US beef trade, particularly with Canada and Mexico, is not likely to be eroded by Friday's announcement of an "inconclusive" test for mad cow disease on one head of cattle, US Agriculture Under-secretary JB Penn said on Monday.
Penn said all major US trading partners have been informed of the preliminary test results. Final results are expected this week.
Even if there is a positive finding, Penn told reporters, it does not "change our risk profile" for mad cow disease.
Penn briefed reporters mainly to discuss his recent trip to Burkina Faso, where officials discussed global hunger problems.
Some US trading partners, including Japan, have maintained a total ban on American beef since last December, when the first US mad cow case was found in Washington state.
Asked if American consumers, preparing for July 4 cookouts, might turn away from beef if a second case of mad cow disease is diagnosed in the United States this week, Penn responded, "I wouldn't expect any terribly adverse reaction."
But Chicago Mercantile Exchange futures contracts for live and feeder cattle opened down the 3.00-cent per pound trading limit due to concerns of a potential second case of mad cow disease.
USDA officials, including Penn on Monday, have noted that finding a few additional cases of mad cow disease was likely now that the government has expanded its testing. More than 200,000 cattle are expected to be tested in the next year to 18 months, up from about 20,000 animals tested last year.
He said that trading partners were prepared for such an outcome. "My expectation would be that Canada would not respond negatively if we found another case," Penn said.
Asked about Mexico, he said, "The same answer applies."
But he said Mexico had not made any firm commitments, such as a written agreement to maintain current beef trade if more cases of the disease were discovered.
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