The Food and Drug Administration Wednesday said more than 1,200 head of cattle on a Texas feedlot ate feed laced with animal byproducts in violation of federal regulations aimed at keeping mad cow disease out of the United States. The FDA said Purina Mills will buy all 1,222 animals to keep them out of the human food chain. Purina Mills last week advised the FDA animal byproducts and bone meal accidentally had been mixed in with feed destined for a Galveston, Texas, feedlot. Since 1997, the FDA has prohibited the use of such by products in feed for ruminants like cattle and sheep to prevent the animals from contracting bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, which devastated the British cattle industry and is spreading throughout Europe. At least 83 Britons have died from the disease.
Mad cow is a neurological disease that destroys the brain.
Experts say there is no sign of mad cow in the United States and the material fed to the Texas cattle all came from U.S. animals. Holding of the 1,222 cattle in Texas proves the system in place is working. Purina Mills voluntarily and immediately recalled the product in question and immediately notified the regulatory agencies as is our standard policy and procedure. Self policing, integrity, and a long standing compliance with regulatory agencies has been a hallmark of our company for many decades. Our quality system detected the human error and our full cooperation with regulatory agencies prevented any animals in question from reaching the food chain.