Authorities end probe in Ala. mad-cow case

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government has given up trying to track the origins of an Alabama cow infected with mad cow disease.
The trail went cold after seven weeks of investigation of more than three dozen farms, the Agriculture Department said in a report issued quietly late Tuesday.
Meantime, in a separate investigation, the U.S. is tracing 15 cattle imported from Canada that ate the same feed as an infected cow discovered last month in British Columbia. So far, the government has found one cow and intends to kill and test it, the Agriculture Department said.
While the Alabama traceback didn't pan out, John Clifford, the USDA's chief veterinarian, said it's important to remember that people and animals are protected by a series of safeguards in the United States.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.