It's been here for decades, but that didn't stop them from continuing the horrible practice of feeding cows meat and blood products. Now the Federal government will have even more excuses to get involved in the destruction of independent agriculture in the United States, when it's big corporate farms that have caused this:

Congress scuttled meat protection measure
AP -- Legislation to keep meat from downed animals off American kitchen tables was scuttled - for the second time in as many years

Second herd quarantined
London Independent -- Officials investigating America's first documented case of BSE said yesterday that they had quarantined a second herd of cattle as they sought to contain the health scare.

Freak Science Will Save You: Clones can combat mad-cow disease
UPI -- South Korean researchers announced Wednesday they have genetically modifed cows and pigs to be resistant to diseases.

Inspections for Mad Cow Lag Those Done Abroad
The New York Times - 12/24/03

Seven Nations Halt U.S. Beef Imports
AP -- 12/24/03

Mad Cow Meat May Have Been Eaten, Official Says
Reuters -- 12/23/03

CU expert 'shocked' that meat processed - Bosque said there still are questions about eating the muscle tissue of a cow infected with mad cow disease
Rocky Mountain News - 12/24/03

Mad-cow disease hits state; feds say beef 'absolutely safe'
The Seattle Times - 12/24/03

USDA refused to release mad cow records - The agency still is searching for documentation of its mad cow testing results from 2002 and 2003. 
United Press International - 12/23/03

Suspected mad cow case found in Wash. state
CTV News - 12/23/03 -  Press conference Video

Downer Beef Series
KIRO 7 Eyewitness News (Seattle)

3 new deaths linked to rare brain disease - Seattle doctors report cases involving hunters, prions - CJD in Deer and Elk Hunters - American Academy of Neurology
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - 04/09/03

CJD in 3rd young Seattle case: ex-meat packer
www.mad-cow.org - 08/14/99

Blood transfusion linked to mad cow disease death - First UK case of variant CJD from blood.
Nature - 12/22/03