April 24/Washington/Associated Press -- An adult dairy cow in central California has contracted the first U.S. case of mad cow disease discovered in six years and only the fourth ever confirmed in this country, but the animal did not enter the food supply, the Department of Agriculture said.
The California cow “was never presented for slaughter for human consumption, so at no time presented a risk to the food supply or human health,” John Clifford, the USDA’s chief veterinarian, told reporters. “USDA remains confident in the health of the national herd and the safety of beef and dairy products.”