On Apr. 24, 2012, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the nation’s fourth case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a dairy cow from central California.

The carcass of the animal was held under State authority at a rendering facility in California and was destroyed. It was never presented for slaughter for human consumption, so at no time presented a risk to the food supply or human health. Additionally, milk does not transmit BSE.