WATKINS GLEN, New York - June 14 - The Unites States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has finally admitted that the U.S. may have its own variant of mad cow disease after confirming two cases of mad cow disease reported in Texas and Alabama were atypical strains of the disease. The Agency can no longer dismiss the scientific research published in 1993 by Dr. Richard Marsh of the University of Wisconsin that warned about "the presence of an unrecognized BSE-like disease in the United States."

"Rather than heeding the evidence presented by scientists like Dr. Richard Marsh, the USDA chose to ignore it," said Gene Bauston, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary. "We are concerned that the USDA adopted a 'don't look, don't find' approach and that an undetected disease has been incubating and spreading as a result."

Dr. Jean-Philippe Deslys, a scientist at NeuroPrion and expert about mad cow disease, identified some possible explanations for the new variant. He outlined several scenarios in the agribusiness newsletter, "Meatingplace.com": "that the 'classic' BSE infection has mutated, much like a virus; that these cases are linked to scrapie in sheep or are truly spontaneous like most CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) cases in humans and present little or no infective risk; or most ominously, that a new pattern of infectivity has emerged and may not be identified for years."

Agribusiness and government spokespersons want to assume the least risky scenario, says Farm Sanctuary. They hope that the Texas and Alabama findings are "spontaneous cases," which are believed to naturally afflict approximately one in one million cattle. There is no legitimate scientific basis for that assumption. Bauston states, "Rather than dismissing a mounting bed of troubling evidence, the USDA needs to carefully investigate it, and deal with this issue openly and honestly."

Downed animals, those too sick to stand, are among the most likely to be afflicted with mad cow disease or a variant of it. Farm Sanctuary has campaigned to ban the sale of downed animals since 1986. In 1998, Farm Sanctuary petitioned the USDA to ban downed animal slaughter. The USDA formally denied the petition in 1999. Farm Sanctuary then filed a lawsuit to ban downed animals. The case was dismissed, but a federal appellate court reinstated the case on Dec. 16, 2003, about one week before mad cow disease was discovered in the U.S. After this discovery, the USDA published an emergency rule banning the processing of downer cattle, but excluding all other downed animal species (e.g. pigs). At the time, the USDA suggested that a final rule would be forthcoming, but to date, no final rule has ever been issued despite widespread public and Congressional support for such a policy. Since this time, and with every new case of mad cow disease announced in the U.S., Farm Sanctuary has reiterated its call for a permanent ban on all downed animals entering the human food supply.

Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, they have worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and legislative actions, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Their shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. More information about Farm Sanctuary can be found at http://www.farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.

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