By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter

Following a record number of people attending anti-U.S. beef import rallies Tuesday, a U.S. consumer group called for allowing private meatpacking companies there to test slaughtered cows for mad cow disease.

The New York-based non-profit consumer watchdog Consumers Union said doing so would help relieve Koreans' worries about the safety of American beef.

Michael Hansen, senior scientist at the union, said the Koreans' concern about American beef would probably ``decline or disappear'' if the U.S. companies were given the right to test for the disease.

Hansen made the remarks in a statement issued by the consumer group aimed at urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to drop opposition to Kansas-based meatpacking company, Creekstone Farms' action to test all its cattle for mad cow disease.

The company, which suffered lost sales from exports to Korea and Japan, has taken legal action in the case.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in March 2007 that the USDA ``cannot prohibit the private use of rapid test kits to screen cattle for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).''

After the ruling, the agriculture department appealed the ruling arguing the same rapid test kits used by the agency to screen for BSE are ``worthless.'' A ruling is expected to be made shortly.

Jean Halloran at the Consumers Union told The Korea Times the rationale behind why the agriculture department claims the tests are worthless.

``First, a cow can be infected but if it is in the early stages, it will not show up on the test. Second, the USDA argues that allowing the testing will cost the cattle industry money because if one company starts testing, the demand for tested cattle will be so great that all companies will have to test to remain competitive,'' said Halloran.

Nevertheless, the activist underlined the value of the test claiming ``It can detect the disease at a later stage.''

According to Consumers Union, the agriculture department tests only a tenth of a percent of all slaughtered or dead American beef cattle, while Japan tests every cow.

Halloran said the agriculture department ``only tests 40,000 cattle per year out of some 35 million slaughtered annually claiming this fulfills the requirements of the OIE and that they have no plans to increase the testing.''

Experts here said concern about food safety is the core driving force leading tens of thousands people to protest the resumption of American beef imports.

Given that 99 percent of cows infected with BSE are older than 30 months, the beef deal which includes the imports beef cuts from cows older than 30 months prompted citizens to seek collective action against the deal.

In an attempt to quell the rising concern, a ruling party delegation along with a senior presidential secretary in foreign affairs and security left for Washington Monday to discuss the matter with congressional leaders and government officials there.

hkang@koreatimes.co.kr