The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) will announce Thursday plans to downsize its mad cow surveillance program, a source briefed by the department told Reuters. “We're lowering it to reflect the low level of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in the United States,” the source said. “It's lower, but keep in mind it will still be testing at a level 10 times higher” than international recommended standards. The United States found its first case of mad cow disease in 2003 and has reported two more cases since then. Since June 2004, USDA has tested more than 650,000 cattle, mostly older and higher-risk animals, for BSE through its surveillance program.
