How an American BSE Crisis Has Affected the Value of Traceability and Country-of-Origin Certifications in the U.S. Beef Industry?

The announcement on December 23, 2003 that a dairy cow in the state of Washington was diagnosed as having BSE sent shock waves through the US beef industry. This research uses auction experiments to determine the pre- and post-BSE effects of traceability and country-of-origin information on US consumer willingness to accept US and Canadian beef. The findings indicate that BSE has likely damaged US consumer demand for Canadian beef more than it has for US beef. The findings also indicate that most participants in the auction experiments would support the implementation of a mandatory animal identification program in the United States.