USDA "mad cow" testing incomplete?

[carswell]

Documents and video-tapes obtained by CBC News raise questions about the handling of two cows suspected of suffering from BSE in the United States. The case dates from eight years ago. The questions concern the findings of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It ruled the two animals did not have the disease. But some documents and the exclusive videotapes, raise questions about the accuracy of the testing. And two former high-ranking USDA employees, are now speaking out about the cases for the first time.

For a quick-and-dirity transcript of the report (among other things, quotes are not shown as such), visit the World Report archive for April 13, 2005. It's the third item, titled SAWA 2.

[hodge-podge]

I found a better link to the article mentioned above. The CBC and two former USDA officials are insinuating a cover up by the USDA.CBC Site

[jayt90]

The CBC radio report was a headline issue this morning. The two suspected mad cows were slaughtered 8 years ago in upstate New York, in the same place, at different times. Initial reports absolved the animals of Mad Cow disease, but more thorough tests on the brains were not available, or not done, because the brains disappeared. A scientist has come forward now, after retirement.

Frankly, this is what many Canadians have suspected all along: that there must have been cover ups of Mad Cow in the U.S., since their beef raising practices are very similar to Canada's, and there is a greater population of cattle for the disease to gain an entry. I wonder what else might be going on...

[nwyles]

The CBC radio report was a headline issue this morning. The two suspected mad cows were slaughtered 8 years ago in upstate New York, in the same place, at different times.  Initial reports absolved the animals of Mad Cow disease, but more thorough tests on the brains were not available, or not done, because the brains disappeared. A scientist has come forward now, after retirement.

Frankly, this is what many Canadians have suspected all along: that there must have been cover ups of Mad Cow in the U.S., since their beef raising practices are very similar to Canada's, and there is a greater population of cattle for the disease to gain an entry. I wonder what else might be going on...

←

If I recall from a couple of years ago, the random sampling in the U.S. is one tenth than is done in Canada. I think the reason was the lack of trained manpower and also never having had a problem. I would like to see how this shakes out but I suspect that it will quietly fade away. If the American people lost faith in the practices of the USDA or called into question their findings, the whole food supply of the continent would be disrupted

[carswell]

ABC/Reuters: USDA Denies Allegations of More Mad Cow Cases

A Google News search on BSE and Doi indicates that no U.S. news outlet has picked up the CBC story and only ABC Online has carried the USDA denial. It will be interesting to see what kind of play it gets in tomorrow's papers, just as it's interesting to note that only Canadians have bothered posting to this thread. If you ignore it, it doesn't exist?

[Jensen]

It will be interesting to see what kind of play it gets in tomorrow's papers, just as it's interesting to note that only Canadians have bothered posting to this thread. If you ignore it, it doesn't exist?

←

No, there's no one else to blame in this case. Acknowledging a case of BSE is a little tougher when you can't point the finger in a northerly direction...

[hodge-podge]

It's really disheartening to see that there is no interest from Americans on this issue.

[Jensen]

Anything in the American press yet? I checked the NYTimes and my local rag, the Sacbee, but there doesn't seem to be anything.

[Jensen]

I thought I'd take a look at some foreign press coverage and found a few interesting articles (not necessarily on point here but interesting nonetheless).

From Der Spiegel, an article dated April 6th indicates that a case of BSE has been diagnosed in a German cow born 6 months after the feed regulations were put in place. They're looking at "animal meal/flour" (????...my German doesn't really extend to agricultural jargon) and contaminated milk exchangers (again with the agro-jargon) as a source of infection.

(Der Spiegel gets my vote for the funniest BSE headline..."Apocalypse Cow" on an archived article. )

Nothing in the Independent or the Guardian about the US cases though.

[Mr. Fagioli]

A 2:44 TV news report from CBC is here:

http://www.cbc.ca/clips/mov/crowe_usbeef050413.mov (Quicktime)

http://www.cbc.ca/clips/rm-lo/crowe_usbeef050413.rm (Real)

(Those tremors in the cows are not just video artifacts; they're quite visible on the full-size TV version.)

Text and many links:

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/200...sbse050413.html

[BCinBC]

Text and many links:

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/200...sbse050413.html

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Quote from the above article (bold added):

"One of the USDA's top officials told CBC News that the U.S. testing program was never designed to catch every single case of mad cow disease. It was simply meant to measure how much disease there is.

After testing thousands of animals the USDA believes if BSE exists, it's at a very low level.

Next year, the U.S. plans a major reduction in its BSE testing program, from a high of 300,000 animals to just 40,000."

And yet Canada is increasing its BSE testing standards. More general and economic info here. Please pass the Canadian AAA beef.

[nwyles]

I am really amazed at how quiet this has been. There must be huge pressure to suppress this or make it go away. Given what has happened in Canada over the " Mad Cow", incident and the economic trickle down that has happened, if this gets out in the U.S., the ramifications would be off the scale. If CNN picks this up and runs with it in their usual "War on........ Terror, Afganistan, Axis of Evil, Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, African Killer Bees, Drugs, Gangland Violence.......... you get the picture................ "War on Beef", it would bring the U.S. economy to it's knees. Well, maybe not to it's knees but it certainly would have a huge impact on the U.S. and the Global economy.

[carswell]

It's really disheartening to see that there is no interest from Americans on this issue.

←

Are you referring to the U.S. media, U.S. eGulleters or both?

Anything in the American press yet? I checked the NYTimes and my local rag, the Sacbee, but there doesn't seem to be anything.

←

Google News searches on various strings turn up nothing in the U.S. Reuters appears to be the only wire service to have picked up the story. In other words, barely a blip on the mainstream media radar.

I am really amazed at how quiet this has been. There must be huge pressure to suppress this or make it go away. Given what has happened in Canada over the " Mad Cow", incident and the economic trickle down that has happened, if this gets out in the U.S., the ramifications would be off the scale. If CNN picks this up and runs with it in their usual "War on........ Terror, Afganistan, Axis of Evil, Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, African Killer Bees, Drugs, Gangland Violence.......... you get the picture................ "War on Beef", it would bring the U.S. economy to it's knees. Well, maybe not to it's knees but it certainly would have a huge impact on the U.S. and the Global economy.

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It certainly gives credence to Canadian beef producers' claim that the U.S. uproar about Canadian beef had more to do with trade protectionism than public health, eh?

And I really can't believe the lack of posts from U.S. eGulleters. God knows it's not because the story isn't relevant to them: lax food inspection raising the spectre of contamination of the food supply; possible cover-up by a government agency; double standard for meat inspection as a means of erecting trade barriers; industry-government collusion; not to mention the larger issue of beef farming and slaughtering practices. But, hey, them's small potatoes next to what Charlie Trotter thinks about foie gras. Now there's an issue deserving of attention!

[nwyles]

Well said. I certainly don't want this to turn into an us vs. them issue but it has to raise some issues on both sides of the border. A contamintated food supply with a possible government cover-up is worthy of a bit of discussion. By the number of visits this thread is getting, it would appear that only 4 or 5 of us are really taking the time to check back in.

[BCinBC]

It's almost eerie that the only posters so far are Canadians or transplanted Canadians (assuming hodge-podge is from the Toronto area and Mr Fagioli is from the Montreal area as those seem to be their home forums).

I too refuse to believe that it's a lack of interest that keeps others from posting. Perhaps it is the lack of media coverage? (In contrast to the Trotter incidents, which were carried by at least 2 major newspapers.) Of course up here it's a big story because of the trade / economic issues, not to mention human and livestock health. But this simply isn't an issue where "ignorance is bliss".

And the focus shouldn't be solely on Americans either, because this issue affects any country that imports US beef.

[*Deborah*]

The only reason our beef was treated so cavalierly, IMO, was because Canada needed its knuckles rapped for political reasons which we ought not to get into here. And the US economy needed a boost (although keeping "American" cows who graze north of the border out of the food chain didn't do those US ranchers any good, and keeping our beef out of US processing plants hasn't helped the US economy either).

Edited April 14, 2005 by *Deborah* (log)

[carswell]

And the focus shouldn't be solely on Americans either, because this issue affects any country that imports US beef.

←

Yeah, except there are hardly any countries left that import U.S. beef in quantity. USDA US beef export figures (millions of pounds caracass weight):

Country: 2004 figure (2002 figure)

Japan: 12 (771)

Mexico 334 (629)

South Korea: 1 (597)

Canada: 56 (241)

And I believe much of the current export volume is meat from young animals in which BSE has not had time to develop.

[Daddy-A]

Found a couple US sites with references to the situation:

CommonDreams.com

LA.Indymedia.Org

So far they're all re-reporting the CBC report.

A.

[Mabelline]

I have never posted about this because I have beef cattle. Mine are breeding stock, and go into private sales as such. They are stringently raised, and tested. I have not replied for the simple reason that I have no desire to argue with the entire Canadian contingent. Our border is closed. You all have just bought a US packing plant and are moving it lock, stock, and rendering tubs up to Canada. Good for you. Our ranchers down here primarily hate the packers, who are clearing approximately $450 US more by obtaining you all's cattle. I ain't arguing, so don't expect me to answer you back. My cattle are good enough for my family, my tribe, and the Native School I donate them to, to be eaten.Think what you want.

[*Deborah*]

I don't think anybody expected an argument or was trying to pick a fight across the border, Mabelline, nor was anyone disparaging the length and breadth of American cattle-raising...more like concern with what the governments are doing (or not doing), and what they say about it...but perhaps I'm naive.

[jayt90]

If there is any 'meat' to this story, the CBC will develop it into a larger documentary on TV or radio.

[nwyles]

I have never posted about this because I have beef cattle. Mine are breeding stock, and go into private sales as such. They are stringently raised, and tested. I have not replied for the simple reason that I have no desire to argue with the entire Canadian contingent. Our border is closed. You all have just bought a US packing plant and are moving it lock, stock, and rendering tubs up to Canada. Good for you. Our ranchers down here primarily hate the packers, who are clearing approximately $450 US more by obtaining you all's cattle. I ain't arguing, so don't expect me to answer you back. My cattle are good enough for my family, my tribe, and the Native School I donate them to, to be eaten.Think what you want.

←

As I said before, I do not want to get into an us vs. them either. This is problem for everybody, both sides of the border. It is not about who raised the cattle and who slaughters them, it is about the industry in general. It is about the un-natural feeding regimes and un-natural processing of the food. No animal should be fed parts of it's own species if it was never naturally meant to do so. Cows do not eat other cows. This is a problem that we have known about for years but because of the big business and lobbyists involved, the wheels have moved slowly on this. Let's not be fooled by governments and media that these problems are isolated to countries and farms. This is a rampant problem that spans the whole continent. The whole industry is so interwoven that there is no seperating it now. It is one giant food supply without clear dividing lines. I am sure you do not believe that breeding stock have not crossed borders - sure they have. The borders are partially closed now but it is too late. The damage is done. The BSE is in the food supply. THe problem is now how to get it out. That is where the major overhaul is needed. The time has come to stop feeding our food animals "super heated chicken shit" and "rendered cow parts". Chicken should peck corn and cows should eat grass and grain. I know that sounds like an over simplification but until a few years ago, is that not what most of us really thought.

Edited April 15, 2005 by nwyles (log)

[BCinBC]

I also don't think people are trying to incite other people into arguments. Mabelline, I'm sure your cattle is absolutely fine, as is the vast majority of the stock in the US, as is the vast majority of the stock in Canada. Nonetheless the incidents of BSE have been harmful to both sides of the boarder, to be sure. Many ranchers have literally lost their livelihoods, and as nwyles mentioned, the trickle down effect is significant.

From the CBC News Online, March 29, 2005:

In August, the U.S. reopened its borders to some Canadian beef, but the border was still closed to live cattle. By this time, a cow that would have normally sold for $1,300 was selling for $15.

My curiosity is to why the story isn't taking off in the States. Also why is the USDA reducing it's testing program when it would (seemingly obviously?) be to everyone's benefit to increase consumer confidence?

[Pan]

I've followed this thread from the beginning, so it's incorrect that no Americans are looking. I'm tempted to post a snide suggestion that the US government should ban imports of US beef -- not in order to insult responsible ranchers and farmers but because of the irony of what the US government did to the Canadian beef industry. Otherwise, I don't have much to say, and I have to wonder whether those who haven't posted also don't have much to say about this sad but unsurprising story.

[Behemoth]

Just for the record, I've also been paying attention. The only American news I've heard about this was a CBC radio program carried by my local NPR station. What can I say, there are lots of important stories the american media don't cover.

Mabelline, I am sympathetic. Has there been any attempt to sue packers for collusion? My understanding is that it is primarily their actions that keep beef prices artificially low and force ranchers to use extreme cost-cutting practices. It's a shame all beef gets lumped together whenever BSE news comes out. It would also be nice to see meat-packing workers unionize, there is a field that really ought to have medican benefits. But that's a whole other topic...