Brazil says beef is free of mad cow disease
After it was revealed that a Brazilian cow that died in 2010 contained the proteins linked to BSE, Brazil is working to convince importers that its beef is free of mad cow disease. The country’s government is asserting that the animal in question did not “manifest the disease nor die of it,” reports the Associated Press.
"This episode does not pose any risk to public health or animal sanitary safety, considering that the animal did not die of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (the scientific name of mad cow disease) and the fact that it was buried in the property itself," the ministry said in a statement.
Japan has already placed a ban on Brazilian beef, and the country is worried that other nations may follow suit. Brazil exported $7.6 million of beef to Japan through the first 10 months of 2010. Brazil has exported a total of $4.8 billion in beef in that time span. The country is planning to send missions to the top 20 nations that buy its beef to explain the case.
"The government will provide all the necessary clarifications to eliminate all doubts as to our animal sanitation defense system," Jose Carlos Vaz, the ministry's secretary general said in a statement.
Source: Associated Press
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