More false positives on mad cow tests, impact on market.(BEEF)

Kiplinger Agriculture Letter, The, July, 2004

More false positives on mad cow tests will cause market flutters. USDA's program means use of a rapid but fallible screening test on over 200,000 cattle by late next year. It'll cause bumps in the road, but prices will react less and less as inconclusive results accumulate.

But even another confirmed case wouldn't change the fundamentals:

Tight supplies and strong demand. Americans continue to buy beef, despite some vague worries. And exports have already absorbed suspensions of sales. Two of the largest markets for U.S. beef, Japan and Canada, have their own mad cow cases. And new cases won't alter Mexico's buying. It has adopted a policy on beef safety similar to the U.S. and Canada.