Mad Cow

Jim Cullor: Impact on the the dairy industry

Jim Cullor

Jim Cullor is a UC Davis veterinary professor and director of the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching and Research Center in Tulare, Calif. Tulare County is the No. 1 dairy-producing county in the United States. Cullor is an authority on dairy cattle and dairy farming. His research lab has developed a quick test to detect the presence of protein from other ruminants in livestock feed.

Q. How are dairy producers being affected by the finding of mad cow disease in the United States?

A. Dec. 23, 2003, has the same impact on dairy producers that 9/11 has had on the rest of us. Economic hardships are taking place in several areas of their business world. Prices for their dairy beef has gone down but should recover over time. They cannot export semen, embryos or live animals to a major portion of the world. Their dairy products are under siege from unwarranted fear and panic. They are under constant questioning regarding their production methods. From these questions and consumer responses, it is clear we have long since turned away from being an agricultural society.

Q. How will the ban on "downer" cows impact the dairy industry?

A. Downer cow carcasses, prior to this past December, would either enter the human food chain, the animal food chain, or rendering products that may end up as oils, grease, etc. As of this date, none of them can enter the human food chain through federally licensed processing plants.

If the rendering industry cannot sustain a market for the increased
number of animals required to enter the latter two categories, or if another category is taken away, we will experience a shocking series of decisions that must be addressed immediately. For instance, in California and many parts of the United States, these unwanted carcasses cannot go into landfills and cannot be buried on the farm site. The solution to this issue of animal carcasses will require some extensive planning and decision-making in the next few months.

Q. Does BSE pose a risk to the milk supply?

A. There is no evidence the prions are in the milk of affected cows. It has never been found there, and calves that have been born to BSE mothers and have consumed their milk have not contracted the disease.

Q. What changes can be made in the beef and dairy industries to
better protect the food supply?

A. We have not had a case of mad cow disease that has originated in the United States. It seems the previous system is working and the new adjustments should make things even better. Other food safety issues are being addressed on a daily basis by these industries. For instance, every truckload of milk, every day of the year, is tested for the presence of antibiotics before it is unloaded at the processing plant. If any are found, the milk is never unloaded from the truck and it never enters the food supply.

There are a few issues in key areas that are being addressed. These include strict adherence to the new rules that are now in place, such as the ban on certain feed ingredients; improved electronic or DNA-based animal identification; close alliances with university research capabilities to address new challenges; and implementation of new management practices.

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