Mad disease inspection team visits US animal health agency

A Korean team to inspect mad cow disease in the U.S. went to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Agriculture Department Tuesday. The government will decide on additional quarantine measures after being briefed by the delegation, which returns home Wednesday next week.

Whether they can visit the farm where the latest mad cow disease erupted has yet to be decided, however, raising fears that the inspection team will see half success only.

The Korean Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry issued a briefing Tuesday saying the inspection team visited the animal inspection service in Maryland, where 10 experts including John Clifford, chief veterinary medical officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, gave them the latest information on the mad cow case. They also examined the supervision and management system for mad cow disease."

Yeo In-hong, the director of the ministry`s food industry team, said, "The inspection team will visit the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Iowa Tuesday," adding "The information collected there will be arranged after the inspection team returns and makes an announcement to the public."

The veterinary services agency confirmed the latest U.S. case of mad cow disease, and the inspection team will focus on investigating the validity of the agency`s claim that the disease is an atypical form.

Yeo said, "If the U.S. management program of mad cow disease is found improper according to our inspection, we will have to tighten quarantine or ban imports (of American beef). If there is no problem, we can ease quarantine measures."

On if the inspection team could visit the farm where mad cow disease was found, the official said, "We have to get permission," adding, "The U.S. government is expressing disapproval because of privacy concerns by the farm owner. We`re using every possible means to get a chance to visit the farm."

imsun@donga.com