USDA to help pets in distress
Following the devastation wrought upon North Carolina by Hurricane Floyd, the USDA, recognizing a deficiency in disaster preparedness for companion animals, brought together key organizations involved in animal relief to help them strategize how better to protect pets during natural disasters. [more]

Meat irradiation gets green light, approval process
streamlined
Late last year, the USDA-FSIS announced it was giving the eagerly anticipated go-ahead for food industries to begin using ionizing radiation (irradiation) to kill harmful bacteria on refrigerated or frozen raw meat and meat products. [more]

Study links BSE and deadly human brain disease
There is additional evidence to suggest a link between bovine spongiform encephalopathy and a fatal human brain disease that has killed 51 people in Europe. [more]