Not the First

Some might find it over dramatic for South Korea to suddenly halt sales of US beef but, they have logical reasoning behind it. This recent case of Mad Cow is not the first seen in the United States. In 2003 the first case of BSE appeared in the United States. 12 countries including: South Korea, Japan, Mexico, and Canada banned or restricted sales of US beef and cattle products. This tremendously impacted the US because South Korea, Japan, Mexico and Canada totaled 90% of all US beef and veal exports. Losing these countries meant losing billions of dollars in profit. In 2006, two more cases of BSE were discovered in the United States. First, a cow born in Texas, whose body was later incinerated 7 months after tests were run.  Then months later a third cow found in Alabama tested positive for BSE. The USDA stated that these cows had not made their way into the animal or food chain, so Americans had nothing to worry about. Cases such as these dramatically impact consumer trust.

Photo Credit: http://assets.mediaspanonline.com/prod/7980493/AK_042512_BSE_N-America_w500.jpg
Link: http://articles.cnn.com/2003-12-23/us/mad.cow_1_mad-cow-disease-fatal-brain-wasting-disease-bse?_s=PM:US

"First Apparent U.S. Case of Mad Cow Disease Discovered." CNN. 24 Dec. 2003. Web. 09 May 2012. <http://articles.cnn.com/2003-12-23/us/mad.cow_1_mad-cow-disease-fatal-brain-wasting-disease-bse?_s=PM:US>.