Saturday, September 29, 2012

Mad Cow Disease Detected in Ukraine 2012-09-28 22:56:00




Mad Cow Disease Detected in Ukraine 2012-09-28 22:56:00



Xinhua Web Editor: haipeng



A case of mad cow disease has been confirmed in Ukraine, the first in two years, reported the authorities on Friday.


A cow from a private household in the central Vinnitsa region was found to behave aggressively on Tuesday, the Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry said in a statement.


The cow was slaughtered the next day and tests confirmed that the cow was infected with mad cow disease, it said.


The new case posed no risk to human health as all farmers in contact with the cow were vaccinated, said the ministry.


Local authorities have sealed off the village where the infected cow was found to prevent the spread of the disease.


Mad cow disease, which attacks the central nervous system, is thought to be spread mainly in contaminated feed, when animals consume the meat of infected animals. It attacks an animal through hard-to-destroy protein forms called prions, which can multiply in the brain, reducing it to a spongy wreck.


































-------- Original Message --------



Subject: USDA SEALED BORDERS LEAKING AGAIN WITH POTENTIAL BSE/TSE


Date: Thu, 7 Oct 2004 11:51:39 –0500


From: "Terry S. Singeltary Sr." Reply-To: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy To: BSE-L@UNI-KARLSRUHE.DE


FSIS Recall


CLASS I RECALL


HEALTH RISK: HIGH


Congressional and Public Affairs


Matt Baun (202) 720-9113


FSIS-RC-038-2004


USDA DETAINS CANNED MEAT AND POULTRY PRODUCTS FROM UKRAINE


WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2004-USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service today announced that it is detaining an undetermined amount of canned meat and poultry products that entered the country from Ukraine. Ukraine is not eligible to export meat, poultry or egg products into the U.S. New World Amazing International Inc., a Buffalo Grove, Ill., importing firm, is also voluntarily recalling the product.


The products being detained and recalled are various weight cans of:


Note: the following product labels are printed in Cyrillic. Photographs of these labels can be viewed on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov


+ "Pork Stew, Pork Stew in its own Juice." + "Liver Spread, Liver Spread in Oil." + "Liver Spread, Liver Spread in Pork Fat." + "Chicken Meat, Baby Chicken Meat." + "Kasha, Rice with Beef." + "Kasha, Buckwheat with Beef." + "Beef Stew, Beef Stew in its Own Juice."


FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of this product. However, these products could present a health hazard to consumers because Ukraine is not among the countries that are approved to export meat and poultry into the U.S. As such, these products have not been inspected by FSIS. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a physician.


FSIS has taken immediate steps to remove this product from commerce and continues to investigate whether any unlawful actions have occurred. Consumers who have purchased any meat or poultry product imported from Ukraine are urged not to eat it but to return it to the place of purchase.


The products were distributed to Eastern European specialty food and gourmet markets in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin.


Consumers and media with questions about the recall may call Milana Grosfiler, company manager, at (847) 537-1337.


Consumers with food safety questions can phone the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at l-888-MPHotline. The hotline can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday, and recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.


#





Greetings list members,




NOW, lets see about the BSE GBR of Ukraine.



WELL, seem there was no BSE GBR for Ukraine? This is very disturbing for USA to let these exports slip by again. Seems Ukraine had cases of BSE, but was later denied?


Veterinary Services


Animal Products Export Regulations


USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service


April 2004 UKRAINE/ Veterinary certificate for milk and milk products Revised April 2004 UKRAINE/ Veterinary certificate for technical gelatin (not for human consumption), hides, horn-hoof, furs, sheep pelt, lambskin, goat underfur raw material, wool, haircoat, horsehair, down and feather of chicken, duck, goose, and other species Revised April 2004 UKRAINE/ Spray dried feed and feed additives of animal origin New


January 2004 UKRAINE/Veterinary Certificate for technical gelatin (not intended for human consumption), hides, horn-hoof, furs, sheep pelt, lambskin, goat underfur raw material, wool, haircoat, horsehair, down and feather of chicken, duck, goose, and other species New January 2004 UKRAINE/Veterinary Certificate for pet food Replaced







MAP of Ukraine


IF i understand my Geography correctly, SEEMS Ukraine is surrounded by many smaller Countries with documented BSE. Poland, CZ., Hungary, Romania, Belarus, Russia, Moldova, just to name a few;






SO, why are we still allowing these potential BSE/TSE products into the USA for consumption if our borders are sealed with triple BSE/TSE firewalls still in 2004?


THE damn non-species coding system is a BSE/TSE nightmare, let alone the products that could carry the BSE/TSE agent that air traffic passengers have brought into the USA;



* Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in Poland 05/07/02






* Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy


in the Czech Republic 6/14/01







- Opinion the Geographical Risk of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (GBR) in Romania (Adopted on 11/05/2001) (21KB)






- Opinion the Geographical Risk of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (GBR) in the Czech Republic (Adopted on 30/03/2001) (20KB) updated






- Opinion on the Geographical Risk of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (GBR) in the Slovak Republic (Adopted on 30/03/2001) (19KB) updated






- Opinion on the Geographical Risk of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (GBR) in Poland (Adopted on 30/03/2001) (18KB) updated






- Final Report on the updated assessment of the Geographical BSE-Risk (GBR) of Belarus 2003 (10 April 2003) (399KB)






- Report on the Assessment of the Geographical BSE - Risk of Hungary (March 2001) (109KB)







Mad Cow Disease Could Hit Russia, Experts Warn


The Russia Journal, June 22, 2002


The arrival of mad cow disease in Poland has led to warnings from Russian producers that shoddy controls at customs and in local meat production are putting Russian livestock at risk as well.


The Russian Agriculture Ministry banned bone-in meat and livestock imports from Poland in early May. While the ministry suggested checking Polish veterinary controls on meat producers, it was not a condition for continuing trade, said Aleksander Milota, consul for commercial issues at the Polish Embassy.


Russia's restrictions on Polish meat are less harsh than those used recently on American poultry, when Russian veterinarians spent a month checking American factories for additives and salmonella. Even so, Milota believes Russian authorities overreacted in responding to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Poland: "All our cattle are tested before being exported," he said. "There is a psychological factor, which is the fear of the disease, that makes the government make unnecessary decisions such as banning cattle imports." Russia used to import 8,000 tons of Polish beef per year.


Poland, expecting to become a EU member in 2004, follows European safety requirements, which demand parental records for all animals to allow genealogical tracing. Cows 30 months old must undergo veterinary testing for BSE, and feeding meat and bone meal to cattle, a practice believed to spread the disease, is also forbidden.


The Polish BSE case has not affected meat prices in Russia, according to the Institute for Studies of the Agrarian Market (IKAR). IKAR analyst Larisa Torogova said she believes that neither meat dealers nor consumers have become concerned about mad cow disease, since Russia has several supplying countries for the 2 million tons of red meat imported each year.


Torogova said Germany and Ukraine are the largest beef exporters to Russia. No mad cow disease has yet been detected in Ukraine, and Germany's controls are now stricter than those in the rest of Europe after struggling with 125 cases of BSE in 2001. Its last BSE case was detected in May, though it has had no reports of the human variant of the disease, Creutzfeld-Jacob, one form of which is believed transmitted by eating contaminated beef.


A State Customs Committee document shows imports of boneless beef are allowed from Austria, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, France, the Czech Republic and Japan, as well as Poland. Beef from England, Greece, Portugal, Switzerland and South Korea is entirely prohibited.


Yury Kostenko, chief of the microbiology department at the V.M. Gorbatov Meat Research Institute of All Russia, said those restrictions are enough to decrease contamination risks. "Few remember it, but Russia was the first European country to ban British beef and cow imports in 1986," he said.


But official barriers aren't effective in practice, according to some meat-business insiders. Alexander Spiridonov, president of the St. Petersburg-based Northwestern Association of Meat Producers, accused the government of favoring a small protectorate of meat importers that, with the unofficial support of the customs and clearance control inspectors, could bring meat infected with mad cow or other diseases to Russia.


Spiridonov said previous agreements or bribes to veterinary inspectors allow goods to move freely across borders. And customs and clearance doesn't have the resources to test the safety of imported meat.


"The strict European control on meat production, which is in accordance with Russian veterinary requirements, should be enough to avoid another veterinary inspection at the ports. At the end, officials don't check the cargo," he said, adding that trade barriers against mad cow disease are a government attempt to soften relations with local farmers, many of whom are close to bankruptcy.


The association believes the licensing and import process, among other activities associated with veterinary controls, is unconstitutional and is organizing a lobby of parliament for change. It says a formal charge against the veterinary department of the Agriculture Ministry through the Antimonopoly Ministry and the General Procurator of Russia for their conduct is also on the way, though the Agriculture Ministry couldn't be reached for comment.


Private meat companies have also created a fund to assist farmers facing difficulties trying to supplying local demand.


Russia has not had any reported cases of BSE. But cattle producers complain there aren't enough veterinary inspections of their operations. And some say they doubt the enforcement of legislation regulating the use of animal and bone meal in feed. Its use in cattle feed has been prohibited in Russia since 1996 and even longer in Europe. But there is little to no supervision by veterinary inspectors, who are supposed to check feeding procedures and reasons for animals' deaths.


Meat and bone meal is still used for poultry and hogs, which are not believed to carry BSE.


That there is only one laboratory to analyze Russia's 27 million cows adds to suspicions of internal safety controls. That laboratory, the Russian Research Institute for the Protection of Animals, has tested the meat of 1,200 animals since its beginning in 1999, 15 years after the disease was first diagnosed in England. The laboratory, in the city of Vladimir, is supported by Moscow meat-processing factories interested in checking the quality of their raw product. But the lab doesn't have equipment to test live cows or track the disease's path of infection.


"We took cows from the majority of the regions in the country, and not a single case was discovered," said Alexander Yegorov, deputy chief of the Department of Rare Diseases. He said those tests should be sufficient to show that Russian livestock are free of BSE. But the analysis, at $20 per test, is not affordable for many farmers and so has a limited reach.


"It is impossible to exclude this possibility [of BSE] because it might have reached our territory from cows and meat and bone meal exported to Russia," he said.


The EU, which monitors the potential spread of the disease, warned in 2000 that Poland was likely to have a BSE case. The Brussels-based Press Service of the European Commission has reported that scientists are now evaluating countries' risks of exposure to BSE.


They said definitive conclusions about Russia have not yet been reached, but "certainly the risk of spreading [the disease to Russia] is not excluded."


Russia's largest selling business weekly - also available in USA & Europe.Full issue at http://www.russiajournal.com


Copyright © 2002 The Russia Journal. All Rights Reserved.








TSS




=========END=========





since the OIE has failed the International Community so bad on the reporting of all Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy type disease, I will be surprised if this case gets reported by the OIE. ...TSS






Tuesday, July 17, 2012



O.I.E. BSE, CWD, SCRAPIE, TSE PRION DISEASE Final Report of the 80th General Session, 20 - 25 May 2012










Saturday, May 26, 2012


Are USDA assurances on mad cow case 'gross oversimplification'?


SNIP...


What irks many scientists is the USDA’s April 25 statement that the rare disease is “not generally associated with an animal consuming infected feed.”


The USDA’s conclusion is a “gross oversimplification,” said Dr. Paul Brown, one of the world’s experts on this type of disease who retired recently from the National Institutes of Health. "(The agency) has no foundation on which to base that statement.”


“We can’t say it’s not feed related,” agreed Dr. Linda Detwiler, an official with the USDA during the Clinton Administration now at Mississippi State.


In the May 1 email to me, USDA’s Cole backed off a bit. “No one knows the origins of atypical cases of BSE,” she said


The argument about feed is critical because if feed is the cause, not a spontaneous mutation, the California cow could be part of a larger outbreak.


SNIP...







==============================================



Saturday, August 4, 2012


Final Feed Investigation Summary - California BSE Case - July 2012







=============================================





SUMMARY REPORT CALIFORNIA BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY CASE INVESTIGATION JULY 2012


Summary Report BSE 2012


Executive Summary








Saturday, August 4, 2012


Update from APHIS Regarding Release of the Final Report on the BSE Epidemiological Investigation








CENSORSHIP IS A TERRIBLE THING $$$


Canada has had a COVER-UP policy of mad cow disease since about the 17th case OR 18th case of mad cow disease. AFTER THAT, all FOIA request were ignored $$$


THIS proves there is indeed an epidemic of mad cow disease in North America, and it has been covered up for years and years, if not for decades, and it’s getting worse $$$


Thursday, February 10, 2011


TRANSMISSIBLE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY REPORT UPDATE CANADA FEBRUARY 2011 and how to hide mad cow disease in Canada Current as of: 2011-01-31







Wednesday, August 11, 2010


REPORT ON THE INVESTIGATION OF THE SIXTEENTH CASE OF BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY (BSE) IN CANADA







Thursday, August 19, 2010


REPORT ON THE INVESTIGATION OF THE SEVENTEENTH CASE OF BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY (BSE) IN CANADA








Friday, March 4, 2011


Alberta dairy cow found with mad cow disease







Reasons for the New Regulation Order No. 23 (as well as amending Order No. 149) of the State Committee for Veterinary Medicine name BSE as the reason for new import requirement. The legal title for Order No. 23 is "On Urgent Measures Aimed at Prevention and Elimination of BSE and Other Prion Infections in Cattle”. Neither Order explains how the threat of introduction of BSE can be addressed through the inspection of producers of all products of animal origin including fish, dairy products, poultry and pork. It is not clear what other concerns are addressed through the proposed inspections. Formal Notification of Trading Partners On August 3rd, Ukraine's Notification and Enquiry Point issued a legal Notification G/SPS/N/UKR/3/Rev.1 found on the Official WTO Website (Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures)













World Trade
Organization
G/SPS/N/UKR/3/Rev.1
3 August 2009
(09-3751)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
Original: English




NOTIFICATION


Revision


1.
Notifying Member: Ukraine
If applicable, name of local government involved:
2.
3.
Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where applicable): Raw animal products, feed additives, premixes, feed for livestock, other products of animal origin consisting of ruminants’ protein:
0201 10 Carcasses and half-carcasses
0201 20 Other cuts with bone in
0201 30 Boneless
0202 10 Carcasses and half-carcasses
0202 20 Other cuts with bone in
0202 30 Boneless
0210 20 Meat of bovine animals
0210 90 Other, including edible flours and meals of meat and meat offal
0511 99 Embryos of bovine animals, other
1502 00 Fats of bovine animals, sheep or goats, other than those of heading
1503 00 Lard stearin, lard oil, oleostearin, oleo-oil and tallow oil, not emulsified or mixed or otherwise prepared
1602 50 Of bovine animals
1602 90 Containing meat or meat offal of domestic swine, uncooked; mixtures of cooked meat or offal and uncooked meat or offal, other
0204 10 Carcases and half-carcases of lamb, fresh or chilled
0204 21 Carcases and half-carcases
0204 22 Other cuts with bone in
0204 23 Boneless
0204 30 Carcases and half-carcases of lamb, frozen
0204 41 Carcases and half-carcases
0204 42 Other cuts with bone in
0204 43 Boneless
0204 50 Meat of goats
0205 00 Meat of asses, mules or hinnies
0206 10 Of bovine animals, fresh or chilled
0206 21 Tongues
0206 22 Livers
0206 29 Other
4.
Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:
[ X ] All trading partners, or
[ ] Specific regions or countries:
5.
6.
Changes concern the conditions of entry into the territory of Ukraine of raw animal products, feed additives, premixes, cattle feed, other products of animal origin.
Since the entry into force of the Order # 149 the permit for the importation into Ukraine of raw materials and products of animal origin, feed additives, premixes, feed for livestock, other products of animal origin will be given after previous examination of epizootic situation, the verification of the requirements for facilities, industrial processes, storage conditions and other requirements in the countries from which these products are imported.
7.
Objective and rationale: [ X ] food safety, [ X ] animal health, [ ] plant protection, [ X ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ X ] protect territory from other damage from pests.
8.
Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g. title or serial number of Codex standard or related text)
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic Animal Health Code, chapter number)
[ X ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM N°)
[ ] None
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?
[ X ] Yes [ ] No
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the international standard:
9.
Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:
Decree of the President of Ukraine No 192 as of 22.03.2001 "On Urgent Measures to Ensure Stable Epizootic Situation in Ukraine".
(available in Ukrainian at:
Law of Ukraine "On Veterinary Medicine" with changes
Notice of Chief Inspector of Veterinary Medicine of Ukraine # 15-3-2-16/4256 as of 21 July 2009 "On Postponement of Implementation of the Order of the State Committee of Veterinary Medicine of Ukraine No 149 as of 20.05.2009", "On Amendments to the Order of Chief Inspector of Veterinary Medicine of Ukraine No 23 as of 12.03.2001", "On Urgent Measures on Prevention and Elimination of the Appearance of the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and Other Prion Infection".
(available in Ukrainian at: http://www.vet.gov.ua/data/news/news_401.doc)
10.
Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy): 20 May 2009
Propose date of publication (dd/mm/yy): 22 June 2009
11.
Proposed date of entry into force: [ ] Six months from date of publication, and/or (dd/mm/yy): 14 January 2010
[ ] Trade facilitating measure
12.
Final date for comments: [ X ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the notification and/or (dd/mm/yy): 2 October 2009
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [ X ] National Notification Authority, [ X ] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
WTO Enquiry Point and Information Processing Centre:
MSP 04655, Kyiv, 8 Lvivska Sq.
Tel.: +(38 44) 272-11-24
Fax: +(38 44) 272-11-47
E-mail: ep@mfert.gov.ua
13.
Texts available from: [ X ] National Notification Authority, [ X ] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
WTO Enquiry Point and Information Processing Centre:
MSP 04655, Kyiv, 8 Lvivska Sq.
Tel.: +(38 44) 272-11-24
Fax: +(38 44) 272-11-47
E-mail: ep@mfert.gov.ua
Website where the text is available: http://www.vet.gov.ua/law/ua/?doc=358 (Ukrainian version














Subject: Mad cows in western Ukraine?
From: tom
Reply-To: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2000 11:15:40 -0800
Content-Type: text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
Parts/Attachments text/plain (31 lines)
Reply
#########  Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy   #########

I don't know how reliable these accounts from Ukraine, Russia, and Poland
really are, the details are so scant:


Mad cow disease case registered in western Ukraine
 
 Thu, Dec 7, 2000 AP WorldStream
 
Two cows have died of mad cow disease in western Ukraine, the country's Ministry of Emergency Situations said in a statement Thursday. It was the first confirmed case of the disease in a former Soviet republic. Laboratory tests performed after the animals died confirmed they suffered from the brain-wasting ailment, the statement said. Another 150 cows from the stricken animals' herd in the Rivne region have been isolated, the statement said. Measures were taken to prevent the disease's spread, a spokesman for the regional emergency ministry office said on condition of anonymity. "Still, there is no prerequisite to kill other cows," the spokesman said. Farm workers who were in contact with the cows were examined for signs of the illness, he said. Whole herds are routinely slaughtered as a precautionary measure in Western European countries, even while veterinary experts and farmers say the killing is unnecessary. It was not immediately clear how the cows were infected. Mad cow disease -- formally known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE -- is believed to cause a variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, an ailment that eats away brain tissue.
 
 
 






Subject: Imported Ukrainian canned beef Recall Notification Report 038-2004 and mad cow disease
From: "Terry S. Singeltary Sr."
Reply-To: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Date: Wed, 18 May 2005 21:11:25 -0500
Content-Type: multipart/related
Parts/Attachments:
Parts/Attachments text/plain (468 lines)
Reply
#####################  Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy  #####################





Recall Notification Report 038-2004

Product(s) Recalled:
Imported Ukrainian canned beef, pork, and poultry products.

Production Dates/Identifying Codes:
Produced July 2004. The products being detained are various weight cans 
(product labels 
<http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_038_2004_Release/index.asp#Photos> 
are printed in Cyrillic):

    * "Pork Stew, Pork Stew in its own Juice."
    * "Liver Spread, Liver Spread in Oil."
    * "Liver Spread, Liver Spread in Pork Fat."
    * "Chicken Meat, Baby Chicken Meat."
    * "Kasha, Rice with Beef."
    * "Kasha, Buckwheat with Beef."
    * "Beef Stew, Beef Stew in its Own Sauce."


Problem/Reason for Recall:
The products were imported from the Ukraine, which is ineligible to 
export to the United States.

How/When Discovered:
On October 6, 2004 the Recall Management Staff was notified by OPEER 
that the Florida Department of Agriculture had observed, photographed 
and held product at Odessa International Foods in Boca Raton, Florida. 
The Importer of Record was later identified as New World Amazing 
International, Inc.

Federal Establishment:
Not Applicable
New World Amazing International, Inc.
708-710 Armstrong Drive
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089

Consumer Contact:
Milana Grosfiler, Manager, (847) 537-1337

Media Contact:
Milana Grosfiler, Manager, (847) 537-1337

Quantity Recalled:
Undetermined amount

Distribution:
Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Recall Classification:
Class I

Recall Notification Level:
Retail

Press Release:
USDA Detains Canned Meat and Poultry Products From Ukraine 
<http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_038_2004_release/index.asp> 
(includes photos)

Direct Notification Means:
The firm has notified its customers orally and will follow-up in writing.

FSIS Follow-up Activities:
: Effectiveness checks by the FSIS, Office of Program Evaluation, 
Enforcement and Review (OPEER).

Other Agencies Involved:
None

FSIS Contacts:

    * Compliance/Recall Coordinator: (630) 620-7474
    * Recall Management Staff: (202) 690-6389
    * Media Inquiries: (202) 720-9113
    * Congressional Inquiries: (202) 720-3897
    * Consumer Inquiries: 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854); TTY,
      1-800-256-7072
    * Web Site: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/
      <http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Home/index.asp> (FSIS Main Page) or
      http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FSIS_Recalls/
      <http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fsis_Recalls/index.asp> (Recall
      Information)


Date of Recall Meeting:
October 06, 2004

Recall Case Number:
038-2004



http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fsis_Recalls/RNR_038_2004/index.asp


USDA Detains Canned Meat and Poultry Products From Ukraine

Recall Release CLASS I RECALL
FSIS-RC-038-2004 HEALTH RISK: HIGH

Congressional and Public Affairs
(202) 720-9113; FAX: (202) 690-0460
Matt Baun

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2004 - USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service 
today announced that it is detaining an undetermined amount of canned 
meat and poultry products that entered the country from Ukraine. Ukraine 
is not eligible to export meat, poultry or egg products into the U.S. 
New World Amazing International Inc., a Buffalo Grove, Ill., importing 
firm, is also voluntarily recalling the product.

The products being detained and recalled are various weight cans of:

Note: the following product labels are printed in Cyrillic. Photographs 
of these labels 
<http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_038_2004_Release/index.asp#Photos> 
can be viewed on the FSIS Web site at www.fsis.usda.gov

    * "Pork Stew, Pork Stew in its own Juice."
    * "Liver Spread, Liver Spread in Oil."
    * "Liver Spread, Liver Spread in Pork Fat."
    * "Chicken Meat, Baby Chicken Meat."
    * "Kasha, Rice with Beef."
    * "Kasha, Buckwheat with Beef."
    * "Beef Stew, Beef Stew in its Own Juice."


FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of 
this product. However, these products could present a health hazard to 
consumers because Ukraine is not among the countries that are approved 
to export meat and poultry into the U.S. As such, these products have 
not been inspected by FSIS. Anyone concerned about an illness should 
contact a physician.

FSIS has taken immediate steps to remove this product from commerce and 
continues to investigate whether any unlawful actions have occurred. 
Consumers who have purchased any meat or poultry product imported from 
Ukraine are urged not to eat it but to return it to the place of purchase.

The products were distributed to Eastern European specialty food and 
gourmet markets in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio 
and Wisconsin.

Consumers and media with questions about the recall may call Milana 
Grosfiler, company manager, at (847) 537-1337.

Consumers with food safety questions can phone the toll-free USDA Meat 
and Poultry Hotline at l-888-MPHotline. The hotline can be reached from 
l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday, and recorded 
food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.
Product label photos:



USDA Recall Classifications
Class I This is a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable 
probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse 
health consequences or death.
Class II This is a health hazard situation where there is a remote 
probability of adverse health consequences from the use of the product.
Class III This is a situation where the use of the product will not 
cause adverse health consequences.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_038_2004_Release/index.asp

[4]
Date: Tues 12 Dec 2000
From: Marjorie P. Pollack
Source: The St. Petersburg Times


MOSCOW - With jitters over mad cow disease sweeping Europe, Russians were
jarred this week when the fatal disease appeared to have struck close to
home. Ukraine's Emergency Situations Ministry (ESM) announced Thursday [7
Dec 2000?] that 2 cows infected with BSE had died in the village of Simonov
in the Rovno region. Ukraine is Russia's main supplier of beef, providing
about 70 percent of the market, according to the Russian Meat Union.

An employee with the Rovno regional headquarters of the ESM, Col. Viktor
Simonyuk, said that it was unclear how the cows had become infected. "We
are currently trying to find a reason for what happened," said
Simonyuk. "We must introduce quarantines, vaccines and screen all cows for
the presence of the dangerous disease."

However, other Ukrainian authorities questioned the ESM's assessment,
saying the region did not even have the resources needed to detect the
disease. "Our [ESM] has got something wrong," said Alexander Kostuk, the
head doctor at the Rovno veterinarian department. Valentina Titorenko, a
deputy head at the Agriculture Ministry, added that "2 cows did indeed die
from a form of rabies, but this was the normal kind, the kind that affects
foxes and dogs."

While fears about mad cow disease have wreaked havoc on European food
markets, there have been no recorded cases of it in Russia. Russian
officials said that it is very difficult to find out whether the disease
has crossed into Russia. "It's just that many Russian and Ukrainian vets
do not have the means to diagnose BSE," said Viktor Yatskin at the Russian
Meat Union. European experts believe that there is a link between the
disease and the use of ground bone in animal feed, of which Russia imported
117 967 tons last year, according to State Customs Committee data. Russian
Meat Union chairman Musheg Mamikonyan said the feed is mostly used for
pigs, while cattle are fed hay or pasture grass. Yatskin disagreed. "In
Russia, bone powder has traditionally been used to feed all animals," he 
said.

[This situation appears to be rife with speculation, as this report lacks
enough specifics to convince me one way or another. If there is any
disagreement over the causative agent, I would definitively NOT favor the
guy who wants to vaccinate his way out of this situation. There is no
substitute for getting an accurate diagnosis, and we would certainly like
to get one. - Mod.PC]

******

http://www.fas.org/ahead/disease/tse/2000/dis-tse-001218-apjap.htm
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:6yLYzJLwVR4J:www.fas.org/ahead/disease/tse/2000/dis-tse-001218-apjap.htm+ukraine+bse&hl=en


      General news


Possible case of BSE in Ukraine

Ukraine news agency sources have reported that laboratory tests have 
confirmed a case of mad cow disease in the country.13 The report is 
attributed to the Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry, and says that the cow 
died on a private farm in the village of Ostrovsk, Zarichynskyy 
District, Rivne Region.

A news report in December 2000 stated that Ukraine had two cases of BSE, 
but this was later denied by officials. A further case was reported by 
Pravda in September 2001 but was never confirmed.

An article in the Russian Journal in June warned that, following reports 
of BSE in cattle in Poland, it would not be long before the disease 
arrived in Russia.14 The article said that Russian beef producers have 
warned that poor controls at customs and in local meat production are 
putting Russian livestock at risk.

http://www.priondata.org/components/July2002.doc.

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:CKUiY7eI2EUJ:www.priondata.org/components/July2002.doc+ukraine+bse&hl=en


Ukraine is situated in the south-eastern part of Central Europe and has 
its own territory, government, national emblem, flag and anthem. It 
borders on Russia, Byelorussia, Moldova, Slovakia, Roumania, Hungary and 
Poland on land and Russia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Roumania and Turkey on sea.

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:b0_KZxTbi2IJ:www.priondata.org/components/June2002.doc+ukraine+bse&hl=en

http://www.ukraine.org/


i dont think they even submitted a BSE GBR risk assessment,
but the countries around them have;

Opinion of the
Scientific Steering Committee
on the
GEOGRAPHICAL RISK OF
BOVINE SPONGIFORM
ENCEPHALOPATHY (GBR) in
HUNGARY
Adopted on 30/03/2001

snip...

THE ANALYSIS
Hungary was exposed to high external challenge from 1980-1993 and very high
since 1994.

snip...

It is concluded that it is likely but not confirmed that one or several 
cattle that are
(pre-clinically or clinically) infected with the BSE agent are currently 
present in
the domestic herd of Hungary (GBR III).
Given the extremely unstable system and the fact that the BSE-agent is 
likely to be
already present in the country due to live cattle and MBM imports, it is 
assumed
that the GBR is increasing.

snip...

http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/ssc/out187_en.pdf


Opinion of the
Scientific Steering Committee
on the
GEOGRAPHICAL RISK OF
BOVINE SPONGIFORM
ENCEPHALOPATHY (GBR) in
POLAND
Adopted on 30/03/2001

snip...

THE ANALYSIS
Poland was exposed to a very low challenge between 1980-86, a very high
external challenge between 1987-90 and an extremely high external challenge
since 1991, mainly due to massive imports of MBM from BSE affected countries
(in the range of 1,700,000 tonnes in total, mainly from DE: around 1,000,000
tonnes in total). High imports of cattle are also recorded for the 
period since 1988.
The BSE/cattle system of Poland was and is very unstable since 1980.
Feeding MBM to cattle was legally possible until March 1997 and is 
likely to have
occurred, even if it was uncommon practice. The efficiency of the 
feed-ban cannot
be assessed, as feed controls were apparently not carried out. Rendering 
is and was
common practice in Poland. Material includes ruminant material, 
including SRM,
condemned material, and a limited proportion of fallen stock. The rendering
processes used were adequate for reducing BSE-infectivity since a long time.
There is no SRM ban. Cross contamination is most probable (no specified feed
lines, no controls described). BSE is notifiable since 1997 and 
surveillance was
nearly non existent until 1997. Since 1977, passive surveillance does 
not fulfil OIE
requirements. Active surveillance has started in 2001.
It is concluded that it is likely but not confirmed that one or several 
cattle that are
(pre-clinically or clinically) infected with the BSE agent are currently 
present in
the domestic herd of Poland (GBR III).
Given the very unstable system and the fact that the BSE-agent is likely 
to be
already present in the country, it is assumed that the GBR is increasing.

http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/ssc/out185_en.pdf

http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/ssc/out200_en.pdf

Report on the assessment of the Geographical BSE-risk of Slovak Republic 
March 2001
Report on
the Assessment of
the Geographical BSE-Risk
(GBR) of the
SLOVAK REPUBLIC
MARCH ARCH 2001

snip...

5. CONCLUSION ON THE GEOGRAPHICAL BSE-RISK
5.1 The current GBR as function of the past stability and challenge
• The current geographical BSE-risk (GBR) level is III, i.e. it is 
likely but not confirmed that
domestic cattle are (clinically or pre-clinically) infected with the 
BSE-agent.
5.2 The expected development of the GBR as a function of the past and
present stability and challenge
• As long as the system remains neutrally stable, the probability of 
cattle to be (pre-clinically
or clinically) infected with the BSE-agent will remain as it is, as long 
as no further external
challenge occurs.
• Any further external challenge would again increase the GBR.
• If the stability is improved and this improvement is confirmed by 
favourable control results
on feeding, rendering and SRMs, the GBR will decrease over time.

snip...

http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/ssc/out202_en.pdf

Opinion of the
Scientific Steering Committee
on the
GEOGRAPHICAL RISK OF
BOVINE SPONGIFORM
ENCEPHALOPATHY (GBR) in
Slovenia
Adopted by the SSC on 13 September 2002

snip...

CONCLUSION ON THE CURRENT GBR
The BSE-agent was potentially imported into the country via infected MBM 
in the mid 90s when
MBM imports peaked. This MBM reached cattle via feed. It can be expected 
that the 1997 birth
cohort had a much lower chance to be infected because MBM imports 
decreased dramatically and
the first feed ban was introduced. Although the rendering system was 
able to reduce BSE
infectivity since 1992, some recycling and propagation may have occurred 
because SRM were not
removed and therefore rendered.
The first domestic BSE-case in Slovenia was identified in November 2001 
and a second case was
confirmed in January 2002. It is therefore confirmed (GBR III) that 
domestic cattle in Slovenia
are (clinically or pre-clinically) infected with the BSE-agent at a low 
incidence.

http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/ssc/out285_en.pdf

Report on the assessment of the Geographical BSE-risk of Romania 11/05/2001
FINAL INAL REPORT EPORT
ON THE ASSESSMENT SSESSMENT
OF THE
GEOGRAPHICAL EOGRAPHICAL BSE R RISK OF
ISK ROMANIA OMANIA
MAY AY 2001

snip...

5. CONCLUSION ON THE GEOGRAPHICAL BSE-RISK
5.1 The current GBR as function of the past stability and challenge
• The current geographical BSE-risk (GBR) level is III, i.e. it is 
likely but not
confirmed that domestic cattle are (clinically or pre-clinically) 
infected with the
BSE-agent.

snip...

http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/ssc/out213_en.pdf

- 1 -
Opinion of the
Scientific Steering Committee
on the
GEOGRAPHICAL RISK OF
BOVINE SPONGIFORM
ENCEPHALOPATHY (GBR) in
Turkey
Adopted by the SSC on 27 June 2002

snip...

CONCLUSION ON THE CURRENT GBR
The very unstable BSE/cattle system of Turkey was exposed to a high and 
very high external
challenge since the early 80s. It is therefore likely that the BSE agent 
was introduced into the
country and recycled and amplified. As the system is still regarded to 
be unstable it is concluded
that it is likely but not confirmed that one or several domestic cattle 
are (pre-clinically or
clinically) infected with the BSE-agent (GBR III).

snip...

http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/ssc/out276b_en.pdf

i missed a few of the others, but you get my drift.

damn, maybe they been talking to GW and his BSE MRR TEXAS
policy of just rendering the damn things head, spinal cord and all,
or just not using WB to confirm the positive, positives...TSS

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TSS