Andy Solomon (202) 720-4623
                                          andy.solomon@usda.gov


USDA CONTINUES EFFORTS TO PREVENT BSE

     WASHINGTON, April 24, 1998--The United States Department of Agriculture
has entered into a cooperative agreement with Harvard University's School of
Public Health to begin an analysis and evaluation of the Department's current
measures to prevent bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).  The two-year
study will review current scientific information, assess the ways that BSE
could potentially enter the United States, and identify any additional
measures that could be taken to protect human and animal health.  

     Initiating this study is the latest step in a ten-year record of
aggressive measures USDA has taken to prevent the entry of BSE into the United
States.  In coordination with other government agencies, the USDA BSE Working
Group has been regularly reviewing the available science and implementing
appropriate regulatory measures to prevent BSE.  These measures include the
1989 ban of cattle and cattle products from countries where BSE has been
reported, as well as an active inspection, testing, and education program.  

     No cases of BSE have been diagnosed in the United States.  

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