National Cattlemen’s Association and Beef Producers Good afternoon everybody. I’ve come here today in representation of the National

Cattlemen’s Association to talk about certain issues that have been concerning the United

States beef consumers. During 2003 a health epidemic spread to our cattle through the

United States, it became a disease recognized as Mad Cow Disease. Throughout the years

the United States Food and Drug Administration (USDA) has produced certain norms to

protect the people of the United States and have provided us with certain guidelines that

we happily agreed to in order to show that our cattle are worthy of the consumers in the

US.

The first of many norms that they have provided is immediately banning downer

cattle from being used in human food. This type of cattle includes any non-ambulatory

disabled cattle. They have banned certain high-risk tissue from cattle older than 30

months old, which include the brain, skull and eyes.

We have been providing new vaccinations to cattle and calf, which help to

prevent disease from coming into the herd. Even though this vaccination may seem costly

it provides a risk-free environment and cattle that can be used to provide grade A beef to

the consumers of the United States.