For years now the authors of “thrillers” have known that dark, shadowy figures were far more frightening than villains cast in the light of day. The recent announcement regarding the discovery of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in an imported Canadian cow in Washington state has illuminated this fact.

BSE or “mad cow disease,” is a fatal disease in aged cows, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The victims are usually 3-6 years old (which is approaching Methuselah for a dairy cow), as those raised for meat are usually harvested before 30 months. BSE is one of several serious neurological degenerative diseases, like chronic wasting disease that sporadically and spontaneously occurs in wild ruminant animals. Scrapie, which is the form endemic in goats and sheep, has been reported in medical journals since the 18th century.

Arizona’s beef-producing families and animal health/food safety regulatory officials have implemented inspection and surveillance programs for BSE since 1990. We were the first country, without a diagnosed case of BSE, to implement a surveillance program. European countries did not begin formal surveillance programs until late 2000 when it was clear they had the disease. Our surveillance program targets the highest risk livestock populations, which are non-ambulatory animals – animals that are unable to walk, animals showing any signs of neurological disorder as well as animals more than 30 months old. Our system is designed to identify the presence of BSE in one in 1 million animals. This is a significant level of surveillance.

The U.S. has the most rigorous beef inspection process in the world. In Arizona our animals are inspected up to seven times from the “gate to the plate.” This includes many stringent food safety regulations to assure a safe, wholesome product for consumers. This is done all while remembering that the BSE agent is not found in muscle meats such as steaks, roasts and ribs.

If other cows with BSE are discovered in North America, as they likely will, it does not mean our surveillance and inspection systems have failed or an epidemic is present. Quite the opposite – it will demonstrate the robust nature of our protection network and the foresight we had in implementing measures over 14 years ago. Remember our current system already exceeds international standards by more than 40 times.

Arizona and U.S. beef producing families are serious about food safety and protecting the health of our herds. That’s why we have adopted a “farm to table” approach encompassed by the Arizona Beef Quality Assurance Program. This program provides for certification, training and trace back that yields great results for consumers.

Now if the Alfred Hitchcock-like anti-meat activists would expend as much effort in supporting or enhancing our food safety efforts we could provide consumers with real facts about the true risks and eliminate “Freddy Krueger” from the meat case — returning him to where he belongs — the dark shadowy corner of those scary thrillers.

Bas Aja is executive vice president of the Arizona Cattlefeeders’ Association (ACGA). He can be reached at baja@arizonabeef.org The ACGA is a nonprofit organization founded in 1904 to represent the ranchers and protect the cattle industry. Its membership includes more than 2,000 cow/calf producers and business associates and friends of the industry from every county in Arizona.