Mad cow meat sent to 42 additional locales
By Steve Mitchell
UPI Medical Correspondent
Published 12/29/2003 3:48 PM
WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- An Oregon woman said Monday she unwittingly consumed some of the recalled beef that may have contained meat from the mad cow detected in Washington earlier this month, as federal officials announced the questionable meat had been sent to 42 more facilities than previously announced.
In addition, eight more Canadian cows apparently came into the United States in 2001 with the 74 that contained the cow in Mabton, Wash., that tested positive for mad cow on Dec. 23, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a news briefing Monday.
"The additional eight (cows) came on a subsequent shipment," USDA's chief veterinary officer Ron DeHaven said.
"We don't know at this point where those animals are," DeHaven said. "It's our understanding all of them did come into the state of Washington," he said, adding that authorities are currently trying to locate their whereabouts.
The woman, who lives in Williams, Ore., told United Press International the meat was purchased and consumed before the mad cow case or the recall was announced.
She declined to give her name because her family has business contacts with many ranchers but said she purchased the meat in Murphy, Ore., on Dec. 20 and she and her husband ate it the next day. The mad cow case was not announced until Dec. 23 and the recall was not initiated until Dec. 24.
The USDA recalled 10,000 pounds of beef that may have contained meat from the Holstein cow in Mabton. The agency said Sunday the meat went to Guam and eight states -- California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho and Montana.
Officials expanded the distribution on Monday to say it had reached 42 additional facilities
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