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Release No. 0047.04
Contact:
Julie Quick (202) 720-4623
Jerry Redding (202) 720-4623
Printable version
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President’s FY 2005 Budget to Include Increased Funding for BSE Related
Activities
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PHOENIX, Jan. 29, 2004–
Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today announced that President Bush’s
FY 2005 budget for the U.S. Department of Agriculture would include an increase
of $47 million to fund multi-agency efforts to enhance USDA’s Bovine
Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) prevention program.
“The Bush Administration remains committed to protecting public
health and the safety of our food supply,” Veneman said during remarks
to the 2004 Cattle Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show being held
here. “These additional resources will fund enhanced prevention
activities including increased testing, monitoring and surveillance for
BSE. These funds are in addition to the $178 million already announced
for completion of the National Centers for Animal Health renovation.”
Veneman announced aggressive actions on Dec. 30, 2003 to further enhance
the U.S. safeguards already in place to prevent BSE from entering the
food supply. The actions, announced one week after the Dec. 23, 2003 confirmation
that a cow in the State of Washington had tested positive for BSE, include:
the prohibition of non-ambulatory animals from the human food supply;
further restrictions of specified risk materials in the food supply; requiring
additional process controls for establishments using advanced meat recovery
(AMR) systems; and holding meat from cattle that have been tested for
BSE until the test results are received and they are negative
The President will request a total of $60 million for BSE related activities;
a $47 million or 377 percent increase over FY 2004. The total requested
includes:
· $33 million to further accelerate the development of a national
animal identification system;
· $17 million for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
(APHIS) to collect 40,000 samples and tests for BSE at rendering plants
and on farms;
· $5 million for the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to conduct
advanced research and development of BSE testing technologies;
· $4 million for the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
to conduct monitoring and surveillance of compliance with the regulations
for specified risk materials and advance meat recovery; and
· $1 million for the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards
Administration (GIPSA) to dispatch rapid response teams to markets experiencing
BSE related complaints regarding contracts or lack of prompt payment.
Veneman also said the Administration is considering a proposal to transfer
emergency funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to help finance
these activities for FY 2004, including the implementation for the a national
animal identification program. USDA transferred $10.5 million from the
CCC last fall to APHIS to double the testing for BSE in cattle from 20,000
to 40,000 in FY 2004.
A crucial part of USDA’s BSE response is research and diagnostics.
On Jan. 13, Veneman announced that the President’s FY05 budget would
also include $178 million to complete the renovation of USDA’s new
National Centers for Animal Health. The Centers, located in Ames, Iowa,
is USDA’s flagship laboratory for large animal research and diagnosis.
It was the National Veterinary Services Laboratory, which is part of the
National Center for Animal Health, that diagnosed the case of BSE found
in Washington State. The President’s request would represent the
final installment of the $460 million needed to fully renovate the facilities
and if approved by Congress will permit USDA to complete the project by
the end of 2007.
For more information on BSE, visit www.usda.gov/.
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