USDA Aligns Mad Cow Disease Regulation with International Health Standards

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has finalized import regulations for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease. The final rule bases BSE regulations on internationally accepted scientific literature and standards set by the World Organization for Animal Health. The regulation allows for the safe trade of bovines and bovine products, while protecting the United States from the disease. This measure doesn’t change safeguards currently in place in the United States, but allows USDA to use the same criteria and categories as the World Organization for Animal Health to identify a country’s BSE risk status. Learn more or read the Q&As.