MAD COW: NY Times op/ed says US industrial Beef is NOT safe to eat

[Nothing Without Hope]

The USDA continues to protect the beef industry at the expense of human health. The author explains why “It is time for Americans to have the protection of a food safety agency separate from the United States Department of Agriculture.”

And if you didn’t already know how cattle destined to be deconstructed into industrial beef are treated, read the tidbits about what they are fed. Do you really want to eat this or serve it to your children?

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/13/opinion/13sat1.html?th=&emc=th&pagewanted=print
EDITORIAL

Safer Beef

Published: August 13, 2005
Fears of another case of mad cow disease in the United States have faded for the time being because tests on the most recent suspect animal came back negative. But that is no reason to feel confident about the American beef supply. American cows still eat food that can potentially infect them with mad cow disease. American meatpackers use dangerous methods that other countries ban. And the United States Department of Agriculture does not require enough testing to ensure that American beef is completely safe.

U.S.D.A. officials and spokesmen for the meatpacking industry argue that the public is protected by current safety procedures. The chance of human infection is indeed very low - but the disease that mad cow induces in human is always fatal, so extreme caution is warranted. The Agriculture Department is hamstrung by its dual and conflicting mission: to promote the nation's meat industry and to protect the consumer. It's clear which is winning.

(snip)

But it is tempting for farmers and feedlots to violate the feed ban because the meal is a cheap protein source and can be kept on hand to feed chickens and pigs. Cows are fed at a million different sites in America, and the Government Accountability Office criticizes the F.D.A.'s inspection regime as insufficient and ridden with loopholes.

In addition, cattle blood, which is suspected of being able to carry infection, can legally be given to calves as part of a milk substitute. Industrial cows are also still fed material scooped from the bottom of chicken cages. The chicken manure is the safe part - spilled chicken feed, which can include the same beef and bone meal that has been banned as cow feed, is more dangerous.

(snip)

It's one more scandal among so many in the Bush Administration - the age of the Robber Barons is back, and Big Beef includes a lot of Bush cabal cronies whose pockets are being lined.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. We don't eat that beef

organic and I pay through the roof for it

[Nothing Without Hope]

2. Yes, I don't eat much meat now, but what I do eat is from a reputable

store {Whole Foods) and is guaranteed to be fed only vegetarian feed and raised in a more humane environment that the awful factory pens of the industrial beef industry.

I have been exploring the vegetarian cooking styles af the world and, with my trusty pressure cooker, I hardly miss meat at all. I still eat a bit of fish and an occasional lamb steak or some chicken, but more and more I am truly best satisfied with a varied, flavorful vegetarian diet.

[Lorien]

5. Try Quorn products

they make very credible imitation ground beef, chicken nuggets, cutlets, etc. No soy-it's a relative of the mushroom. Very low in fat, too.

[Nothing Without Hope]

6. I will definitely check it out - Whole Foods ought to carry it.

My doctor has a son who is strongly allergic to soy - this could be a way around it without having to turn so often to meat for him.

Thanks for the tip!

I do think that a pressure cooker is a huge help for anyone wanting to go in the direction of vegetarianism or whole grain cookery. I use mine every day and would be lost without it. It saves time and improves flavor and consistency as well as nutrient content.

[Touchdown]

8. Ugh. Mushrooms.

I'm allergic to them, as I am with Pennicilin. I have to be carful about my fungi. Besides, they taste like dirt with air.

Such as life.

[Lorien]

11. I hate mushrooms-but I love Quorn

still, it's a fungi-so you'd best steer clear!

[Nothing Without Hope]

12. Food allergies make good nutrition very tricky - especially when they are

multiple. Soy products turn up damn near EVERYWHERE, and beef by-products do too. People allergic to nuts and shellfish are killed every year by eating something that looked safe but had that extra ingredient. And then there are all the children who can't tolerate dairy products or wheat gluten.

I know several women whose children have multiple food allergies, and they spend great time and effort hunting for exotic things that their children can eat without getting sick. I was lucky - my daughter wasn't allergic to anything I gave her.

I hope your fungus allergy is your only one. It's bad enough by itself - it would make most cheeses off-bounds for you, too. How about the natural yeast residues n wine?

[Touchdown]

25. Actually, it's not all mushrooms, just certain varieties.

Portabello, and those slimy string-like ones in Chinese food seem to be ok for me. I generally steer clear of all mushrooms. It's tough when at a new Chinese Restaurant, because some cook everything with them, and others don't. I patronize one place religiously because I know their menu, and which dishes to stay clear of.

Yeast is not a problem, nor is Bleu cheese. As a matter of fact, I don't recall any averse reaction to most of the cheeses I ate, which is a fraction of the varieties out there. I do sneeze with the more aged ones, especially those with the moldy hardened skin. I rarely drink wine, but the fungus growing on the grape skins grows everywhere plants grow, so if I was allergic to that, I'd be dead years ago. Mold is everywhere, and I've got no problem with that.

[Nothing Without Hope]

28. That's good - it would be far more difficult if it were a broader allergy

But even so, as upi say, you have the constant concern any time you are faced with food you didn't prepare or go to a restaurant where you are not confident of the ingredients.

[Touchdown]

33. Come to think of it, I do get sick...

...when I eat a whole bag of grapes in one sitting.:D

[Nothing Without Hope]

34. Me too! ; -) n/t

[niallmac]

4. I hope the organic is safe.

The last case of mad cow in the U.S. was reported as being from a small independent farm and as far as I know they would not say where. So We've got that going for us which is nice.
Not. We eat organic also but tend to shy away from beef until it is clear just what the hell is going on.

[Nothing Without Hope]

7. Yes, it's clear that USDA pronouncements of safety are not to be trusted.

You'd think they would have learned from the debacle of the UK government cover-up - but they are repeating the mistake of suppressing testing and failing to enforce regulations - all benefitting Big Beef.

It's another of the great Bush Administration scandals.

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. We hope as well

by the way when yuo finally eat meat, easy there, we had no meant for oh six months and boy our tummy had a problem digesting it the first time we ate some

[Maru Kitteh]

49. I would advise that you continue to avoid for this reason

BSE is the bovine form of the same disease that is striking deer all across the continent. In deer it is know as chronic wasting disease.

Most organic flesh farmers also practice free range, which means they have to lay out salt blocks for the herd. When I was a child, and most all farming was organic without much thought to the matter those blocks were stacked outside the local grocery in brown, white and yellow. Those salt blocks attract deer as well. The highest concentration of the prion (aside from spinal cords) that causes BSE, CWD and CD in humans is found in the saliva.

The deer lick the blocks, the cattle lick the blocks, you die an incredibly undignified death because of the power of the meat lobby.

Urban Jungle. For a time we had left it behind but we are right back there again, it's just that now the meat industry has much slicker marketing. Under every seemingly clean and proper plastic wrapped package of animal flesh is a little bit of feces. You probably can't see it, but it's there. The fact is IF YOU CANNOT SEE IT, it's o.k. to go ahead and sell. Think about that...... Doesn't bode well fot the other things you can't see either, does it?

"Organic" cow flesh may still be processed in a facility with regular feedlot cows.

[Lorien]

3. I quit eating all red meat after that Oprah show years ago

(the one the Beef industry sued her over). The former-cattleman-turned-vegetarian stopped me COLD from ever craving a burger again with what he said on that show. Obviously, millions of others felt the same way (beef consumption dropped after that show, prompting the lawsuit). Now I've cut out all meat from my diet. It's unsafe and much of it's production is highly unethical.

[tocqueville]

9. the link is here (the one above didn't work)

it's obvious that the procedures that have been leading to the mad cow disease in Europe, must lead to it in the US. The prion has been found in North-America. Therefore it is just a matter of time before there is a major epidemic.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/13/opinion/13sat1.html

[Lorien]

13. Don't elk and deer carry a similar disease now?

I know that a man in Cleveland died from mad cow several years ago, and it was determined that the cause was venison that he had shot/ prepared himself.:shrug:

[Nothing Without Hope]

18. I'd like to hear more about that. I doubt it's the same disease - BSE

seems to be pretty specifically a disease that jumped species into cattle in England and can cross-infect people. Scrapie in sheep and Kuru in tribal New Guinea (I think) people (back when they had ritual cannibalism - now they don't do that) are also caused by similar agents and have similar devasting effects. I don't know what's been described in deer and elk.

[beam me up scottie]

From the CDC website:

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is classified as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), or prion disease, along with other animal diseases, such as scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The only known natural hosts for CWD are deer (Odocoileus species) and Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) (1,2). CWD and other TSEs are believed to be caused by a pathogenic effect on neurons of an abnormal isoform of a host-encoded glycoprotein, the prion protein. The pathogenic form of this protein appears to be devoid of nucleic acids and supports its own amplification in the host. TSEs in animals primarily occur by transmitting the etiologic agent within a species, either naturally or through domestic husbandry practices. In contrast, most such encephalopathies in humans occur as a sporadic disease with no identifiable source of infection or as a familial disease linked with mutations of the prion protein gene (3). A notable exception among the human TSEs is the variant form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), which is believed to have resulted from the foodborne transmission of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) to humans (4,5).

CWD was first identified as a fatal wasting syndrome of captive mule deer in the late 1960s in research facilities in Colorado and was recognized as a TSE in 1978 (6,7). Subsequently, this wasting disease was identified in mule deer in a research facility in Wyoming and in captive elk in both the Colorado and Wyoming facilities (6–8). The disease was first recognized in the wild in 1981, when it was diagnosed in a free-ranging elk in Colorado (1,9). By the mid-1990s, CWD had been diagnosed among free-ranging deer and elk in a contiguous area in northeastern Colorado and southeastern Wyoming, where subsequent surveillance studies confirmed it to be endemic (10). Epidemic modeling suggested that this wasting disease might have been present among free-ranging animals in some portions of the disease-endemic area several decades before it was initially recognized (10). On the basis of hunter-harvested animal surveillance, the overall prevalence of the disease in this area from 1996 through 1999 was estimated at approximately 5% in mule deer, 2% in white-tailed deer, and <1% in elk (10). In 2000, surveillance data indicated that the disease-endemic focus extended eastward into adjacent areas of Nebraska (1,11), and ongoing surveillance continues to redefine the limits of this focus.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusions

The lack of evidence of a link between CWD transmission and unusual cases of CJD, despite several epidemiologic investigations, and the absence of an increase in CJD incidence in Colorado and Wyoming suggest that the risk, if any, of transmission of CWD to humans is low. Although the in vitro studies indicating inefficient conversion of human prion protein by CWD-associated prions raise the possibility of low-level transmission of CWD to humans, no human cases of prion disease with strong evidence of a link with CWD have been identified. However, the transmission of BSE to humans and the resulting vCJD indicate that, provided sufficient exposure, the species barrier may not completely protect humans from animal prion diseases. Because CWD has occurred in a limited geographic area for decades, an adequate number of people may not have been exposed to the CWD agent to result in a clinically recognizable human disease. The level and frequency of human exposure to the CWD agent may increase with the spread of CWD in the United States. Because the number of studies seeking evidence for CWD transmission to humans is limited, more epidemiologic and laboratory studies should be conducted to monitor the possibility of such transmissions. Studies involving transgenic mice expressing human and cervid prion protein are in progress to further assess the potential for the CWD agent to cause human disease. Epidemiologic studies have also been initiated to identify human cases of prion disease among persons with an increased risk for exposure to potentially CWD-infected deer or elk meat (47). If such cases are identified, laboratory data showing similarities of the etiologic agent to that of the CWD agent would strengthen the conclusion for a causal link. Surveillance for human prion diseases, particularly in areas where CWD has been detected, remains important to effectively monitor the possible transmission of CWD to humans. Because of the long incubation period associated with prion diseases, convincing negative results from epidemiologic and experimental laboratory studies would likely require years of follow-up. In the meantime, to minimize the risk for exposure to the CWD agent, hunters should consult with their state wildlife agencies to identify areas where CWD occurs and continue to follow advice provided by public health and wildlife agencies. Hunters should avoid eating meat from deer and elk that look sick or test positive for CWD. They should wear gloves when field-dressing carcasses, bone-out the meat from the animal, and minimize handling of brain and spinal cord tissues. As a precaution, hunters should avoid eating deer and elk tissues known to harbor the CWD agent (e.g., brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, tonsils, lymph nodes) from areas where CWD has been identified.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol10no6/03-1082.htm

[Nothing Without Hope]

22. Thank you. This writeup suggests that no known cases of transmission

to humans have been identified...yet:

The lack of evidence of a link between CWD transmission and unusual cases of CJD, despite several epidemiologic investigations, and the absence of an increase in CJD incidence in Colorado and Wyoming suggest that the risk, if any, of transmission of CWD to humans is low. Although the in vitro studies indicating inefficient conversion of human prion protein by CWD-associated prions raise the possibility of low-level transmission of CWD to humans, no human cases of prion disease with strong evidence of a link with CWD have been identified.

But with all that we know about BSE, their recommendations sure make sense:

Hunters should avoid eating meat from deer and elk that look sick or test positive for CWD. They should wear gloves when field-dressing carcasses, bone-out the meat from the animal, and minimize handling of brain and spinal cord tissues. As a precaution, hunters should avoid eating deer and elk tissues known to harbor the CWD agent (e.g., brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, tonsils, lymph nodes) from areas where CWD has been identified.

[beam me up scottie]

31. There hasn't been enough research done to conclude anything, really.

IMO, the risk is not assessable at this time because the disease progresses fairly slowly in humans and they haven't really been looking for cases for very long.

I had to look this up a few years back in order to debunk a co-worker's wet dream that animal rights activists were responsible for the spread of CWD to wild animals.

It's funny how defensive and stupid some people get when you tell them that you're a vegetarian.

It reminds me of the way religious nuts act when they find out they have an Evil Atheist amongst them.

Good for you for embracing vegetarianism.

[Nothing Without Hope]

38. I agree with your assessment about CWD. These days, at least where I am in

eastern Massachussetts, there are a LOT of people like me in that they are tending to move toward vegetarianism. I've never eaten veal because of the cruelty involved (though if I were invited to a dinner where it was the only main course served, I would eat it without making a scene). I now eat red meat rarely and then with care for its source. Chicken I buy from the natural foods store - Whole Foods - too. Fish is easy to get and delicious here on the coast, and I still do eat it. I am concerned about farmed salmon and farmed shrimp, as they are bad for the environment, as well some species like "Chilean sea bass" with shady industries behind them, but I don't preach to other people about it. I just make my choices with these things in mind and answer when asked about it.

I'm not threatened by vegetarianism and few people I talk to seem to be either. I go to a wonderful Indian vegetarian cooking class every week when I can, and believe me, that food really satisfies! So flavorful, but her recipes are also low fat and highly nutritious. I never realized how many possibilities there are in the world of spices before. I also do a lot of Chinese or East-Asian or Japanese style cooking. And I continue my pleasurable search for the perfect burrito, a real challenge in New England.

I imagine that I'll eventually be fully vegetarian except for some occasional fish. When I cook for myself, that's the direction I'm going.

Usuallly, when I'm in a group of people and one says they are vegetarian, the response is interest and usually excited exchanges of recipes and favorite cookbooks.

Animal rights activists infecting wildlife with CWD? That shows imagination at least! :eyes:

[beam me up scottie]

47. Sigh...................

I'm originally from Vermont and you have no idea how much I miss the northeast.
It's hard to even find vegetarian food in the supermarkets here.
If I can find a way, I will get back there within a year.

[Nothing Without Hope]

50. Good luck getting back. New England really does grow on one.

In the meantime, in case you didn't already know, Gold Mine Natural Foods is a good online source for organically-grown grains, legumes and whatnot:

http://www.goldminenaturalfood.com

[beam me up scottie]

53. Wow, thanks!

That is a gold mine.
I was thrilled to death when Kroger started carrying Amy's and Smart Menu.
It costs a fortune but I like some variety.
I would do cartwheels if they started selling Quorn products.

[Maru Kitteh]

67. You should try it in Central Nebraska

:eyes:

Most folks here have never seen a real live vegetarian, and will not hesitate to tell you so.

[newswolf56]

35. Increasingly, the suspicion among hunters is that mad cow got into...

the natural food chain via contaminated feed: in rural areas, deer and elk increasingly drop by the barnyards for a feed-lot snack. Of course, nobody can prove this hypothesis, but it is widely believed, and it is yet another of the growing list of grievances working-class Americans have against the oligarchy.

(I was a hunter most of my life but stopped hunting when I realized I could not karmically justify the taking of life I did not need to kill for survival: I always ate what I hunted, but it was seldom my sole source of meat. Were hunting essential to my survival, I would again hunt -- and I am {still} very skilled at woodcraft. But I surely wouldn't attempt to impose my view on others -- I oppose hunting bans as much as I personally oppose trophy-hunting, and believe the whole question is ultimately a spiritual issue people should be allowed the freedom to decide for themselves. Indeed, when my stance developed, it utterly surprised me: the only explanation I can suggest is that perhaps it is an outcry of spiritual genetic memory from the 1/16th of me that's American aboriginal.)


Edit: cleaning up a poor choice of adverbs.

[beam me up scottie]

36. Some hunters bait deer and elk by feeding them cattle feed.

Karmic justice if you ask me.

[newswolf56]

39. Unfortunately, chronic idiocy -- both literally and metaphorically...

the precursor to Mad Cow Disease -- infects all population groups. What you're describing is called "baiting," and it is a felony in probably two-thirds of the states. Even where it's legal, real hunters regard it as an especially dishonorable form of cheating.

The most appropriate karma for such "hunters" -- better than slow death by Mad Cow and a lot more entertaining for onlookers -- is what happens in the dead of night when the "hunters" are all drunkenly abed, securely tucked into their sleeping bags, their rifles all unloaded and out of reach -- and the carrion smell of the bait-feed invites Mister Grizz to search the camp for tasty snacks. Gives new meaning to the notion of "putting the bite on crime." And -- yes -- I have heard of such things happening: admittedly campfire tales, but those stories however delightfully exaggerated always have a solid basis in fact.



Edit: typo.

[beam me up scottie]

45. Where I'm from it's done all the time.

As is putting out salt blocks.

Poaching is common as well.

Many trappers go days on end without checking their traps.

Canned hunts are becoming increasingly popular.

Natural predators are despised and exterminated because hunters see them as "competition".

I've reported several poachers and gotten threats telling me they were going to burn my father's barn down.


Rural living ain't all it's cracked up to be.

[Nothing Without Hope]

48. That's awful. How anyone can think "canned" hunting is manly or

entertaining is beyond me. It's really foreign mental territory. Hunting for food is different. It's also true that there are some areas where killoff of predators has resulted in an unhealthy overpopulation of deer that need to be culled since there aren't enough wolves or wildcats to do it naturally. But the pseudosportsmen who are taken to a comfortable site and allowed to shoot baited or non-wild animals - that's repulsive.

My own father and I didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things, but one thing I was very pleased by was his shift from guns to a camera for his hunting. He still got his trophies and wonderful camp stories - and he truly did bring them back alive. This represented a very large change for him, as he had hunted all his life from his boyhood in rural Idaho and it and fishing were his absolute favorite pastimes. But he loved photography for most of his life too. He was an old man when he combined the hunting with photography. He told me that he liked it better than killing the animals, and I was very proud of him for making the change.

[beam me up scottie]

52. Your dad sounds awesome.

I never understood the "thrill" of watching something die and knowing you caused it.

Power?

I became very anti-hunting when I realized two things:

First, the state "manages" the herds assuring overpopulation in order to generate money from hunters.
It's about money, not caring about wildlife.

Second, the animals do not simply "drop dead".
They fight, they struggle to breathe, to get away, to live.
Just like we do.

[Nothing Without Hope]

51. Thanks. It's odd, both your link and the one in the OP work for me.

Ours not to reason why. :shrug: Again, thanks for adding the second link. There are bound to be other people who couldn't use the first one.

[kestrel91316]

10. USDA doesn't have a "testing program" for BSE ................

they have a "pretend" testing program, if you get the difference. They are only testing downer cows over 30 months of age. This is like screening a country for HIV by ONLY testing gay males over 50 who have Kaposi's Sarcoma. You are going to miss more than a few cases.

Our testing protocol is, IMHO, criminally irresponsible and negligent.

I rarely, if ever, eat beef anymore. I suppose Whole Foods has an acceptable product. I will start saving up to buy a pound or so and try it out, lol.

DON'T EAT THE BEEF.

[Nothing Without Hope]

15. True - in fact, they have FORBIDDEN BSE testing except in a few, carefully

chosen settings - wouldn't want any more postives found, would we?

For example, here's a New York Times article from last year. Sorry, I didn't save the URL, but the date and author are there:

NEW YORK TIMES / April 10, 2004

U.S. Won't Let Company Test All Its Cattle for Mad Cow

By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.

The Department of Agriculture refused yesterday to allow a Kansas beef producer to test all of its cattle for mad cow disease, saying such sweeping tests were not scientifically warranted.

The producer, Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, wanted to use recently approved rapid tests so it could resume selling its fat-marbled black Angus beef to Japan, which banned American beef after a cow slaughtered in Washington State last December tested positive for mad cow. The company has complained that the ban is costing it $40,000 a day and forced it to lay off 50 employees.

The department's under secretary for marketing and regulation, Bill Hawks, said in a statement yesterday that the rapid tests, which are used in Japan and Europe, were licensed for surveillance of animal health, while Creekstone's use would have "implied a consumer safety aspect that is not scientifically warranted."

Lobbying groups for cattle ranchers and slaughterhouses applauded the decision, but consumer advocates denounced it, saying the department was preventing Creekstone from taking extra steps to prove its product was safe.

(snip)

Here is how they can get away with actually forbidding testing for BSE: the Virus Serum Toxin Act of 1913 gives the USDA the power to decide where cattle can be tested and for what. Of course, the kind of corruption behind the forbidden tests for BSE was NOT what the framers of that law intended 100 years ago, but the letter of the law does allow this travesty.

[kestrel91316]

20. Proof that the Bush administration is not really "pro-business" ..........

they are sure as heck not "pro-" Creekstone Farms' business, but then I suspect that Creekstone Farms is WAY too small to pay the sort of bribe it would take to get Bush and his cronies to change their testing protocols.

We all know what is REALLY going on here. Just follow the profit trail.


Edit for spelling

[Nothing Without Hope]

21. Yes, it's not "pro-business" - it's just lining the pockets of big, rich

industrialists who are administration cronies. In fact, this short-sighted robber-baron policy may well end up devastating the entire US Beef industry if the disease becomes more widespread. They are trying to suppress any news of this by forbidding testing - can't say it's infected if you don't test, right?

Stupid, blind, and potentially deadly. All for quick profit.

[kestrel91316]

24. I call it willful ignorance. They are pure evil.

[Nothing Without Hope]

26. Yes, the Age of the Robber Barons has returned to this sad country. n/t

[Daphne08]

42. We need another Upton Sinclair to write another

"The Jungle" exposé.

[Nothing Without Hope]

46. There have been exposés, but none have really taken off. That Oprah

episode probably did more to sound the alarm than any of the books have so far.

[Maru Kitteh]

76. WOW, thanks for that info! US GOV FORBIDS testing for MAD COW

That should be a headline news story, shouldn't it? Gee, one would think the "liberal" media would be all over that one!

More proof the media sucks and big MEAT monopolies are large and IN CHARGE in Washington.

[Cats Against Frist]

14. MOTHERtripper

My stupid boyfriend told me the mad cow scare was off. I hadn't been eating beef for the last three months, or so.

Let me ask, this question:

Most of the time, I eat this:

http://www.maverickranch.com/natural_vs_organic.cfm

Does it look good? If not, could someone please tell me?

I :loveya: beef.

[Kool Kitty]

16. Yes. I think you would probably be

safe eating this. The info at that site seems to have all the safe requirements.

[Nothing Without Hope]

17. No one can be sure, since thorough BSE testing is forbidden by the USDA

but I myself occasionally have beef that has full credentials at Whole Foods. But eating hamburgers from a big chain? You'd be less safe there, I would think.

The Mad Cow scare is NOT off - we are not hearing more because there is so little testing. There are doubtless some BSE-infected cattle out there, but whether there are just a few or hundreds or thousands no one can say. The USDA and their friends in Big Beef have seen to that.

It's important to note that the SLAUGHTERING PROCESS is also a danger spot. There are new methods that are supposed to reduce exposure of meat to the most dangerous tissues - nerve and brain tissue. But many reports have shown that these rules are not enforced and virutally universally ignored. The same dangerous old methods are used for industrial beef production.

It looks like the beef company you pointed out would be a lot safer than standard industrial beef in all respects. But 100% safe? Without adequate testing, no one can be sure.

[Nothing Without Hope]

19. Here are some DU threads that expand on the Mad Cow situation in the US:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4164607
Thread title: Farmer Puts USDA Mad Cow Cover-Up in Context of "Big Lies" of Bush Gang

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3941182
Thread title: Bush* has stepped into the (Mad) Cow pie!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1601874
Thread title: Beef Sellers Battle Stricter Labeling,Disclosure (CA may act at st. level)

If any of you can recommend an especially good thread not on this list, please do so!

[Occulus]

23. Oprah got sued for a LOT less than this, didn't she?

My, my. And this will/has result(ed) in deaths.

Something has to change. A complete prohibition on using animalspieces or byproducts in feed would be a very good start.

[Nothing Without Hope]

27. They don't enforce even the rules they have. And under this Administration

you can expect no enforced policies that are inconvenient to the Big Beef cronies of the Bush cabal.

[flvegan]

29. It never has been. Safe, that is.

This will only get worse. I can only hope it becomes a bigger story, too.

[FreedomAngel82]

32. It's scary to think about

:\ I wonder if Bush is even bothering. Probably not. He's too busy with war and being on vacation (that's not really a vacation).

[Bozita]

37. Years ago, a pal drove to Canada weekly for eggs and chicken

It had everything to do with hormones and antibiotics.

A few years passed and he was buying his beef there too.

[Nothing Without Hope]

40. I'm fortunate in having a reputable "natural foods" store chain - Whole

Foods - locally. I can get hormone- and antibiotic-free products there as well as meats from animals raised humanely and fed all-vegetarian diets. I get my eggs, chicken and other meat there only. Nowadays even some of the local supermarket chains have remodeled and have large sections of "all-natural" foods.

It would be much more difficult if I lived in a small town in, a state with fewer vegetarians and people who were willing to pay more for carefully grown food.

[drfresh]

41. Just wrote Sen. Feingold about this

Beef tastes too good to start becoming dangerous, so I just fired an email to Russ Feingold. Maybe he can do something..in the meantime, maybe I better start looking at that organic farmer's market.

[Maru Kitteh]

43. NO SHIT SHERlOCK! . . . . . . (not you, o.p)

If the mad cow doesn't get you, the E.coli will. If the mad cow and the E.Coli doesn't get you, the campylobacter will. If the mad cow, E.coli and campylobacter don't get you, the DIOXIN will. If the mad cow, E.Coli, campylobacter and Dioxin doesn't get you... the colon cancer will.

Continue with heart disease, obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer's, etc..........

[Nothing Without Hope]

44. Actually, chicken shit - "cage droppings" IS part of it. I think more

people would show concern if they really knew how the animals they eat are treated and what they are fed. Cow blood fed to calves? Chicken manure - contaminated with feed that contains possibly BSE-infected material? Amazing how few people have noticed so far.

And then there are all the antibiotic-resistant bacteria being cultured in animals being fed antibiotics...and the hormones...and all the rest.

[Desertrose]

54. I know NWH, thats exactly why I haven't eaten beef since the mid 80's

also no industrialized chicken...nor piggy products...

The way they treat veal calves :scared:

and if people had a clue what was being fed to these poor beasts before they're killed and put in nice neat plastic packages....

(don't even get me started on the hormones and antibiotics and we wonder why we have so much disease & heath problems...?)

I stick with only organic fed chickens....I lived too close to the chicken farms back east when the only time the poor chicken saw natural daylight was on the way to the slaughter house in packed crates with other chickens.

All I can say is this is a very sick world the way we treat animals ( as well as people) ...and most people don't even see it.

[Maru Kitteh]

55. Enough to do a "Fem-bot" aka Austin Powers: Were the quantity of

credible evidence, if there were more conspiracy and theory than hard and cold available evidence, I might understand why so many continue to eat........ literally.. shit.

I love how the ass munch Johann's (our former Gov'ner) talks about the "firewall" of protection against mad cow. Every time I see that pasty little white bitch I wonder how he likes working for KKKarl Rove.

[wli]

56. time to go vegetarian ARGH!!!

I am a total carnivore. I have no idea how I'll pull it off.

[Maru Kitteh]

57. Please PM me, I can give you TONS of resources

we were a meat and potaatoes midwesstern family. I would LOVE to help you, with whatever you like.

[Nothing Without Hope]

59. I'd be happy to get more ideas and recipes too! And I have some to

share if you like Indian cooking. Will PM tomorrow - just realized that it's fOUR FRIGGING AM!!!

[Nothing Without Hope]

58. Would be difficult to go "cold turkey." While in transiton, maybe you can

find a place to buy non-industrial beef from cows, chickens etc. raised humanely and fed an all-vegetarian and antibiotic- and hormone-free diet. It's not 100% absolutely guaranteed safe--that's not possible as long as the FDA forbids BSE testing by growers -- but it's a whole lot safer than that innocuous-looking standard supermarket package of beef, especially ground beef.

I think one the secrets of successfully going vegetarian is finding a range of delicious recipes and learning to use spices and a variety of ingredients to make food that tastes good and is satisfying. That generally takes some time.

There are lots of good cookbooks, no lack of people ready and willing to give advice and share recipes, and often local cooking classes. But I think it would be very difficult to just decide to be vegetarian and stop eating meat suddenly. Without varied, delicious, easy-to-make, satisfying recipes, you would tend to crave what you were trying to give up.

[warrens]

60. Eat grassfed beef or beef from small farmers who use corn

BSE is not a real threat at the moment. What IS a real threat is allowing it to amplify in the herd through sloppy feed regulations like we have now and inadequate testing of HEALTHY animals. Right now we have a testing program for the sickest cows. And it's voluntary. If a farmer has one he is SURE has mad cow (it's pretty obvious, they charge at things that aren't there), they are probably better off shooting it and burying it, the old shoot-shovel-shutup routine.

Listeria is a far bigger worry. I have stopped eating cold cuts unless I see them cut from the big piece. The prepackaged ones are dangerous. We have something like 2000 people a year die from listeria, not counting unborn babies. It's mainly the elderly and children, who have weak immune systems.

BTW, listeria can come from anything, including vegetables. E coli, most related to hamburger, is actually more dangerous from lettuce and tomatoes.

[Nothing Without Hope]

61. Past time for bed. One last kick for the early risers. n/t

[Catchawave]

62. *kick* and recommended.....

...and to drop off the Organic Consumers website:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow.htm

Great discussion! Thanks Hope for bringing this to our attention :hi:

[Nothing Without Hope]

64. High, Catch! Wow, what a great site you gave - here are just the 2005

articles that it links to, and there is so much more! This is a fine site for people wanting updates or wanting to join activism on this issue. It doesn't have the NYTimes article yet, but look at what it DOES have! And an MD reviews and comments on articles.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow.htm

MAD COW / MAD DEER FEATURE ARTICLES

Articles reviewed/commented upon by Michael Greger, MD
-------------------------------------------------------------
Statement of John Stauber Regarding Impact of Mad Cow Court Decision
U.S. Continues to Violate WHO Guidelines for Mad Cow Disease
Could Mad Cow Disease Already be Killing Thousands of Americans Every Year?
USDA Measures Don't Go Far Enough to Protect the American Public
USDA Misleading American Public about Beef Safety
American Beef Industry Places Public at Risk (audio)
Mad Cow Disease: Plague of the 21st Century?(audio)
DAILY NEWS: MAD COW / MAD DEER USA / Canada / Europe
2005
-------------------------------------------------------------
8/4 - Japan Caves to U.S. Pressure to Lower Testing Requirements on Cows for Mad Cow Disease
8/1 - Spain Reports First Case of Human Mad Cow Disease
7/31 - Mad Cow Cover-ups Shake Confidence in U.S. Beef
7/29 - Third Case of Mad Cow Disease in the U.S.
7/28 - Consumers Union Demands Traceability & Better Testing for Mad Cow Disease from USDA
7/25 - USDA's Mad Cow Cover-Up: More Evidence Emergences
7/22 - NAS: Mad Cow & Other Diseases Need National Coordination
7/22 - Spreading Mad Cow: 'Render' Provides Inside Information
7/22 - Blood Donors Warned Over Mad Cow Disease
7/21 - Blood Donors Warned Over Human Mad Cow Disease
7/20 - Wisconsin Organic Farmer Puts USDA Mad Cow Cover-Up in Context of "Big Lies" of Bush Gang
7/18 - US-Style Mad Cow Testing Would Have Missed 9 of 20 Japanese Mad Cow Cases
7/15 - US Testing System Under Japanese Scrutiny
7/15 - Appeals Court Overturns Mad Cow Ban
7/15 - Statement of John Stauber Regarding Impact of Mad Cow Court Decision
7/15 - Mad Cow via Feeding Calves Blood and Fat from Cattle
7/14 - Amid Mad Cow Concerns, Court Considers Canada Cattle Imports
7/13 - Latest Mad Cow Debacle Shows USDA Can't be Trusted
7/13 - Mad Cow USA author John Stauber's Commentary
7/12 - Houston Chronicle: "USDA has Gone Mad"
7/10 - Split in Bush Administration over Whether or Not to Cover-Up Mad Cow Disease
7/7 - Beef Lobby Downplays Mad Cow Risks from Feeding Slaughterhouse Waste & Manure to Cattle
7/6 USDA mishandling mad cow scare
7/4 "Woeful neglect" at the USDA
6/29 Houston Chronicle: "USDA has Gone Mad"
6/26 USDA addresses testing critics called 'faith-based'
6/25 Mad Cow Case Confirmed; U.S. Testing Will Change
Split in Bush Administration over Whether or Not to Cover-Up Mad Cow Disease
7/5 Beef Lobby Downplays Mad Cow Risks from Feeding Slaughterhouse Waste & Manure to Cattle
6/29 USDA Still Trying to Cover-Up Feeding of Blood, Manure, & Slaughterhouse Waste to Cattle
6/26 USDA Criticized for Covering Up Positive Test for Months
6/25 More News on USA's Second Confirmed Mad Cow
6/24 USDA Finally Admits That a Second Mad Cow Has Been Confirmed in the US
6/24 John Stauber on the Continuing Mad Cow Cover-Up in the US
6/23 USDA Threatens Japan Over Mad Cow Prevention Measures Banning US Beef Imports
6/21 Beef industry blasts USDA over scattershot BSE policy
6/17 Associate Press Dismantles the Bogus 'Fire Wall Feed Ban'
6/15 - Suspected Mad Cow Case in the U.S.
6/15 - Possible mad cow threatens return of U.S. beef to Asia
6/13 - USDA Tries to Downplay Likely Case of Mad Cow Disease in Texas
6/13 - New York Times on Suspected Mad Cow in Texas
6/10 - TV Clip Features Mad Cow Protest
6/10 - Brain Degeneration at the USDA
6/10 - St. Paul, MN NBC Affiliate Covers OCA/CMD Mad Cow Protest June
6/10 - St. Paul Pioneer Press on USDA's Mad Cow "Dog & Pony Show" June 9
6/7 - Consumer and Watchdog Groups join Beef Producer to Challenge USDA Secretary Mike Johanns on Mad Cow Disease
6/4 - Testing of Suspected Human Mad Case Case in U.S. Delayed
5/17 - Japan's Ruling Party Calls for Lifting Ban on U.S. Beef but Wants Consumer Input
5/17 - California Man May Have Died from Mad Cow Disease
5/10- Japan Gives in to White House Pressure to Reduce Strict Testing for Mad Cow Disease
5/3 - Mad Cow Has Cost U.S. Beef Industry Billions in Losses
5/2 Feds Probing Alleged Mad Cow Cover-Up
4/28 Wasting disease discovered in the wild as well in New York
4/22 - Dutch Woman Diagnosed With Mad Cow
4/20 USDA may go back on promise to ban the consumption of all downed cows
4/18 - Mad Cow Crisis Continues to Simmer in North America
4/17 Health officials to wait and watch humans exposed to deer disease
4/15 No sign of mad cow in 1997 cows
4/15 - US Officials Engaged in Mad Cow Coverup
4/14 - Evidence that USDA Covered Up Mad Cow Cases in US in 1997
4/5 - Mad Deer Disease Infected Animal Served at Fireman's Feast
4/5 - Mad Deer Disease Spreads into New York State
3/31 French re-testing 1971 case for human mad cow disease
3/25 Mad cow cover-up: NIH plans to destroy human brain bank
3/18 U.S. to take beef issue to WTO
3/17 Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease death
3/7 Business Week on mad cow disease
3/6 The BSE saga: a long and maddening road
3/4 Did infected school dinners kill these young people?
3/4 Congressional watchdog GAO says U.S. feed ban inadequate
3/4 Respected U.K. expert says human epidemic may still be incubating
3/3 Federal judge orders U.S. border remain shut to Canadian beef
2/25 Consumers Union says suspected USA mad cow should be retested
2/22 Inspector general's report slams USDA, APHIS on Canadian beef
2/14 John Stauber's Worst Case Scenario Nightmare
2/8 First human death from mad cow disease in Japan
2/3 Cosmetic surgery may spread mad cow disease
2/1 Mad Cow Disease Found in Goat in Europe
1/28 Human mad cow threat not over
1/28 Federal meat inspectors say USDA policies threaten public health
1/26 Meat Inspectors' Union Chairman was trying to protect consumers
1/24 Time Magazine on Canadian mad cow crisis
1/21 Prions may spread to tissues previously considered safe
1/21 Mad cows & Americans
1/19 Possible Canadian mad cow case traced to US herd
1/14 Don't eat beef if you're not sure
1/14 Fear as Canada finds fourth case of 'mad cow' disease
1/13 Mad cow expert John Stauber: US & Canadian regulations are a joke
1/13 2nd Canadian mad cow in 10 days
1/12 Nine in Ten CJD Victims Do Not Know They Have It
1/11Consumers Union: urges U.S. & Canada to close dangerous feed loopholes
1/11 Canadian beef imports to resume despite new mad cow case
1/10 Possible cover up of human mad cow disease in California
1/7 Cattle feed likely had animal remains
1/7 Canadian beef imports to resume despite new mad cow case
1/7 John Stauber on continuing cover up of mad cow crisis in USA
1/7 WORC slams USDA over resumed cattle imports from Canada
1/6 California Man had Human Mad Cow Symptoms
1/5 Public Citizen Letter to the USDA
1/3 Canada confirms second mad cow
1/2 USDA prevents firm from testing for mad cow disease
1/1 U.S & Canada officials: mad cow is here to stay

You have shown the jack pot! Thanks, Catch! :hi:

[Catchawave]

70. Glad I could help!

You should see their Dairy Industry coverage :scared:

Here's another good activist org:

http://www.factoryfarm.org/

:patriot:

[Nothing Without Hope]

71. another very interesting site. I looked at this slide show:

http://www.factoryfarm.org/whatis

and was freshly struck by the figures and facts in the second slide:

• An estimated 70% of all antibiotics in the U.S. are fed to pigs, poultry and cattle merely to promote growth and to compensate for the unsanitary and confined conditions on factory farms. This medically unnecessary use of antibiotics fosters the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can spread to other animals and humans.1
  
  
• The FDA estimates that 5000 deaths and 76 million cases of food borne illness occur each year.2 The USDA estimates that 70% of all food borne illness in the United States can be traced to contaminated meat.3
  
  
• According to a 2002 Iowa State University study, exposure to airborne factory farm emissions can lead to tension, depression, reduced vigor, fatigue, confusion, nausea, dizziness, weakness, fainting, headaches, plugged ears, runny nose, scratchy throat, and burning eyes.4
  
  
• Rather than acknowledge the role of factory farm methods in promoting illness-causing pathogens, the meat industry is increasingly turning to food irradiation as a way to make their meat "safe" to eat. Irradiation is a quick fix that exposes food to high doses of ionizing radiation, which depletes vitamins and creates new and potentially hazardous chemicals and nuclear waste, while doing nothing to treat the source of the problem.5

Learn more about public health problems associated with factory farms, or more info on antibiotics. (with live links)

[crispini]

63. Ugh.

"Boneless steaks and roasts are probably safe to eat. The riskiest meats are ground beef, hot dogs, taco fillings and pizza toppings - the things children love. These products can come out of "advanced meat recovery" machines: rubber fingers that strip a carcass clean. These machines are banned in Europe and Japan, and some American meatpackers have stopped using them."

I just gave up ground beef. Maybe I'll make my own if I want it.

[Nothing Without Hope]

65. Yes, that is a crucial paragraph and I wish I could have included it.

The way it is worded, it's clear that the author is dead serious about some products being dangerous to eat.

Hi, Crispi! :hi:

[BrklynLiberal]

66. kicked and nominated

[Nothing Without Hope]

68. kick n/t

[Nothing Without Hope]

69. kick - n/t

[uppityperson]

72. wow, really? Obvious moment article

You mean they aren't policing themselves very well? No beef here for quite a while.

[Catchawave]

73. Sierra Club - Factory Farms

...more great info here:

http://www.sierraclub.org/factoryfarms/

<snip>

February 9, 2005
The Bush Administration announced a deal that lets massive factory farms off the hook for any violations of air and toxic pollution right-to-know laws, while communities near these facilities wait in vain for relief. The fact is that rural families have been suffering from toxic pollution caused by factory farms for years. This "backroom" deal forces communities to wait for relief, while polluters are let off the hook.

In exchange, a handful of the massive factory farms will have their air emissions monitored. The fact is that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) already has the ability under the Clean Air Act to get this information from the polluters and doesn't need to give them a special "get out of jail free" card in order to find out about their emissions.

What is most disturbing is that the deal was created by the polluters and for the polluters. Industry lobbyists approached the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the fall of 2001 with their own proposal, and the administration's final deal closely mirrors the polluters' wish list. What's more, leaked electronic mail correspondence revealed the frequent and close access that polluters had to the administration: from private monthly meetings, to the chance to draft presentations for EPA officials to deliver. Read Sierra Club's press release, and find out more about this secret deal.


<snip>

[Catchawave]

74. More articles......

http://www.factoryfarming.com/issues.htm


Her Job: Helping Save the World From Bird Flu
August 9, 2005 New York Times
Research Suggests Dairy can be Deadly
August 05, 2005 The Gazette
U.N. Urges China to Do More Tests on Pig Disease in Humans
August 5, 2005 New York Times
FDA Bans Antibiotic for Poultry
July 29, 2005 The Baltimore Sun
BSE results expected next week
July, 28 2005 Meatingplace.com
Suspect animal raises concern
July, 27 2005 Houston Chronicle
Think your 99-cent hamburger is cheap?
March 31, 2005 Ames Tribune
Farmers study future without confined feeding operations
March 01, 2005 The Tribune
Getting Plucked
March 18,2005 The Texas Observer
Study links drug-resistant bacteria on poultry products to antibiotic use
March 22,2005 Meatingplace.com
The Unkindest Cut
March 7, 2005 New York Times
Panel Seeks to put Organic Loophole out to Pasture
March 2, 2005 Chicago Tribune
California Sausage Maker Sentenced to Death
February 17 2005 Meatingplace.com
Under the guise of helping get Iraq back on its feet, the US is setting out to totally re-engineer the country's traditional farming systems into a US-style corporate agribusiness.
February 5, 2005 The Ecologist

Consumers eager to know more about the environmental and social impacts of the food they buy, survey finds
January 24, 2005 University of California, Santa Cruz Report
State of California report on confined farming operations
November 2004 (Acrobat PDF required)
Mutating bird flu virus a deadly threat to humans
AP, 06/29/04
Whole Foods CEO Predicts Demise of "Factory Farms"
Pork Alert, 06/29/04
Biological storm coming, warns Canada's top veterinarian and BSE expert
The Canadian Press, 06/10/04
Research finds link between meat workers and cancer
Sunday Star-Times, New Zealand 05/30/04
Austria enacts one of Europe's toughest animal rights laws
Associated Press 05/27/04
Livestock industry finds friends in EPA
Chicago Tribune 05/16/04

Do We Need Large-Scale Confinement Animal Feeding Operations?
The Pig Site April 2004
Mysterious BSE-like Disease Found in Sheep
New Scientist 04/04/04
Growth hormones in veal spark debate FDA says they're illegal, but industry says they're not new
USA Today 4/2/04
Canada Bans "Downer" Cows From Slaughterhouses That Ship to U.S.
Associated Press 1/15/04
Asian bird flu threatens to be more serious than SARS
Meatingplace.com 1/15/04
Group Questions Logo on Egg Advertising
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 11/26/03
58,000 Dying Sheep Afloat at Sea
San Fransico Chronicle, 10/13/03
NY Times Reports: Inspectors, Meatpackers Fall Short
New York Times, 10/10/03

Factory Farms Benefit from Government Subsidies to the Detriment of Family Farms
Environmental Working Group 09/0803

United Nations says antimicrobials in livestock cause resistant bacteria
Meating Place, 8/15/03
The Israeli Supreme Court:Force-feeding of Geese and Ducks Violates the Law
Jerusalem, 08/11/03
USDA study reveals factory farms produce manure beyond carrying capacity of land
New York (NY) 07/09 03
Animal Rights Groups Applaud
Florida Hog Crate Ban
Reuters, 11/06/02
Opinion: The Curse of Factory Farms
New York Times, 08/30/02
Agribusiness Writer Suggests Animal Welfare Reforms
MeatingPlace.com, 07/19/2002
The Down Side of Fish Farms
HealthSCOUT, 09/23/00
McDonald's Corp. Develops Animal
Management and Welfare Guidelines
Feedstuffs, 05/01/00
Agribusiness wise to consider animal welfare
Feedstuffs, 10/25/99
Animal Agriculture must be Part of the Solution
Feedstuffs, 09/28/98
CAST Report Shows a Growing Concern for Animals
Feedstuffs - October 13, 1997

[Nothing Without Hope]

75. Oh my. I wonder why more articles haven't been highly visible in the

major corporate media?

The neocon-friendly Poodle Press strikes again.

[Catchawave]

78. I know, I know :raising hand:

Major"corporate media" latches onto the spew from CAFO/ConAgra industry front groups (like Consumer Freedom and that ilk),which supports the tiny penis-profit driven industries that exploit animals. And as you've proven, not the most healthy way of doing business for the human consumer !

As a lifelong progressive, it's always an uphill battle, David v.Goliath, since industries always have MO'MONEY to fight the "little people".

GWB has failed miserably in protecting citizens from terrorists to what's on our dinner plates

:crazy:

[Nothing Without Hope]

77. kick - more people need to be made aware of this n/t

[Catchawave]

79. It's definitely an important progressive issue !

:kick: :patriot: :kick: