Bush's USDA refused to release mad cow records

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20031223-103657-3424r

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Although the United States Department of Agriculture insisted the U.S. beef supply is safe Tuesday after announcing the first documented case of mad cow disease in the United States, the agency for six months repeatedly refused to release its tests for mad cow to United Press International.

The USDA claims to have tested approximately 20,000 cows for the disease in 2002 and 2003, but has been unable to provide any documentation in support of this to UPI, which first requested the information in July. snip

"It was almost like they didn't want to find mad cow disease," Schwochert said.

He noted he had been informed that approximately six months ago a cow displaying symptoms suggestive of mad cow disease showed up at the X-cel slaughtering plant in Ft. Morgan.

Once cows are unloaded off the truck they are required to be inspected by USDA veterinarians. However, the cow was spotted by plant employees before USDA officials saw it and "it went back out on a special truck and they called the guys in the office and said don't say anything about this," Schwochert said.

more

[Gman]

1. They're just keeping government off people's backs

and another catastrophe is about to happen.

I suspected as much from the moment I first heard the MCD report. I thought to myself, "ok, what DON'T we know about this now?"

[maddezmom]

2. bush* protecting the US

with lies. :(

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. They never inspected anything. Great interview last night

on CNN of all channels. The guy came on after the government female shill and said that the U.S. is far behind in inspection of beef for mad cow disease. This latest cow, he said, was the tip of an invisible iceberg precisely because our inspections haven't kept up on a practical level. And he warned that the female government shill who said that our beef was sound, was actually a lobbyist for the agriculture business.

I don't think it's a surprise to anyone that Republicans have been quietly putting friendlys in regulatory agencies and our regulatory agencies have been passively deregulated through inactivity. Passive Deregulation on USDA inspections has probably resulted in creating more than a few walking corpses among us.

[PSR40004]

4. Anyone know about England?

Whats been going on in england since their out break? Have they had relapses or other cases? I believe this will end up as a huge story as it really hits alot of people at home. I understand the USDA has put alot of effort into warning farmers about it and what it can do their business (my family is in farming) andcan't beileve there's not a plan based on experances in england on what to do. If there's no plan the bushies will look very bad.

[Jackpine Radical]

5. It's stories like this that make me glad our freezer is filled with

organically grown, free-range beef from a local organic meat farmer and has never been fed with "waste tissues" from other cows.

[skypilot]

6. I'd relapsed into eating a lot of red meat lately

This latest news cured me. Under this administration, especially, I wouldn't trust an inspector as far as I could throw him. And with the economy suddenly "roaring" I'm sure they don't want any bad news getting in the way.