Paul Coverdell: “I am only going to speak to this amendment briefly. Let me just say that, at the appropriate time, it will be discovered…”

“I am only going to speak to this amendment briefly. Let me just say that, at the appropriate time, it will be discovered that this is a rather broadly based amendment to deal with food safety. The amendment includes provisions for funding for research in the development of improved medical treatment for patients infected with E. coli and related diseases. The amendment provides funding to help detect and prevent colonization of E. coli in live cattle. Research would focus on determining the pathogen relationship between cattle and E. coli. The amendment will provide funding for the administration's food and safety initiative and, more directly, for the important consumer education component. Mr. President, the amendment provides provisions to implement a much-needed study on the feasibility of irradiating raw meat to eliminate E. coli and to develop a consumer education program on the process of safety. Mr. President, the amendment will require the Department of Health and Human Services to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to determine the effectiveness of USDA's zero-tolerance standard for E. coli. I am pleased today to be introducing an important amendment in my capacity as Agriculture Subcommittee chairman with jurisdiction over inspections. I am proposing what I think is a commonsense, effective approach to confronting the deadly pathogen E. coli:0157H7.”