What measures does La Cense Beef take to reduce the risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease?
La Cense cattle feed on a grass-only diet and are never provided feed containing animal by-products – a main source of transmission of BSE. La Cense Beef is produced from cattle raised on the La Cense ranch. We use a premise verification program that sources the age of calves from our herds. Our cattle are 18 months of age at the time of processing – BSE is known to have an incubation period of at least three years. Additionally, La Cense Beef never processes injured or ill cattle – also known as “downer” cattle. La Cense Beef does not use mechanical bone-stripping equipment (a process known as advanced meat recovery, or AMR). Our beef is hand-processed by skilled butchers. When a cow is fed it’s natural diet of grass, the healthy, natural acidity levels in cow’s stomachs (unlike grass fed).
