Mad cow hysteria

The federal government is fanning the flames of a consumer panic at the expense of common-sense food safety.

Just in time for your July Fourth barbeque, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) jumped the gun and announced two cases of “inconclusive” Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), better known as mad cow disease. Only after making its ominous announcement did the agency later announce, “Oops, never mind.”

That the USDA was concerned enough to follow up its initial assessment with more elaborate testing is well and good. That it blew the whistle before securing all of the facts is asinine.

In fact, the USDA did so by deviating from common sense, which would forbid any agency from trumpeting initial tests without first verifying their accuracy. And for good reason: That initial examination, ripe with false positives, presupposes a large number of cases will need to jump through the hoops of USDA’s more elaborate battery of screening. It’s a redundant process that helps make America’s agriculture the best and safest in the world.

However, the protocol was designed to prevent panic. The USDA officials should have known not to yell smoke in a crowded theater before concluding there was no fire.

Every time mad cow is brought to the forefront, consumer confidence is questioned, the cattle markets are thrown into a rollercoaster ride, and our trading partners take a step back from the table.

Consider Japan, with whom the United States has been negotiating for months to accept our beef. Our government, through its gauntlet of testing, isolated and kept from the public the only known case of one of our cows being infected with BSE. Try allaying Japanese fears after one of our agencies headlines a possible BSE discovery that it later dismisses with, “Oops, never mind.”

As a cattle rancher, I can understand the intricacies and difficulties of attempting to manage the industry. As the former lieutenant governor of Montana, I realize the bureaucratic and regulatory nightmare of the situation. However, the USDA now is putting itself in danger of crying wolf too many times.

With all the headlines mad cow has received around the world, how do you go about underscoring the fact that the United States has created layer upon layer of safeguards to protect the quality of our beef?

BSE is an explosive issue; even an inconclusive case in the United States creates uncertainty in the commodities and futures markets. In fact, the two inconclusive cases have caused a substantial drop this month. This ripple effect is felt from producers to feeders to processors to neighborhood restaurants, fast-food chains and local supermarkets. The ever-delicate agriculture industry is dealt another blow and loses more ground to foreign competitors.

USDA needs to be reliably transparent and diligent in its procedures if it is to alleviate fears. Why then should the USDA bother with an inconclusive first assessment, giving way to a second and more thorough round of testing for BSE? Why not simply use one foolproof test that would settle the issue on the same day?

That test both exists and is now used around the world. It is remarkably stringent, yielding no false positives and having a final, absolute answer within hours. Surprise: The USDA has even approved this technology. When the screening test ends, it either says “positive” or “negative.” What it never says is “inconclusive.”

Why throw question marks in the air when a simple period will do?

In my home state of Montana, we have more than 2.4 million head of cattle, adding almost $1 billion to our economy from cattle sales. This does not even account for the millions generated from trucking, equipment and feed sales, or the taxes supporting our communities. Agriculture is the backbone of our state, and it pains me to watch Montana producers and consumers take a huge hit due to speculation, doubt and uncertainty.

The uncertainty wielded by the USDA’s twice jumping the gun has translated into lower commodity prices, increased skepticism from trading partners and another swipe at consumer confidence.

The USDA must change its policies and procedures — and fast. If not, get ready for more false positives, more false announcements and more, “Oops, never mind.”

Rep. Denny Rehberg is a Republican from Montana.