Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 14, 2004
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136
Alt Contact:  Mary Beth Lang, Washington State Department of Agriculture, 360-902-1815

Gov. Gary Locke, State Agriculture Director Visit Mabton Community; Governor Declares ‘Washington Beef and Dairy Week’

Gov. Gary Locke and Valoria Loveland, director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture, held a town hall meeting today in Mabton with livestock industry leaders and the local community on the mad cow investigation.

Joining Locke and Loveland were Dr. Kevin Varner, Yakima incident commander with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); Dr. Gary Brickler, USDA area veterinarian in charge of Washington state; Kathy Connell, state veterinarian, Washington State Department of Agriculture; Dennis Klukan, administrator of the Yakima Health Department; David Conradt, mayor of Mabton; and Ed Prilucik, mayor of Sunnyside. Also present were state Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside; Rep. Bruce Chandler, R-Granger; and Rep. Daniel Newhouse, R-Sunnyside.

“I thank the livestock industry groups and local communities affected by this incident for their patience, understanding and cooperation with this federal investigation,” Locke said. “This has been a challenging time, and you’ve done a tremendous job under the glare of the nation and international spotlight. I’m here to listen to your concerns and offer my support and assistance.”

Locke hosted the town hall meeting to talk about specifics of what is being done to protect the state’s agriculture industry, public health and the environment. Locke also asked for feedback on his policy improvement recommendations for the livestock system he proposed in December to keep the public’s faith in the safety of the beef supply.

The governor said he wants to work with the livestock and dairy farmers to address how the state can follow through on his proposed recommendations within the practical realities of farming and ranching.

Prior to the town hall meeting, Locke and Loveland stopped at Ray’s Retail Meats in Yakima to purchase some meat to reinforce the message that beef is safe. “It’s important to remember that beef remains safe to eat,” Locke said. “Only one cow was infected with BSE, and human food supplies were not threatened.”

Loveland said, “It’s important that we do all we can to support and promote our beef industry and the safety of our beef. We continue to cooperate with the federal government and are directing all available resources to assisting the USDA in completing its investigation.”

“I commend the staff of the U.S. Department of Agriculture as well as our own state Department of Agriculture for their tremendous efforts to support this investigation,” Locke said. “I also want to thank the staff of our state departments of Ecology and Health for their involvement and support as part of the state’s response to this incident.”

During his visit to Mabton, Locke declared Jan. 17 through Jan. 24 as “Washington Beef and Dairy Week,” urging all citizens to enjoy Washington’s beef, milk and dairy products and to continue to support our state farmers and ranchers throughout the year.

On Dec. 23, the USDA announced that a single dairy cow in Mabton tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease. Since that time, federal and state agencies have worked together to ensure the safety of our meat supply and to investigate the source of the disease and take steps to eliminate it. The USDA is the lead on the investigation and food safety efforts, with the Food and Drug Administration responsible for handling the animal feed and rendering aspects of the investigation.

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