010380 US Cattle Monitored for Mad Cow Show No DiseaseMarch 24, 2001Washington - The US Agriculture Department (USDA) said that 28 cattle, which were imported from Europe before a US ban on such animals took effect, have been closely monitored and show no sign of mad cow disease. The animals belong to owners in Minnesota, Texas, Vermont and Illinois, and are examined several times a year by veterinarians for any sign of the deadly disease. “We have been monitoring these animals for years. They have all been under quarantine since at least 1996,” said Anna Cherry, a spokeswoman for the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The owners of the animals have declined a USDA offer to purchase the animals. When each animal dies, it must be turned over to the department for tissue sampling and tests, Cherry said. “Nothing has ever indicated that any of the animals have any illness that we would be concerned about,” she added. “We know where they are, we know where they've been, and we know where they are going.” The 28 animals under surveillance include four in Vermont, which were imported from Britain; two in Minnesota, which came from Belgium; one in Illinois, which originated in Germany; and 21 in Texas, which were also imported from Germany.
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