The U.S. government has confirmed that a dairy cow at a California farm has tested positive for mad cow disease.

The Department of Agriculture made the announcement during a news briefing on Tuesday.

The department’s senior veterinary officer, John Clifford, told reporters no contaminated meat is bound for the food supply and the disease can't be transmitted through milk.

Clifford stressed that “there is really no cause for alarm here with regard to this animal.”

The latest case is the fourth to be discovered in the U.S. since 2003. The department did not release the name of the farm where the infected cow was discovered.

The U.S. government said it reported the case to the World Organization for Animal Health and countries where it exports beef. The government claimed the incident will not affect U.S. beef exports or its status as a nation where mad cow disease is controlled.