Lawmaker Questions USDA Mad Cow Efforts
Thu May 13, 2004 05:37 PM ET
By Randy Fabi
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Agriculture Department's blunder in failing to test a condemned Texas cow for mad cow disease may reflect wider problems in the government's surveillance program, a Democratic lawmaker said on Thursday.
The USDA last week acknowledged it erred in failing to test a 12-year-old cow for the brain-wasting disease when the animal arrived at a Texas slaughterhouse exhibiting a possible central nervous system disorder.
A USDA supervisor in Austin, Texas refused to test the animal despite requests from federal animal health inspectors, said California Rep. Henry Waxman.
Article: http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=5138460