Two consumer watchdog groups, Public Citizen and the Government Accountability Project (GAP), recently issued a report documenting discrepancies among the top 20 cattle producing states' testing methods for Mad Cow Disease, also known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). BSE, a neurological disease in cattle, can cause variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a potentially fatal condition in humans.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) instituted a program to detect Mad Cow Disease over a decade ago. However, the watchdog groups found that BSE testing among top cattle producing states was inconsistent at best.

Under the USDA's program, the brains of all cattle diagnosed with a central nervous system disorder at death are to be tested, as are the brains of cattle unable to walk. Last year, of the nearly 35 million cattle slaughtered, only 2,300 were tested for BSE.

Based principally on these tests, the USDA pronounced that the United States is free from Mad Cow Disease. Public Citizen and GAP are concerned that this may be inaccurate.

Public Citizen and GAP representatives suggested several alternatives for improving the USDA's current program. Their suggestions include conducting unannounced plant inspections to monitor compliance and establishing clearer criteria for testing of animals.