Eat up, folks! USA to SCALE BACK mad cow testing!

[Bluebear]

Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin said the confidence of American consumers and foreign customers is at risk.

WASHINGTON - Despite the confirmation of a third case of mad cow disease, the government intends to scale back testing for the brain-wasting disorder blamed for the deaths of more than 150 people in Europe.

The Agriculture Department boosted its surveillance after finding the first case of mad cow disease in the United States in 2003. About 1,000 tests are run daily, up from about 55 daily in 2003.

The testing program detected an infected cow in Alabama last week, and further analysis confirmed Monday that the animal had mad cow disease....

Consumer groups want every animal to be tested, said Gary Weber, head of regulatory affairs for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association in Denver.

"It's not cost-effective; it's not necessary," Weber said. "The consumers we've done focus groups with are comfortable that this is a very rare disease and we've got safeguards in place."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060314/ap_on_he_me/mad_cow

http://old.redangus.org/newredsite/themagazine/march02/BUSH,%20GW.GIF
"This nation's gotta eat. It's in our national security interest that we're able to feed ourselves," was one of the many things that the President said to the crowd of cattle producers that brought the audience to their feet.

http://old.redangus.org/newredsite/themagazine/march02/2002ncbaconv.html

[Mythsaje]

1. Focus groups?

They're basing our health and safety on FOCUS GROUPS?

How about basing it on the recommendations of health professionals? Would that be too much to ask?

Hell, I think these people already have Mad Cow. It would explain SO much.

[Bluebear]

3. Focus groups selected by the Cattlemen!

Oy my head hurts already.

[Mythsaje]

5. We're all going to turn into Denny Cranes!

:banghead: I don't know how much more of this I can take.

[Peter Frank]

2. I haven't eaten beef for two years...

...because of the deplorable testing regimen in the US. Now it's worse! Great.

[rucky]

15. I get my beef from a local (Amish) farmer.

Hasn't brought in any cows from the "outside" in several generations. 100% grass fed. And I get to meet my cow before I eat it.

"Grass Fed" is the key here, since the disease is transmitted when cow parts are put into cattle feed.

[Peter Frank]

19. Yeah...

...industrial feed contains cow byproducts, which is how the cows get infected.

[Faux pas]

4. Sure glad I don't eat beef. Leaves more for the thugs.

LOL I know I'm baaaad, but I don't care.
;)

[sheelz]

6. They hardly tested any as it is

and they found this third on a fluke. How much less could they test. I believe none is what they are shooting for.

[Bluebear]

8. Edited OP with quote and photo.

"I believe none is what they are shooting for."

Well, it's in our nation's security interest. :eyes:

[Peter Frank]

12. But there's so much at steak!... n/t

[Vinnie From Indy]

20. LOL! Good one!

eom

[benevolent dictator]

7. I only eat organic or all natural beef now

because of the Mad Cow stuff. OK, well sometimes I cheat, but not often, and it gets easier and easier to not eat beef all the time.

*sigh* but oh how I love a good hunk of corned beef...

[sheelz]

9. Well, unfortunately for now

I work in a grocery store and have to handle it everyday. We don't eat much meat but we did have corned beef and cabbage for dinner. Yum!

[Celeborn Skywalker]

11. I try to also

The problem is that it's generally pretty expensive. Poorer people often can't afford to pay for the organic stuff and are forced to make due with the factory farm shit. There needs to be a major change in the industry so both rich and poor can afford to eat beef without fear of getting sick.

[benevolent dictator]

13. Very true. My mom has taken to calling Whole Foods "Whole Paychecks"

There's an Amish market fairly near my house that sells all-natural meat at near "regular" meat prices... the only problem is that the couple who runs it are HUGE Bush supporters, as in the we-donated-ten-grand-and-got-our-picture-taken-with-him kind of supporters. We stopped shopping there and told them that was why. Very unfortunate that they turned out to be crazy Republicans, since Whole Foods is not only more expensive but about 3 times farther away.

Although, usually when I come home my parents will make the drive to get me beef. I don't have a car at college and it's pretty much impossible to get organic or all natural beef (or organic/all natural anything, for that matter) on campus. :(

[rucky]

16. buy "locker meat" from a local farmer

you might have to ask around, but you can go in with some friends and get your meat for the year at under $3/per pound.

[undergroundpanther]

10. Not cost effective

There is your reason.. We don't test because we are CHEEP!Paying for tests cut into PROFITS..oink!

Fuck the beef industry -- because the beef industry "leaders" apparently thought it was “cost cutting” to risk MY health so they can be cheap and get more money! The beef industry thought it was OK to risk sickening countless other people's health with their sick cows raised on blood and meat simply because they want to be cheap and get more money out of every cow. They raise cattle on cheap food that happens to taint their product, which happens to be living creatures with feed requirements that cannot be changed to cheap proteins because they are herbivores!

Cheap, corrupt industry is scared of the truth, scared of seeing the results of their greed, so they won't test the cows they feed with the wrong and cheap food. Of course the complicit USDA racket will avoid testing cows at the BIG plants with the most money to lose if their meat is proven to be bad. All because greedy people refuse to shell out the money it takes to raise a cow properly on food it's body is designed to eat -- PLANTS.
Read more...

http://www.unknownnews.net/040204d-up.html

[Garbo 2004]

14. Now eating possibly infected beef is a matter of national security?

Shameless.

The findings of 3 confirmed cases in 3 years with even the limited testing they've been doing suggests a likelihood there are more cases that are not found. So of course, reduce the testing. As noted, it's essentially a policy of "don't test, don't find."

"Mike Johanns pointed out testing is not a food safety measure. Rather, it's a way to find out the prevalence of the disease."

So it's not a matter that that the beef supply is safe and testing isn't needed, just that they're content to let consumers play Russian roulette every time they chow down on a hamburger.

[Quakerfriend]

17. We should all be very concerned about our entire food

supply! They've suceeded in lowering the standards for all things organic. Eliminated 200 + labeling laws. And, forced GE foods, without labeling, on us.

13 cases of mad cow in NJ over the past several years- ALL HAD TIES TO THE SAME RACE TRACK!! Gov't has swept this under the rug!

[leftchick]

18. Vanity Fair: "Order the Fish"

The was an excellent article in Vanity Fair about the horror that is the meat industry in this country 3 years ago. I don't know how to get their articles online but it is a must read. I don't eat meat but if you are a meat eater, after reading that, you won't touch it.

[Lisa]

21. like the story about the drunk who looks for his keys under the lamppost

... because that's the only place where he can see to search! That's the analogy an epidemiologist gave, to incomplete "mad-cow" screening.

(Only in this case, the drunk is deliberately shooting out every lightbulb in range, so he won't have as many places to look ...)

[Rainscents]

22. Our government don't give a shit about people

[Bluebear]

24. Katrina proved that. We are farkin ON OUR OWN, nt

[katinmn]

23. The WH cooks import Kobe beef from Japan

I'll just betcha!