Consumer groups worried about plans to scale down mad cow tests

It appears the third case of mad cow in the U.S. discovered this month, has not affected the government's plans to continue its enhanced testing program for the disease.

The Agriculture Department is about to reach a decision on the program it implemented following the first U.S. mad cow case in 2003, after considering the views of scientists, industry officials and other interested parties.

However U.S. consumer groups are urging the government to continue with the enhanced testing program as any move to end or dramatically curb the program could they say send the wrong message to Americans and U.S. beef importers and is unwise at this juncture.

It has been revealed that the administration's proposed 2007 budget only includes funding for a fraction of the cattle tests that have been performed in recent years.

Confirmation of the disease in an Alabama cow is the third time the ailment has been found in the United States in the past 27 months.

The enhanced program was originally intended to only run for 12 to 18 months, and has tested far more animals than was initially planned.

The program was responsible for finding two of the three cases of the brain-wasting cattle disease in the U.S.

At present the reaction in the global markets has been muted and South Korea and Japan are apparently not making any immediate changes to plans to resume U.S. imports.