Officials say the demand for beef in the Ames area has not changed, despite a case of mad cow disease in Washington state.

Protection systems in place for beef have been effective, said Brad Skaar, associate professor of animal science.

He said the media’s portrayal of the disease causes people to be worried, but he said mad cow disease is not something Iowans need to be worried about.

One cow imported from Canada to the United States tested positive in late December for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, the formal name for mad cow disease.

“All indications are that consumers have taken the news in stride and have not reduced their consumption or demand,” said John Lawrence, ISU Extension livestock economist and director of the Iowa Beef Center, in an e-mail to the Daily.

However, Lawrence said, there are no formal statistics on local consumption or demand.

Lawrence said he attributes the steady demand of beef to statements from the United States Department of Agriculture, Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and the National Cattleman’s Beef Association which assure the public that beef products are safe.

“Demand is expected to remain strong for beef in the [United States],” he said. “The safeguards that [the] U.S. and Canada put in place have worked well, and the infections have been very isolated.”

Jon Lewis, director of campus dining, said he wasn’t advised to change the dining hall’s beef supply.

“We feel our meat sources are safe,” Lewis said.

Ames City Sanitarian Kevin Anderson said he received a memo from the Iowa State Department of Public Health to answer any questions that may arise about mad cow disease.

“They didn’t feel we were in any danger,” he said.

Prices for beef briefly dropped at Hy-Vee, but are now back up, said Ron Fennema, meat manager for the east Ames Hy-Vee, 640 Lincoln Way.

The drop in beef prices signifies a decrease in demand, but the cause it not necessarily because of mad cow disease, he said.

“[That] tells you people aren’t too worried about it,” Fennema said.

Kate Fox, junior in animal science, said her first reaction was shock when she heard about the case of mad cow disease in the United States.

“I didn’t think it would happen in the United States,” she said.

Fox said she was concerned people who are not educated about mad cow disease might stop eating beef.

Cattle brains and spinal cords are the beef products most likely to contain mad cow disease.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman held the first-ever joint meeting with Canadian Minister of Agriculture Lyle Vanclief and Mexican Secretary of Agriculture Javier Usabiaga Friday.

The three officials met to discuss new ways to resume of the North American beef trade.