NEWS: New Case Of Mad Cow Confirmed, This Time In Younger Animal

Its probably a good start, sad to say. But I think an immediate complete revistation of "vegetarian" animal feed, an absolute ban on ANY animal or poultry ruminants being incorporated into any animal feed...on both sides of the border. And in the short term, I think much more testing is required. As I said to the Dude earlier today...I think the reason they're not finding more BSE in the U.S. is because far fewer cows are tested than in Canada relative to the amount slaughtered in a year. I think we need to speak up...or start buying organic or hallal even though its more expensive. Believe you me, when sales go down, the beef lobby and government will sit up and take notice. Its big business after all.

BTW - Where do you go to buy your hallal in Toronto - might as well go somewhere recommended - would you please U2U me on that. Thanks, buddy!

[edit on 12/1/05 by AlwaysLearning]

Originally posted by AlwaysLearning
As I said to the Dude earlier today...I think the reason they're not finding more BSE in the U.S. is because far fewer cows are tested than in Canada relative to the amount slaughtered in a year. I think we need to speak up...or start buying organic or hallal even though its more expensive. Believe you me, when sales go down, the beef lobby and government will sit up and take notice. Its big business after all.

I agree, I think big changes need to be made with regard to the feed; I wouldn't doubt there are plenty of violations going on and perhaps the latest BSE case is an example of that (based on lack of confirmation of transmission of BSE in utero or through milk).

If the aim is a safe beef supply then this is the only way to go, in my opinion. Hopefully it doesn't take a huge crisis to get people to see it that way and start voicing their opinion.

Just found this, as well.

Canada's chief veterinarian says U.S. agriculture officials are still committed to resuming the cattle trade in March after a review of Canada's feed procedures that will take three to four weeks.

article

I really don't think it matters whether the border is reopened at this point or not as I think BSE is more widespread then is reported in both the USA and Canada. I think more testing of the cattle would show that, and would help determine how widespread it is. Maybe that is exactly what's needed to get people to speak up.

[edit on 12-1-2005 by parrhesia]

Well said and agreed. As far as I'm concerned, this should have been a priority since that first case 19 months ago...the problem could have been virtually resolved. The losses to the beef industry alone in Canada because of the border closing could have paid for the restructuring (for lack of a better word) and testing of maybe not all, but most animals.

Both countries are going to have to get together on this though because once the border opens cattle go both ways as far as I know.

Originally posted by AlwaysLearning
The losses to the beef industry alone in Canada because of the border closing could have paid for the restructuring (for lack of a better word) and testing of maybe not all, but most animals.

Both countries are going to have to get together on this though because once the border opens cattle go both ways as far as I know.

I think you're right. What are the losses now? Around $5 billion lost in the industry in the last year and a half?
The more cases that appear the more losses the industry will take - not only from closed borders of other countries, but within Canada itself.
While the public and many others might not like to see the results of expanded testing of animals under the current system, it is essential to clear the beef supply of BSE contamination.

Some new information from the UK side...this story reveals that the authorities have drastically reduced their predicition for future CJD cases to 70. This doesn't mean 70 new infections, rather that a predicted 70 people in the UK are walking around with the disease but don't know it yet.

Note that this is in relation to CJD (the human form of BSE), not BSE itself. NO new CJD infections are predicted now that these particular cow parts have been removed from the food chain.

It still sucks, of course, for these theoretical 70 people, but it's a much better picture than was initially feared.

This is worth reading,

t's believed the animal became infected by eating contaminated feed.

Vohs said he usually grows his own feed, but in 1998 bought some calf starter feed as a nutritional supplement. It was a product readily available at a feed supply store.

He bought it a year after ruminant material had been banned from all cattle feed as an anti-BSE measure.

"I bought that feed in good faith," said Vohs, who said he believed it contained mostly grain along with minerals and vitamins.

Vohs said he gave the feed to 104 calves. Of those, 34 were used for breeding purposes and 70 were sold to the feedlot system.

So, if the infection resulted from 'contaminated' feed, I'm very curious as to the whereabouts of the 103 remaining calves, and again curious about transmission through pregnancy.

more

[edit on 13-1-2005 by parrhesia]

I just heard some new & disturbing information on the news:

"Scientists in Switzerland say inflammatory diseases in cattle could cause BSE to harbour in parts of cattle such as the liver and kidneys which were previously thought to be immune from the disease. However a member of the government's advisory committee on diseases like BSE says because the experiments were conducted on mice it's too early to draw any definite conclusions." (Soucre: BBC Radio 4, Farming Today)

This might not be such a big deal in the US, where (unless things have changed since I was a kid!) the consumption of offal is fairly rare. But it does bring into question the theory that the disease can only only live in certain tissue.

Government officials here in the UK are playing this down for two additional reasons: no cattle past 30 months old are allowed in the food chain, and any sick cattle are (theoretically) removed before slaughter.