unveiling a tremendous propaganda (umm publicity?) campaign to try and bolster
confidence in American beef. Unfortunately, (for the US) countries that have
been importers of US beef prefer to err on the side of caution, and many are
dispatching their own people to the area where the infection was found to
confirm just what is taking place. Interesting that blame is being re-directed
to Canada, and even though the trail of evidence was at first broken as to the
real origin of the infected cow, records have been quickly modified (on the US
side) to make them coincide with Canadian records.
As for brain, CNS, bone particles and other non-muscle animal parts, the beef
packing industry has lobbied long and hard to have less regulation about what is
acceptable in meat products. The result has been that increasing levels of
hormone additives, anti-biotic, and "miscellaneous ingredients" have been part
and parcel of beef products produced in the US. Aside from just Mad Cow disease,
the whole process is coming under microscopic scrutiny, and I fully expect some
changes in processing methods to result.
It is said that the US exports 10% of its beef production, and I suspect it is
even more than that, but I agree that the market fall-out from this event will
be with us for years to come.
One unfortunate result will probably be that the producer will take most of the
hit, and not the packers and processors, just as it did in England.
On the other side, the US has been brutal with their import regulations as a
result of the British events, and even before that with imports of Mexican and
South American beef, which carried the risk of what was called Hoof and Mouth
Disease which only affected cattle and not humans. Now the shoe is on the other
foot, huh?
D
Aspire to Inspire before you Retire or Expire!
----- Original Message -----
From: "Adam Reynolds" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "CF-Community" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2003 5:48 AM
Subject: RE: List of countries ban US beef imports..
| The UK did what it did to assure external markets. Not the internal
| markets.Same happened everywhere it was found. The export market is a key
| business.
|
| It tooks years before the ban was lifted.
|
| It sounds like the US has a long hard slog. In effect, each cow in the UK is
| given a 'passport' which goes with it everywhere.
|
| After reading 'fast food nation' you American's are going to have serious
| issues with this. I mean very long term issues. You will clinically have to
| prove that your beef industry has put in safety checks at each stage in the
| process to vet each animal and ensure it's pedigree.
|
| I love the fact your abetoires (sp?) have 'europe' days where you slow down
| beef processing as the standards are higher in Europe for beef processing
| and the beef would not be accepted.
| -----Original Message-----
| From: Jim Davis [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
| Sent: 26 December 2003 20:34
| To: CF-Community
| Subject: RE: List of countries ban US beef imports..
|
|
| I'm not completely convinced that the UK's solution was the only or the
| best
| solution. It may be, but the problem was surrounding by more political
| posturing and knee-jerk reactions than science (as I'm sure it will be
| here
| as well).
|
|
| At the very least by doing that you've just created mountains and
| mountains
| of biohazard waste which has to be dealt with. The beef industry here is
| enormously larger than the UK's - the same solution may not fit the same
| problem.
|
|
| Of course I don't know anything about it really. I'm strictly a Sunday
| morning policy maker.
|
|
| Jim Davis
|
|
| _____
|
| From: Angel Stewart [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
| Sent: Friday, December 26, 2003 3:20 PM
| To: CF-Community
| Subject: RE: List of countries ban US beef imports..
|
|
| The solution is just what the UK had to do. Slaughter all the animals in
| an infected herd if even one shows signs of the disease. Then track back
| and see where any cows from that herd went and slaughter those herds
| too...etc. etc.
|
| CHeck back previous news coverage of what happened in Europe and how
| they dealt with it to see what the US should be doing.
|
| -Gel
|
| -----Original Message-----
| From: Jim Davis [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
|
| Of course a ban on downed animals (which I generally agree with) would
| do
| very little to deal with this as the generally accepted cause of the
| disease
| has a very unpredictable dormancy phase. Perfectly healthy seeming
| animals
| can be just as infectious as "downed" animals.
|
| I'm not sure what to do to solve this, but I'm concerned that
| reinstating
| the ban on downed animals could be seen as a "fix" for this issue when
| it's
| not.
|
| I wonder if stricter standards on the use of brain/nervous system tissue
| would help at all?
|
| Jim Davis
|
| ---
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| _____
|
|
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