Beef Checkoff Revamps, Revitalizes and Re-launches BSE Web site
Date: Tuesday, August 26, 2008Updated content and expert reviewed Scientific Resource part of BSE Web site overhaul
CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Oftentimes information is outdated by the time it reaches the mailbox. In an effort to provide the latest facts about bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, commonly called “mad cow disease”), the beef checkoff-funded Web site, BSEInfo.org, recently was overhauled to include new and updated content and an easy-to-search Web structure. Although the United States hasn’t had a case of BSE since 2006, this disease remains important to the beef industry and the scientific community and frequently receives media attention.
“The latest update to BSEInfo.org reflects the industry’s commitment to providing the most current, scientifically valid information about these diseases. The beef checkoff is dedicated to investing in educational tools such as the site in order to eliminate confusion and misinformation among numerous audiences,” says cow-calf producer Austin Brown III, Cattlemen’s Beef Board member from Beeville, Texas, and vice chair of the Joint Information Committee. “The site also explains the measures we take to protect beef safety. We rely on our industry and media partners to share the facts about beef, and want to be sure to provide credible and complete information about how animal health and public health are protected from this disease.”
A highlight of the site is the Scientific Resource, which was reviewed by nine leading international experts in BSE and related diseases. These transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) experts served as scientific reviewers for sections about prions, BSE, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), scrapie and chronic wasting disease (CWD).
“The validation from these folks not only lends credibility to the site among external audiences, but also speaks to the standing of this resource within the scientific community,” continues Brown.
Media partners worldwide covering BSE can locate the best resources, determine who to contact to arrange an interview and find the foremost experts through this site. In addition, the revised Web site now contains updated BSE basics; information about BSE in the news; beef industry statements; answers to frequently asked questions and beef industry facts. BSEInfo.org also serves as a portal to other government, international and industry Web sites, and interactive maps highlight the geographic distribution of BSE cases.
A premiere Web site in its subject area, BSEInfo.org continues to be one of a very few sites to offer a comprehensive range of scientific information about BSE and related disease, typically hosting more than 2,000 unique visitors per week, many from other countries.
Visit the revised site at www.BSEInfo.org. For more information about checkoff-funded programs, visit www.MyBeefCheckoff.com.
The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.
Funded by the Beef Checkoff.