Alabama cow tests positive for (mad cow) disease

[deadparrot]

WASHINGTON - A cow in Alabama has tested positive for mad cow disease, the Agriculture Department confirmed Monday.

A routine test last week had indicated the presence of the disease. Results were confirmed by more detailed testing at a government laboratory in Ames, Iowa, said the department's chief veterinarian, John Clifford.

U.S. investigators have found two previous cases of mad cow disease. The first was in December 2003 in a Canadian-born cow in Washington state. The second was last June in a cow that was born and raised in Texas.

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/14089559.htm

[IsItJustMe]

1. Well, there goes my beef. I guess chicken will be next when the bird flu

hits town

[DBoon]

3. we'll have to learn to love tofu

wait, isn't soy all genetically modified now?

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

12. no- not all soy is GMO-just buy "organic"-or was that supposed to be funny

?Wouldn't it be funny if we looked in the mirror and couldn't remember our name because our brain has swiss cheese holes in it?

ya think THAT's Funny ?

[NYC]

19. New federal law could change labels.

"Organic" may no longer be organic.

[TX-RAT]

21. A little curious

Just whats the difference between organically raise cows and pasture raised cows?

[NYC]

25. I think each state has its own definition of organic,

so you should look up what your state says.

However, I would imagine that organic cows aren't given antibiotics (unless they're sick), and aren't fed that cattle feed that includes dead animals*.

You should also check how your state defines pasture raised, if it does. Does pasture raised mean fed grass only? I don't know.

Even cows that are grass fed can spend the last 10 or 15% of their lives on feed lots (where the dead animal feed may be given) before they are slaughtered. You have to check definitions carefully.

That each state has its own definitions is not a bad thing. Replacing the rules of 50 states with one federal rule will lower every state to the lowest common denominator. This would not be good for us.

Always read carefully. (Defensive eating.)

*Feed containing dead animals: To avoid spreading mad cow, cattle feed is no longer supposed to include dead cattle. However, this was done for a while after it was forbidden. (Who knows if it continues?) Also, I think it is still allowed to include dead chickens, or at least chicken excrement.

[OnionPatch]

28. What I read was that

they actually scrape the bottoms of the chicken pens out and use that waste as an additive for cattle food. The chicken pens contain not only their waste (which contains protein and is the reason they use it) but it contains remnents of spilled chicken food. It is still legal and common for chicken food to contain cow parts. So, the cattle can still eat their own, it just has a little further trip to make. And at the time I read about this, they didn't know if prions can survive through the chicken's digestive system or not, so that could be another problem.

I'm sure mad cow has been slowed by the no-cattle-in-cattle-food rules but the loopholes are still leaving cracks for mad cow to get into the food chain. Until those cracks are closed, I'll be eating organic. That is if organic is still going to be organic after congress gets through with their new legislation.

[NYC]

29. I agree that we are still at risk regarding what you said.

Additionally, I read that we slaughter our cows at a young age, usually while they are too young to show signs of mad cow, even if they have it.

I have no confidence that we are even attempting to avoid mad cow, just to conceal it.

[DBoon]

26. No jerk, I wasn't trying to be funny

nt

[IsItJustMe]

13. Yep. Seems like your damned if you and damned if you don't.

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

14. nope- just damned if you DO---trust the Korporate Barons that supply you

[Norquist Nemesis]

2. Wait a minute!! They are CONFIRMING two previous cases?

As to the AL case...DAMN! Well, maybe meat prices will go down.

But I must be losing my memory. I could swear that the two previous cases were dismissed by the Administration as, "Don't worry! Be happy! There's no mad cow disease. Now off to the mall with you!"

I certainly don't recall the June case. :shrug:

[jseankil]

4. Mad Cow in Alabama

Breaking MSNBC.

Wasn't there Mad Cow in the U.S. before? Will beef prices skyrocket?

[burythehatchet]

5. Jeff Sessions?

I agree

[Critters2]

6. !

:rofl:

[Janice325]

32. I gotta agree.

I just saw him on tv,blathering incoherently about censure.:puke:

[LizW]

7. Here's a link. No details yet.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-03-13-mad-cow_x.htm

[LiberalHeart]

9. oops

I was composing my post while yours came in, so I inadvertently duplicated yours. Don't know how to delete my post.

[NYC]

20. You can't delete your own post.

You can edit it (within one hour) to remove the content, but in this case, there's no point since your post also contains the useful link.

Welcome to DU. :hi:

[LiberalHeart]

30. Thanks, but I've been here for quite a while :) (EOM)

[LiberalHeart]

8. Alabama Cow Tests Positive for Mad Cow Disease (more info)

http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=4624910

[daleo]

10. They still have one final test to go

It will be interesting to see how that one comes up.

[LiberalHeart]

11. where did you see that? (EOM)

[daleo]

16. One of the links upthread

It said they did a preliminary test, and a western blot. It also said there is a third test, which is the most sensitive, yet to come.

On edit - I think it was the USA Today link.

[alarcojon]

17. They've already confirmed results with more detailed testing

so I'm not sure what you're referring to.

on edit: you are correct. Right at the end of the USA Today link.

[Merlot]

15. Those cows are mad as hell, and aren't going to take it any more!

Between the forced feedings, inhumane treatment and living conditions, and being pumped up with hormones, I say good for them!

[ThoughtCriminal]

18. Need Mad Cow emoticon

\ /
@@
(__)

Moo!

[NYC]

23. Copy this one.

[Tempest]

22. Looks like Japan was right

Japan refused to open their market back up because U.S. testing was haphazard and shoddy.

[cascadiance]

35. Japan and Europe are *responsible* in their regulation!

Canada and the U.S. AREN'T! This cow probably ate food with infected poultry or pork mad cow carriers, which isn't regulated in Canada and the U.S. like it is in Japan or Europe! Ag industry seems to want to project that things are fine if this isn't regulated, since poultry and pigs don't "catch" Mad Cow disease. They damn well will carry it if they eat recycled infected cow parts! Europe and Japan have known this and this is why they are strict on it!

Time to STOP letting the corporate world write our laws for us! This stuff is a sleeping dog ready to wake up in a few years and kick us in the ass royally!

[devilgrrl]

24. factory farming... gotta love it!

:sarcasm:

This so fucking disgusts me it's not even funny! :mad:

[BooScout]

27. The Government has lied for years about this....

I worked in one insurance company for 23 years. I saw at least 1 or 2 cases a year of CJD yet the government says that there was only 80 cases in all of the US for 2005. Bullshit. If I saw a case or 2 a year of CJD, and my company saw 6 to 12 cases....now multiply that by the thousand plus insurers in the US.......not to mention people not insured (this was life insurance btw).......and the figures DO NOT ADD UP. Mad Cow in the US has been a huge coverup for years.

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

33. WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENED TO RONALD REAGAN?

even he wouldn't eat from the main food supply-
He had his own private herds and still ended up with CJD.

a nice game of "Karma" anyone?

[dipsydoodle]

31. Ms Rice ?

I hadn't realised she came from Alabama. Mad cow she may be
but I don't think she's infectious.

[bamademo]

34. She's always looked like a Mad Cow to me.

Moo! :-)

[kestrel91316]

36. It's not the ones that test positive and get pulled that we need to

worry about. It's the MANY MANY MANY more that never get tested that really tell the truth.

We don't have a BSE testing program. We have a PRETEND BSE testing program.

You can't fool all the people all the time. Especially me.

[wordout]

37. mad cow is an economic weapon used to attack the food supply

this story is severely lacking details.

i think this ties into the church burnings and the ongoing SPLC war on Southern Baptists. It's like "you fuck with us, we'll have our man in washington make you kill all your cows.."

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

39. not even

if you think mad cow is a myth I'd suggest you research it a bit- a simple google-
watch some video--read some medical cases of human "alzheimer"-like symptoms-

Educate yourself and protect yourself.
The multi-billion dollar meat industry does not care about your health..so you must.

[Maddy McCall]

38. Well fuck me!

That's it. I'm off of beef for good, since Alabama is NEXT DOOR!

Pork and chicken for me. Until the bird flu hits the Americas.