Song in my head: Pink Floyd...leave our cash alone!.........................................Skippy
MAD COW MOOS
Let's have another look at the world's beef supply since I last updated on November 19. Back then, a possible case of BSE was being tested further. Fortunately......the results were good.....
USDA: Negative result for Mad Cow Test
Statement by John Clifford, Deputy Administrator- Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service
November 23, 2004
“The USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa, has determined that the inconclusive screening test sample reported on Nov. 18 has tested negative for BSE upon confirmatory testing. LINK
November 22, 2004 Reuters WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Agriculture was cited as saying on Monday that Canada would be allowed to resume exports of live cattle and additional types of beef to the United States under a regulation approved by USDA, but the proposal still must be reviewed by the Bush administration's budget office, which signs off on all major regulatory changes, as well as members of Congress.USDA spokeswoman Alisa Harrison was cited as saying those reviews could take up to 90 days, and she was not sure whether the new trade rule would take effect immediately after being approved.The story adds that federal regulations sometimes take effect at a specified date, such as two months after the measure has gained final approval. (story from FSNet listserv, by subscription)
MAD FARMER MOOS
Cows wearing the names of cabinet ministers were, according to this story, dumped in a Montreal park Monday by farmers demanding more government aid to recover from the mad-cow crisis. The story says that angry farmers penned these cattle in Montreal's Lafontaine Park to protest against low beef prices. About 100 farmers penned 10 to 15 cows in Lafontaine Park to protest the low prices they get for selling their animals. Each animal bore the name of a provincial or federal cabinet minister, including Prime Minister Paul Martin. The farmers threatened to leave the cattle in the park near the city's core for the politicians to pick up. Cows wearing the names of cabinet ministers were, according to this story, dumped in a Montreal park Monday by farmers demanding more government aid to recover from the mad-cow crisis. The story says that angry farmers penned these cattle in Montreal's Lafontaine Park to protest against low beef prices. About 100 farmers penned 10 to 15 cows in Lafontaine Park to protest the low prices they get for selling their animals. Each animal bore the name of a provincial or federal cabinet minister, including Prime Minister Paul Martin. The farmers threatened to leave the cattle in the park near the city's core for the politicians to pick up. LINK
A slamming statement from The Center for Science in the Public Interest
Statement of CSPI Food Safety Director Caroline Smith DeWaal :
In all probability, a small number of BSE-infected animals are circulating in North America, and it is prudent to assume that some are entering the feed and food chain. While consumers' risk of contracting the human form of the disease is minuscule, USDA and FDA should nevertheless implement steps to ensure that human and animal exposure to the agent that causes the disease is further minimized. We shouldn't react to Mad Cow disease in fits and starts as more cattle test positive. We should assume that some will test positive, but we shouldn't wait to protect the food supply. The Bush Administration has failed to deliver on many of the promises it made when the first case of BSE was discovered. FDA should immediately implement long-promised regulations to strengthen the 1997 feed ban by eliminating plate waste, poultry litter, and cattle blood from cattle feed. Cattle evolved to eat grass, not garbage. In addition, the FDA should ban cattle parts from all animal feed, to further reduce the risk of the disease spreading to more cattle. LINK
HONG KONG- Hong Kong's health chief York Chow was cited as indicating Sunday he would consider lifting a ban on imports of Canadian beef imposed last year after the discovery of mad cow disease in the top beef-producing province of Alberta and that officials had visited Canada and given its farms the all clear on bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, adding, "I think that we are a lot more satisfied with the situation there so that we can make some decisions in the future." (story via FSNet listserv, by sub. )
And will pResident Dangerous Pretzel eat the risky New York strip, medium rare?
November 28, 2004 Reuters OTTAWA - The United States has yet to reopen its borders to imports of live Canadian cattle but that won't, according to this story, keep Ottawa from serving beef to U.S. President George W. Bush at an official dinner this week.The story says that the president has a chance to make a personal assessment on Tuesday, when beef from the western province of Alberta will be on the menu."Far from being insulted at being served Alberta beef, I think he'll be keen to dig in," a Canadian official told reporters on Sunday. (Story via FSNet listserv, by sub)
29, 2004Meatingplace.comPete Hisey The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in Great Britain has appointed Professor William Hill, Emeritus Professor of Evolutionary Biology at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, to review the agency's work on cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy since August 1996.Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds, in explaining the move, said that despite consistently tightening controls over animal welfare, there have still been 99 cases of BSE reported since 1996. Authorities believe that the source is feed contamination from other parts of Europe, but Hill is being brought in to look at the entire system of controls and to challenge conventional wisdom. "If we can meet this challenge, it will give us reassurance that we have not overlooked anything that might prevent us from getting rid of the disease by the end of 2010," Reynolds said. Hill is being asked to present his findings within six months. (Via FSNet listserv)
Would you like your McBSE with extra lettuce, maybe a milkshake, with a side of rocket fuel?...................
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