Prion diseases hide out in the spleen. Prion diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are able to jump species much more easily than previously thought. [News Source]

'Mad Cow' and Other Prion Diseases Hide Out in Spleen By Jo Marchant of Nature magazine Prion diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) are able to jump species much more easily than previously thought. [More] [News Source]

Beetle threat concerns head of maple syrup producers. Ray Bonenberg says he lays awake at night worrying about the Asian long-horned beetle. He's not the only one worried. Gord Miller, Ontario's environmental commissioner, issued a warning earlier this month that the province's maple trees are at risk from bugs moving north from the U.S. within 10 years. [News Source]

Record U.S. Beef Sales Seen as Japan Reviews Curbs: Commodities U.S. farmers, poised to ship record beef cargoes for a second straight year, may get a further boost as Japan, once their biggest overseas customer, considers easing trade curbs imposed after an outbreak of mad cow disease. [News Source]

Reports cast doubt on bio-cremation process, Cloquet Council votes ‘no.’ The Cloquet City Council said a decisive "no" to allowing the bio-cremation process at local funeral homes at its Tuesday night meeting. [News Source]

US Supreme Court blocks California slaughterhouse law. The Supreme Court on Monday overturned a California law that would require euthanizing downed livestock at federally inspected slaughterhouses to keep the meat out of the nation's food system. [News Source]

Record U.S. Beef Sales Seen as Japan Reviews Curbs: Commodities U.S. farmers, poised to ship record beef cargoes for a second straight year, may get a further boost as Japan, once their biggest overseas customer, considers easing trade curbs imposed after an outbreak of mad-cow disease. [News Source]

Record U.S. Beef Sales Seen as Japan Reviews Curbs on Cattle: Commodities U.S. farmers, poised to ship record beef cargoes for a second straight year, may get a further boost as Japan, once their biggest overseas customer, considers easing trade curbs imposed after an outbreak of mad-cow disease. [News Source]

South Korea Lifts Canadian Beef Ban South Korea has lifted an eight-year ban on imports of Canadian beef. Seoul imposed the ban after mad cow disease was found in a Canadian cow in 2003. Topics:  Global Manufacturing Government Food/Beverage Safety [News Source]

South Korea lifts ban on Canadian beef. South Korea lifted its ban on Canadian beef, due to the threat of mad cow disease, after nearly nine years, raising Canadian government hopes for progress in stalled free-trade negotiations between the two countries. [News Source]