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12-31-2003 |
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Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass praised new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) policies to safeguard human health against Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathies (BSE) during two national teleconferences he moderated Wednesday. “I am monitoring the situation at the national level and as it pertains to West Virginia,” said Commissioner Douglass. “It is important for everyone to realize that the measures being put into effect by the U.S. Department of Agriculture are important to consumers, producers and our trading partners overseas.” Commissioner Douglass stressed that beef is safe to eat and that the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) will remain alert in its efforts to promote and protect West Virginia’s beef industry and ensure a safe food supply for consumers. “Despite the extremely low level of risk to human health associated with BSE, we are taking every precaution to make sure that the food West Virginia consumers eat is wholesome, nutritious and unadulterated,” said Commissioner Douglass. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman announced that four new policies - which have been under consideration in recent months - will go into effect in the near future. They include: * Removing certain animals and specified risk material and tissues from the human food chain. * Acceleration of a national animal identification system for tracking livestock. * Holding meat from cattle that have been tested for BSE until the test has been confirmed negative. * Prohibiting the air-injection stunning of cattle. For more information, visit www.usda.gov.
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Current Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org. |
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©2001, 2002 West Virginia Department of Agriculture, All Rights Reserved |
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