| Offices : Beckley • Charleston • Fairmont • Martinsburg • Washington, DC | E-mail Senator Rockefeller |
April 5, 2001
ROCKEFELLER PUSHES FOR LEGISLATION TO ADDRESS THE POSSIBILITY OF "MAD COW" AND "FOOT AND MOUTH" DISEASES IN THE UNITED STATES
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) joined Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) in introducing a bill that would require the Bush Administration to take advantage of interagency efforts to control the threats that Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE or Mad Cow Disease) may pose to the health of domestic livestock and humans.
The legislation – The Animal Disease Risk Assessment Prevention and Control Act of 2001 – would establish interagency information sharing while also determining whether additional legislative authority or funding is needed for managing FMD and Mad Cow Disease. The bill would also require the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to submit reports, after 30-day and 180-day periods, on how best to manage the effects of the two diseases.
"Like many West Virginia farmers, I’m concerned about any disease that can result in an economic plague for our farms. Though it’s highly unlikely that this epidemic will affect West Virginia, it is our responsibility to take seriously any disease that can devastate a nation’s livestock industry," Rockefeller said.
"West Virginia deserves both short-term and long-term approaches to managing these diseases. Commissioner Douglass has already been working closely with the USDA, WVU and the Extension Service to address the remote possibility of a breakout of FMD or Mad Cow in West Virginia. Now, we in Congress want to make sure there is a coordinated effort on the federal level that includes sharing of information between government agencies. Nobody gains from misinformation with sensitive issues like this," Rockefeller said.
Foot and Mouth Disease does not affect food safety or humans, though it’s highly contagious among cattle and swine, as well as sheep, goats and deer. While several European countries continue to battle these diseases, there has not been an outbreak in the U.S. since 1929. Mad Cow Disease affects the central nervous system of cattle. After 10 years of surveillance, no cases have been found in the U.S.
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