Farm Sanctuary member Michael Baur, a professor at the Fordham University School of Law, filed an unsuccessful petition in 1998 with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) claiming the consumption of downed animals created a serious risk of transmission of some progressive neurological diseases, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease.
In 1998, Michael Baur, a professor at Fordham University School of Law and member of Farm Sanctuary, filed a petition with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) claiming that consuming downed animals posed a serious risk of transmitting certain progressive neurological diseases, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease.