Beef business braces for cow test results

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Federal officials could announce as soon as today whether a suspicious animal has tested positive for mad cow disease.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on June 1 started a rapid testing system expected to produce some inconclusive results, triggering an additional round of screening at the national lab in Ames, Iowa.

The agency and the cattle industry have assured consumers the nation’s beef is safe. The USDA declaration has prompted a divisive debate in cattle country about whether such announcements do more harm than good.

As the nation awaits word, the cattle industry sits in an uneasy spot. Cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange dropped Monday as far as market rules allow for one day. Stock for McDonald’s, Wendy’s and other big beef users fell a few percentage points.

This is the first inconclusive result in about 7,000 cattle tested as part of USDA’s stepped-up program, begun six months after a single mad-cow case in Washington state flattened beef exports.