APHIS and FSIS Welcome OIG Report

August 27, 2004 -- ?The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) welcome the report and recommendations from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) regarding the enhanced bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) surveillance program,? commented Ron DeHaven, APHIS administrator, and Barbara Masters, FSIS acting administrator, in a written statement this week.

The OIG report made a total of 19 recommendations on specific program issues. USDA agrees with the recommendations and has already implemented several actions to address the recommendations in the report.

The agencies are committed to ensuring that the BSE surveillance program yields accurate and reliable information for the general public, for industry and for trading partners. Since the single case of BSE was found in Washington State last December, APHIS and FSIS have worked hard to be transparent in their prevention, surveillance and eradication efforts, with the objective of ensuring that they have the benefit of expertise from around the country and the world.

<< Back