Statement of the Hon. Rosa DeLauro on USDA Decision to Ban Creekstone Farms from Conducting Mad Cow Testing

Statement of the Hon. Rosa DeLauro on USDA Decision to Ban Creekstone Farms from Conducting Mad Cow Testing

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT) today released the following statement in response to the USDA's decision to reject the bid of Creekstone Farms Preium Beef LLC to independently test its cattle for mad-cow disease. Creekstone asked the USDA in February for permission to test its cattle for the disease because of the company's high number of sales to Japan, which has banned beef from the United States since the discovery of mad cow disease in Washington state in December. Japan tests all its cattle for the disease and is urging the United States to do the same. In the past month, Congresswoman DeLauro has twice written to Secretary Veneman on behalf of farms such as Creekstone, asking the USDA to grant their requests and commending these farms for taking pro-active steps to reassure their customers.

"I am deeply disappointed in the USDA's decision to reject Creekstone Farms' request to independently test its cattle for mad cow disease. As I have said before, the fact that Creekstone Farms has found it necessary to take these steps on their own speaks to the lack of swift, specific plans by the Department of Agriculture to deal with this issue. I commend Creekstone for attempting to take positive steps to assure their customers of the safety of their meat. I am also disappointed that the USDA took six weeks to reply to Creekstone, a company who has said they are losing about $40,000 a day in sales since the Japanese ban on U.S. beef. I have written to Secretary Veneman regarding Creekstone's situation, and have yet to receive a response. It is my understanding that Creekstone plans to follow up this decision with some type of appeal or legal action, and I will be supportive of their actions."