New study boosts worries about human risk from mad-cow disease (AFP via Yahoo! News) A new study adds to concern that the deadly human form of mad-cow disease may have infected far more people than previously thought. [News Source]

Mad cow disease ‘a threat to tens of millions in Britain’ (The Scotsman) TENS of millions more Britons are at risk of contracting the human form of mad cow disease than originally thought, raising fears over the safety of blood products and surgery. [News Source]

USDA welcomes beef talks with Japan (Reuters via Yahoo! News) The Agriculture Department welcomes the extension of beef talks with Japan as an opportunity to discuss in depth U.S. safeguards against mad cow disease, a USDA spokesman said on Thursday. [News Source]

Japan won’t decide yet on resuming beef trade. Japan is unlikely to decide when to resume U.S. beef imports during technical-level talks between the two governments this week despite Washington's hopes for an answer, a Japanese official said on Thursday. [News Source]

Bilateral beef talks resume. Japan and the United States started two days of talks Wednesday in Tokyo to discuss terms for resuming imports of U.S. beef. [News Source]

Some ranchers shy on first day since mad cow announcement (AG Weekly) TULIA, Texas -- West Texas rancher Kevin Crooks lost about $1 million in the year following the country's first case of mad cow 18 months ago. If he'd had cattle big enough to sell at the Tulia Livestock Auction on Monday, he wouldn't have brought a one. [News Source]