Editorial

U.S. Ate 777 Mad Cows?
by: Larry Walker, 3/15/06

Last 8 years:

Estimated total cattle slaughtered: About 200 million (25 million per year)

Estimated total cattle tested for Mad Cow: About 773,000

Mad Cows Confirmed: 3

Mad Cow Rate: 0.00039%

Estimated total mad cows slaughtered (eaten?): 777 in 8 years

(780 minus the three detected) 98 per year

North-South distribution of Mad Cows detected: Border to border

(Washington to Texas)

East-West distribution of Mad Cows detected: Coast to coast, minus one state

(Alabama to Washington)

Type of Mad Cows detected: 1 dairy (Washington), 2 beef (Alabama & Texas)

Testing rate before 1st Mad Cow detected (about 55 per day)

       about 0.06% of cattle slaughtered

(6-18 years to detect next Mad Cow)

"Enhanced" testing rate in effect now (about 1000 per day)

       about 1.11% of cattle slaughtered

(4-12 months to detect next Mad Cow)

Proposed "scaled back" testing rate (about 110 per day)

        about 0.12% of cattle slaughtered

(3-9 years to detect next Mad Cow)