that extensive measures exist to prevent the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), but the Ohio beef industry is prepared if additional cases are found.

The recent confirmation of BSE in a Texas cow gave agriculture officials a chance to highlight the firewalls that protected public health. But if the same happened in Ohio, what's to protect the state's cattle industry from negative public perception?

According to Elizabeth Harsh, executive director of the Ohio Cattlemen's Association, the organization is prepared to respond if BSE, also known as mad cow disease, was found in the state.

"We've got a lot of framework we've put in place already in terms of trying to get information out to media so they have background information already on the issue," she said. "And we've put together networks of producer spokespeople that are already in place and identified around media centers. If they're looking to interview a producer, they don't have to drive very far to get one."

Harsh said the organization has a response partnership with the National Cattleman's Beef Association. She also noted the value of the Web site www.BSEinfo.org in getting information out.

"That's a very credible site. It's scientifically reviewed. That would be a tremendous communication tool," she said.

But it's likely that plan will never have to be used.

According to the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), there are a number of firewalls to prevent the introduction and spread of BSE in the United States.

The agency said Ohio has sent 4,462 brain tissue samples from high-risk cattle for testing to the federal lab in Ames, Iowa, since June 2004. ODA monitors for the disease in every animal processed in 89 state-inspected slaughter facilities and inspects feed manufacturers for proper labeling to keep mammalian tissue out of feed. Contaminated feed is the only known way to spread the disease. ODA also conducts regular inspections of each renderer in Ohio to ensure compliance with the 1997 federal ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban.

Still, ODA has a framework in place if a cow were to test positive for BSE.

David Glauer, Ohio's state veterinarian, said officials would immediately begin tracing the animal's origin.

"Once we receive the information, we would audit the market records very quickly," he said.

He couldn't say how long a trace back would take, but noted how quickly officials responded to the most recent BSE case. It took a few months to trace the United States' first case of BSE in 2003 to a Washington farm and a few weeks to trace the new case to a Texas ranch.

"When all the pieces of the national identification plan are in place the hope is that you'd be able to trace it back to the farm within 48 hours," he said.

ODA Director of Communications Melanie Wilt said state and federal officials are discussing concerns about the confidentiality of farms that sign up for the National Animal Identification System.

"Farmers can rest assured that's being looked into," she said.

Wilt said if BSE were found in Ohio, ODA would work closely with federal agriculture officials to get information out to the public. The agency has already anticipated what the public would want to and should know, she said.

But so far there has been little indication that another BSE case would cause consumers to lose confidence in the beef industry.

Glauer noted there was no long-term impact on beef markets after the 2003 discovery of the disease and the impact appears to be minimal following the Texas discovery.

"I think the consuming public still believes in the safety of our food product," he said.