May 24, 2004 SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER editorial

The assurances warrant a heavy dose of caution from U.S. consumers, as well as officials in Japan and elsewhere who are being urged to resume importing American beef. Panic isn't in order, by any means. But anyone who wants to believe the government has a firm basis for its public assurances should pay attention to what happened last week.

The Washington Post reported that Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman secretly began allowing imports of Canadian ground beef and other relatively risky meat cuts last year, soon after suggesting that such a change wouldn't occur without public debate. She kept doing so for six months, until a federal judge ruled against an announced expansion of imports.

Meanwhile, the Agriculture Department's inspector general confirmed an investigation into whether an official wrongly kept a suspect cow in Texas from being tested. The cow reportedly showed signs of central nervous system problems, which are supposed to trigger testing.

There was also troubling news on the scientific front. The Journal of Pathology carried findings from researchers who say up to 3,800 people in Britain may carry the agent behind the disease's human form. Their condition may present risks in blood donations and for attending medical personnel in surgeries.

The risks from mad cow disease are extremely low. But federal statements of complete confidence are clearly unfit for human consumption.