990390 Cattle Group Says $40M Needed to Fight E. Coli

Washington - A $40 million research program is needed to find new ways on the farm and in the slaughter house to prevent a deadly bacteria that occurs in ground beef, the U.S. cattle industry said Tuesday.

The proposed research program would target E. coli 0157:H7, a virulent strain that rose sharply last year for reasons that remain unclear, according to federal health statistics.

The bacteria triggered the biggest meat recall in U.S. history -- 25 million pounds -- two years ago. It has also shown up in other foods, most recently in a Nebraska outbreak traced to lettuce.

“It's a pathogen we just don't know enough about,” said Margaret Glavin, associate administrator of the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. “We need to learn more about how it gets into our food.”

Of the various foodborne illnesses, health experts say E. coli 0157:H7 ranks as one of the nastiest. It can cause bloody diarrhea in small children and others with weak immune systems, leading to kidney failure and death. There is no cure.

A Centers for Disease Control report issued earlier this month found the rate of E. coli 0157:H7 rose 22% to 2.8 cases per 100,000 Americans last year. The report did not say how many deaths it caused.

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association, which represents cattle ranchers throughout the nation, urged the government to take the lead in attacking the bacteria.

“Significant government funding is essential if we are to make aggressive advancements needed to eliminate E. coli 0157:H7 and other potential pathogens in beef,” Charles Schroeder, chief executive officer of the cattle group, told a briefing for congressional aides.

Industry, farm-state universities, state legislatures and other sources would also help fund the research, he said.

Roughly half of the $40 million in proposed spending over a five-year period would be earmarked for research into on-farm techniques to reduce the bacteria, which occurs naturally in the intestinal tract of animals. That would likely include taking a close look at animal feed, water troughs and other sources of transmitting the bacteria.

Another $9.4 million would be used to find better ways of sampling and testing ground beef in processing plants, and developing irradiation guidelines, he said. The remaining funds would be spent to develop better treatments for animal carcasses -- where E. coli 0157:H7 is easily spread -- and to help retailers.

The $40 million proposal would represent a huge increase in research spending.

The U.S. Agriculture Department's Agricultural Research Service will spend $11.5 million on beef safety studies during the current fiscal year. It hopes to boost that to $13 million in fiscal 2000, which begins in October, according to Floyd Horn, head of the research agency.

Another arm of the USDA -- the Cooperative State Research Extension and Economic Service -- will spend nearly $16 million on all kinds of food safety research during the current year.

Colleen Heffernan, acting administrator of the extension service, said the agency has asked Congress to increase that to nearly $25 million next year.

The cattle industry said it has spent more than $6 million since 1994 on E. coli research.

E. coli can be destroyed by thorough cooking of hamburger patties to a temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

This Article Compliments of...