Foreign Animal Disease Training

Homeland Security Grants to States and Tribal Lands

New Directions for the National Veterinary Accreditation Program

Partnerships with States and Industry

National Animal Identification System

Construction of the Miami Animal Import Center

New York Animal Import Center

National Animal Health Emergency Response Corps

BSE Harvard Risk Assessment

Cattle Tick Program

CVB: Ensuring the Availability of Quality Products

National Veterinary Services Laboratory Exclusion Testing

BSE Harvard Risk Assessment

In November 2001, USDA released a landmark study by Harvard University demonstrating that the risk of BSE occurring in the United States is extremely low. The report showed that early protection systems put into place by USDA and HHS have been largely responsible for keeping BSE out of the United States and would prevent it from spreading if it ever did enter the country.

The risk assessment was commissioned by USDA and conducted by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis. It evaluates the ways BSE could spread if it were to ever enter the United States. The report's purpose is to give agencies a scientific analysis to evaluate preventive measures already in place and identify additional actions that should be taken to minimize the risk of BSE.

Despite the positive feedback from the Harvard study, VS continued to strengthen and bolster U.S. protection systems against BSE to decrease the risk even further. Accomplishments since then include the following:

• VS established a goal of 12,500 samples for the year in its BSE surveillance program.
• VS far exceeded this goal with a record number of more than 19,000 samples.
• The Harvard assessment has been sent out for a peer review. Four independent scientists have been selected as peer reviewers by an independent contractor. The peer review should be complete by the first quarter of fiscal year 2003.
• VS is now testing dead cattle on farms and ranches as part of its targeted surveillance. Such cattle are considered an important potential pathway for the spread of BSE in the animal chain.
• APHIS is drafting an ANPR to consider additional regulatory options for the disposal of dead cattle on farms and ranches.