Ann Veneman Quotes

We’ve had risk assessments performed by Harvard University, which said that even if we did have a small number of cases in this country that the likelihood of it spreading or getting into any kind of human health problem is very, very small.

We had a single find of BSE in this country. And we believe that what we’re doing is appropriate action taken in an abundance of caution under the circumstances. And I believe it’s the right thing to do.

We are doing everything we can to protect the food supply. And I can tell you that we’re making decisions based upon sound science and good public policy, given the circumstances that we are now in.

This was a dairy cow, and dairy cows have IDs on them. The ID was traced back to the farm in Washington. It’s a dairy farm. And that farm now has been quarantined, and the owners have been very cooperative in doing that.

The demand for beef in Canada remains strong because I think people in America, in North America, know that we have a very strong food safety system and that our food is safe to eat.

The cows have ID numbers. And we should be able, throughout the investigation, which is ongoing as we speak, to be able to track that cow back to where it came from initially.