Mad cow disease found in California; no human threat seen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. authorities reported the country’s first case of mad cow disease in six years on Tuesday, swiftly assuring consumers and global importers that there was no danger of meat from the California dairy cow entering the food chain. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack gave assurances that the finding posed “no risk to the food supply or to human health”, a line that seems to have been accepted by major foreign buyers. Fears of a potential backlash among consumers and big importers of U.S. …