US mad cow flubs raise safety fears

[norml]

US mad cow flubs raise safety fears

July 29, 2005


A series of mishaps and confusion over testing for mad cow disease raises questions about the US government's credibility and could undermine efforts to convince major trading partners of the safety of American beef, say industry and consumer groups.

The US Department of Agriculture is now investigating a possible third case of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, in an animal at least 12 years old.

A brain sample from the suspect cow was taken by a local veterinarian in April. But that was not tested by the USDA until last week. That delay was because the vet ``simply forgot'' to submit it, said the USDA.

The sample was frozen - a violation of USDA guidelines - and the vet also mistakenly used a preservative that limits the type of mad cow tests that can now be conducted.


snip


http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/World/GG29Wd08.html

[warrens]

1. I think everyone is missing the point

These aren't flubs. They are part of a deliberately incoherent policy that is meant to be as dismissive of animal diseases as the rest of the administration is dismissive of global warming, stem cell research, drilling in the Gulf and ANWR, and any other science that is inconvenient for big business interests.

Whenever you call them on their repeated mantra about SOUND SCIENCE, they say, we're right, you're wrong. In the past few days I have interviewed Dr. Michael Hansen of Consumers Union, people from Farm Sanctuary, Dr. Jean-Philippe Deslys, considered the top expert on prion diseases who works for the French Atomic Commission's Prion Disease Center, Tom Harkin's top staff, Rosa DeLauro, and a ton of other people. The basic gist is, USDA is a bunch of politicized liars: they're nice people, but the pressure from the White House is intense.

Last fall, they just closed the case on that cow in Texas. I and several others went after them about not using the Western blot, the only truly objective and accurate test we have now, and they dissembled and spun and stonewalled. The IG, Phyllis Fong, eventually stole the samples and had them tested with Western blot without them knowing (or so they say, I just don't believe anyone except Fong at USDA anymore) and embarassed them bigtime.

So this sample suddenly can't be tested with the Western blot because it has preservatives in it. Convenient. The vet "forgot" to send the sample in for three months. Convenient. If they're not a pack of liars, they are sure doing everything they can to make us think they are.

I don't think BSE is much of a danger, compared to avian flu or listeria, both of which are killing people right and left with very little publicity. What is scary is its potential. Prions amass and amplify, and suddenly you have thousands or millions of cows that are deadly. The average person eating a ribeye is probably in no danger (although that could change) but someone eating hamburger or any organ meats or tongue or tripe or (god forbid) scrambled eggs and brains like they did in the UK, has a lot to worry about.

Veneman, the last Ag Secretary, quit suddenly and while she never talked to the press about it, she quit because she couldn't take the meddling from political operatives from the White House. Unlike Christie Whitman, she took a nice cushy job and kept her mouth shut. Johanns was picked over the far better qualified Charlie Stenholm because Stenholm is a conservative democrat who says what he thinks.

Johanns is a decent guy (he used to be a Dem), but he toes the party line. It took Harkin humiliating him on TV to make him change the rules on the Canadian border. Harkin is now looking at hearings about these fuck ups. He is furious, because back in Iowa, it makes him look like he believes the Repukes, and every time he is conciliatory, they fuck up like this again.

Between this shit and CAFTA, I think the GOP has lost a lot of the farm vote. But they don't care. They have pleased their big donors, like the American Meat Institute and big meat guys like Tyson, Cargill and Wal-Mart.

As Stiff Little Fingers put it, this is gonna blow up in their face. Already, big Republican donors like the National Cattlemen Beef Association are backing away from Bush. You have to read the tea leaves pretty carefully to see it (USDA is packed full of former NCBA people) but their dissatisfaction is clear. The United States Meat Export Federation, a far more liberal organization, just blasted USDA. This is going to be a big issue, although the MSM probably won't notice.

[Iowa]

3. Thank you warrens! Excellent post.

[emcguffie]

4. It's pretty funny when you go to the link --

-- there are all these Google ads for beef.

[truebrit71]

6. There is no doubt in my mind that these "flubs" are deliberate...

..just as there is no doubt in my mind that BSE is, and HAS been here for years....but no-one accurately tested for it. It should also be of MASSIVE concern that the testing samples taken are far, far too small to be an accurate measure of the overall health of the US herd (something like one tenth of one tenth of one tenth of one percent).

BSE occurs naturally in 1 in a million cows. There are 100 million cows in the US.

Do the math.

Mad cow is here, they know it is here, but because the beef industry, the meat packing industry and the fast food industry would be decimated if the truth got out, vets "forget" about samples..... :eyes:

[frictionlessO]

10. Please repost this info as its own thread!

I'd love to see what you said get a little wider attention here at DU.

If you do please let me know so I can kick and nom and watch and learn.

Thank you!

[tavalon]

13. I haven't followed this closely ever

but I quit being able to tolerate red meat when I was 19 (a blessed side effect of my undiagnosed Celiac Sprue). In the last few years as my gut healed from the Celiac, I found I could eat beef but by then I had pegged just how dangerous and irresponsible the regulatory agencies had become in this country and decided that I wouldn't be part of their experiment with regards to Mad Cow.

The stories I could tell you about the CDC and the IOM would make your hair curl. It doesn't take much for me to realize they are all as corrupt as the CDC and the IOM.

These days, I stick to organic produce, occasional chicken, short lived fish and lots of tofu. And this damn government will still likely find some gruesome way to kill me and all of the rest of us.

[norml]

17. Spain reports first likely human death from mad cow

Spain reports first likely human death from mad cow
29 Jul 2005 17:57:09 GMT

Source: Reuters

MADRID, July 29 (Reuters) - Spain reported the first probable death from the human variant of mad cow disease on Friday, a 26-year-old woman who was likely infected before the mad cow scare of 2000 led to strict controls.

Spain's Health Ministry said it believed the death was caused by Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) based on tests carried out at a Madrid hospital, and that it had sent samples to experts in Edinburgh for confirmation.

The victim most likely had eaten animal products rich in nerve tissue, while the animal itself had consumed contaminated feed. The incubation period in this case was between 5 and 10 years, the ministry added.

"That means that contagion probably occurred before the exhaustive control measures established by the government were put into place," the statement said.


snip


http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L29677323.htm

[Whoa_Nelly]

2. Does Bush eat beef?

Or was he just born with a spongiform brain?

[donsu]

7. sure he does - he eats organic

nt

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

11. No, Bush is a vegamentarian.

Seriously, while our President has never publicly declared himself a "fake cowboy" or a "substance abuser" or a "war monger" (although "war president" may come close), he DID declare himself a BEEF EATER.

It was right around the time I joined DU, in January 2004. We were in the midst of a mad cow disease scare. Bush was taking one of his many well-deserved vacations on the Crawford Pig Farm. He got a little worried about his Texas beef ranchin' buddies (YEEEEEEEEEEEEE-HAW!), thinkin' that they might listen to that Oprah woman and eat less beef...or maybe no beef at all.

So he BRAVELY assembled the press corps, stood among them and the bales of hay and other props on his Texas movie set of a fake "ranch," and declared "I HAD BEEF FOR LUNCH TODAY!"

The reporters carefully documented these important words. As he's often prone to do, Bush stood with a smirk on his face, proud of himself and his words...sort of like this:



...while the reporters moved on to less important matters, such as running the country.

Within several days of this historic occasion, I stumbled across DU while Googling. I signed up for an account, never once hesitating when it came time to select my screen name.

:toast:

[donsu]

5. could the STARTLING rise in Alzheimer's really be mad cow?

what doctors even test?

[truebrit71]

8. Yes.

There have been studies done that show that mis-diagnosis of Dementia and Alzheimers is quite common.

Doctor's don't test for this.

Yet.

[ecoalex]

9. Organic Grass fed Beef people

It's good for you, and safe,a strict vegan diet is not healthy for all.

[Iowa]

16. Where do you get organic grass fed beef? eom

[tavalon]

14. I don't see how they could just yet

as I believe it requires having the brain to test. Of course, they could test after death.

[CHIMO]

12. A Book

On this topic. Haven't read it yet but I have listened to the author speak and he seemed to cover all the points.

DYING FOR A HAMBURGER
HOW MODERN MEAT-PACKING LED TO AN EPIDEMIC OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE


WHY IS THE INCIDENCE OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE INCREASING SO RAPIDLY?

WHY ARE THERE NO RECORDS OF PLAQUE-FORMING NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES BEFORE 1875?

THE CURRENT HIGH INCIDENCE OF ALZHEIMER'S AND OTHER NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES CAN BE DIRECTLY LINKED TO THE MODERN PRACTICE OF MEAT PROCESSING

http://www.thebukowskiagency.com/DyingForAHamburger.htm

[shockra]

15. Another One.

Brain Trust: The Hidden Connection Between Mad Cow and Misdiagnosed Alzheimer's Disease

For the historical detail alone, this is an important and readable book on the subject. Kelleher’s true genius, however, is in his ability to speculate, convincingly, that the 8,902 percent increase in deaths from Alzheimer’s Disease over the past twenty-four years can be attributed to this infectious agent’s presence in the human food chain.

http://www.bookslut.com/nonfiction/2005_03_004689.php