Thomas Daschle: “the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease, FMD, and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, BSE, among some of our closest…”

“the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease, FMD, and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, BSE, among some of our closest trading partners is cause for heightened attention to our ability to prevent the spread of these diseases to the United States. Although the U.S. has not had an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease since 1929, and has had no known cases of BSE, their recent spread in Europe and other countries has raised serious concerns domestically. Given the extremely contagious nature of FMD, an outbreak in the U.S. could be catastrophic to the domestic farm economy, and would have serious ramifications for other economic sectors as well. BSE is not as contagious as FMD, but it causes a disease in humans that is fatal. Overall, BSE is much less well understood than FMD, which is itself a risk factor. I appreciate the significant work of USDA and other agencies to control the threat that FMD and BSE may pose to human health, in the case of BSE, and the health of domestic livestock and wildlife. However, we must do more, and we must do it quickly.”