Tyson Foods Responds to Mad Cow Disease Report

Tyson

responded to report of Mad Cow Disease in California: The discovery of a case of BSE in a dairy cow in Central California does not involve Tyson Foods or any of our meat production facilities. Furthermore, according to USDA, it appears this is a case of “atypical” BSE, which authorities suggest may occur spontaneously in one out of about every million cattle, and not through transmission from some other agent. Two of the previous three cases of BSE in the U.S. were also “atypical.” Tyson Foods' beef products are safe because of the government safeguards in place for nearly 20 years to prevent BSE in the U.S. and our own company practices. For example, Tyson does not purchase “downer” or immobile livestock. We also stringently adhere to government requirements to remove the materials that can carry the BSE agent, such as the brain and spinal cord from mature beef cattle. Consumers should be reminded that the BSE agent is not contained in beef muscle such as cuts like steaks, roasts and hamburger. It is also important to note all Tyson plants are federally inspected and USDA inspectors are on hand every moment our facilities are in operation. This includes USDA veterinarians who monitor the health of the live animals brought to the company's plants. Since our company and the U.S. beef industry already have preventative measures in place to protect the safety of the products we produce, we're optimistic domestic and international consumption of U.S. beef will remain stable.