Why isn USDA testing all cattle slaughtered in the United States?
A2. USDA’s BSE tests are not food safety tests. They are specifically used to determine whether BSE exists in the U.S. cattle population and if so, at what level. It is USDA’s position that such testing is valid only for a statistically based surveillance system. It is important to note that the removal of specified risk materials (SRMs) is the single most important action that can be taken to protect public health. Current BSE tests are not accurate for animals that are not showing clinical signs of BSE. One estimate is that current test methodology would have a false negative test rate of 92% for clinically normal adult cattle because prion accumulation is lower than the detection threshold (i.e., if 100 BSE-infected adult cattle were tested while clinically normal, 92% of them would test negative even though they were, in fact, infected). The goal of the USDA’s enhanced surveillance program is to provide consumers, trading partners, and industry increased assurances about animal hea
