USDA: Animal Tests Positive for Mad Cow

[mainer]

uh oh. No further details yet. No location of animal, nothing. If this is a US cow, it looks very bad.

No beef for me.

--------


USDA says one animal tests positive for Mad Cow 8 minutes ago



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed on Friday that one animal has tested positive for Mad Cow disease.

A preliminary test was positive, a second test was negative and officials said the third test was positive. The USDA said an additional test will be performed on tissue from the dead animal



http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050611/ts_nm/health_madcow_positive_dc_1

[MissB]

1. I gave up beef two years ago

I can't say I miss it, really.

[MuseRider]

2. Me too.

I don't miss it either. The first time I gave up red meat I did miss it and would occasionally allow myself a steak or burger, maybe twice a year. Then I went back to it and about 2 years ago or whenever Mad Cow came up the first time here I decided it just wasn't important to me to eat it. Now if I could only go the next step but I can't yet.

[MissB]

6. I'd like to go veggie

I know it is healthier. I think it'll take me another year or so.

[MuseRider]

9. I tried once

but it was stupid. I jumped straight into macro biotics, BLECH! I am certain it is not nasty if you sort of work into it. I have a bunch of big changes coming in my life so I think it may be a couple of years before I am settled enough to really make a big change. I will eventually do it though.

[Lorien]

31. Try Quorn products

they taste a lot more like chicken and ground beef than the soy based products. Their chicken nuggets are especially tasty!

[lakeguy]

141. quorn is good stuff! i highly recommend it!

[evolvenow]

37. You can start today:) http://www.veganunlimited.com

Try one veg meal a day, or once a week, it is so easy, tastes delicious and you do not have to worry about all of the horror related to eating animals. I am happy to help, if you have any questions. This is not my site, but it is really good:)
Take care!

[CrispyQ]

95. I went veg years ago & have never looked back.

Here's a site with loads of recipes to help you in your endeavor. There is also a forum there where you can post questions.

http://vegweb.com/recipes/


Also, don't hesitate to ask any questions at the DU veg forum

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=231

Consider starting slow & go from there. Veganism is a journey, not a destination.

Good luck!! :hi:

[expatriot]

122. www.goveg.com

tons of resources elsewhere on the net as provided here and other places....

[cliss]

164. Here's what you should do:

go to the grocery store. Go to the frozen foods section. Look for the meatless section. There should be packages of Morningstar Farms meat substitute, hamburgers, even hot dogs & corn dogs. Boca Burgers should be there; they're yummy. Chick patties and chick burgers are better than chicken patties.

You can start tonight and have a delicious dinner.

We switched over to meatless a few years ago, when the Mad Cow thing was flaring up. We have no regrets, will never go back. I love making hamburgers and not having a 1" inch layer of beef fat in the frying pan....all that mess is gone now.

Good luck & keep us posted.

[4_Legs_Good]

165. Come over to the vegetarian forum missb

There's lots of help to be had there!

Going veggie is *way* easier than you might think. I thought it would be impossible for me, and I've now been meat free for over a decade.

david

[Mairead]

12. Do you like Chinese, Japanese, Indian, or Thai food?

If you do, get a cookbook and wok and try some receipes using doufu/tofu (doufu is the Chinese spelling) in place of animal flesh. Perhaps start using one of the packaged 'fake sirloin strips' (I think the brand is Yves, and is from Canada) instead of using the straight doufu. Or just get a package of doufu and go from there. Be sure you get the extra-firm or pressed kind if you're going to stir-fry it, not 'silken'/'soft'/'japanese style' which is used in a totally different way.

I found it very easy to take the next step once I was going to something rather than trying to go from, if that makes any sense.

[MuseRider]

13. I will look for it.

I do know I can get some Tofu here but I am in Topeka, Kansas and what we call food here is nothing like that. Meat and taters you know. Seriously, our choices were much better before we managed to get 5 Walmart stores and a few other chains. Our variety left with the local stores. I suppose I could drive to Lawrence, it is only 35 miles. I will do it one of these days and I really appreciate the help.

Going to the farmers market in the morning if it is not pouring rain and getting some organic meats, that makes me feel better for my health but not better for the critters. My concern is mostly with the critters so I will get to a Vegan state eventually, really I will.

[redacted]

19. Do you have a Whole Foods or Trader Joes in driving distance?

If you do there are many tasty meat substitutes I could recommend. Becoming a veggie or a vegan doesn't have to be a sacrifice.

I used to live in the midwest -- so I know how it is there. Grew up in WI and went to college/spent my 20s in Chicago.

Also, look for local health food stores -- sometimes they have good stuff.

PM if you want some suggestions.

[Mairead]

20. "My concern is mostly with the critters"

That was my reason, too. There came a day when I just completely stopped being able to ignore the implications of what I was doing. I had a lot of feelings about it.

Do you trade at the Topeka Co-op? (http://www.geocities.com/topekafoodcoop/) Most co-ops have a lot of organic and veggie foods including doufu, so that might save you a trip to Lawrence.

[evolvenow]

36. You can order here, they have tons of delicious, healthy, veg. food/produc

http://www.veganunlimited.com






kick for Good Health!

[MuseRider]

77. Thanks!

Bookmarked. I really appreciate it.

[evolvenow]

110. My pleasure, most welcome! Be happy to help if you need suggestions.

[wickerwoman]

29. This is really good advice.

I've gotten much more vegetarian over the past year (I'm down to fish, eggs, yogurt and cheese with chicken maybe once or twice a week) not because I made any conscious effort to become vegetarian but because I went on the South Beach Diet and got bored with meat really, really fast. I started challenging myself to experiment with new ingredients (mostly vegetables) and using them until I could cook them well. I got a great Indian cookbook and started learning how to do curries. I live in China and they have a much, much healthier attitude towards meat- it's a flavoring, not a staple.

I think it's much harder to succeed if you see yourself as "giving up" foods that you love. I never said "I'll never eat ____ again." Just that I'll cut down on ____ while I try _____. It's much better to think in terms of finding new friends and broadening your horizons. It's amazing how slight the temptation to look back is.

[pandemic_1918]

55. Beef Cattle From Texas

The positive was a beef animal from Texas. It was a downer (but others from the herd were almost certainly walkers and have been eaten by people - beef cattle from Texas are not sold as dog food).

[Name removed]

80. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[BlueIris]

33. Me, too.

Except, I miss beef like hell. I thought it was tasty. Insufferably tasty. It hurts me that I can't have it anymore.

But nothing is worth taking that big a risk of contracting Mad Cow. Or developing breast cancer.

[CrispyQ]

97. May I suggest

Nate's Meatless Meat Balls -- found in the frozen food section of your health food store. There are a couple of varieties of flavors. I recommend cooking in the oven vs. microwave, tho. Also, if serving with sauce, don't add the meatballs till serving time.

GimmeLean Beef flavor -- vegan 'ground round' found near the tofu in the refrigerator section. Most major grocery stores in my area carry it.

BTW, the GimmeLean Sausage flavor rocks.

[Mairead]

157. Agreed on the GimmeLean Sausage flavor --- yummers! (nt)

[pandemic_1918]

79. This Steer was Positive In October, 2004

Sounds like class action law suit time.


QUESTION: "Hello. Am I understanding this right that you actually got two inconclusive results?"

DR. MORGAN: "No, sir. Prior to this announcement today of our third inconclusive test result, back in July we announced two inconclusive tests. So this now represents our third inconclusive test finding."

[Vickers]

125. Gee, right before the "election"

:eyes:

[kenny blankenship]

89. me four

You can't trust the current gang in power to guard the safety of the food supply. Even if it wasn't Chimp boy in the Presidency the beef supply would still be suspect. With Chimp boy --forget about beef altogether.

[newswolf56]

3. I stopped eating beef in 2004 because...

...I am convinced we're not getting the truth about this. I miss beef -- there is really no other domestic meat like it, especially in terms of lower fat content -- but so be it.

Wild meat is of course much lower than beef in fat content, but even wild bovines -- deer, elk etc. -- may now be unsafe. And in any case there is virtually no hunting in my home state of Washington any more, this despite the most game-rich wilderness in the lower 48: state-imposed road closures have cut off access to the back country to everyone but the (super-rich) horse-trailer set.

[havocmom]

7. Try an emu burger or 'roast' sometime

The roasts are more like thick beef steaks in size. Emu meat is pretty good and red. Tasty and take less resources to make a pound of it than it takes to produce a pound of beef. A more sstainable sorce of animal protien.

Then again, I like lentiles and beans

[lazarus]

4. You should give up all food, then

As the odds of contamination because the guy fixing your food didn't wash his hands are about a billion times higher than the odds you'll get mad cow.

As for any processed foods, I used to work in a chicken plant. I've seen what goes on. Just follow basic food safety practises when preparing your food, and you'll be fine.

The prions that are the cause of mad cow, btw, are the result of cannibalism (we feed cows back to themselves). This practise is also prevalent in all other meats, and lots of that byproduct is used as fertilizer for vegetables.

There is no safe food, really. I'm off to have a steak.

[confludemocrat]

128. That's a ridiculous argument

Most people are equipped to deal with environmental bacteria (antibodies) and infections are treatable in any case with antibiotics.

The very old or very young are susceptible to food poisoning to the point of death, but for the very old in particluar, whaddya gonna do.

Mad cow is not treatable if contracted by humans.

You have just said that despite the fact that the beef industry uses the riskiest practices leading to mad cow, your going to eat the stuff anyway. Good luck.

[lazarus]

130. No, I didn't

I won't eat beef from the "beef industry". I eat local stuff, that's been farm-raised and butchered where I can see it.

I'm not worried about mad cow, I'm worried about excess feces, etc., on the meat. The odds of contracting mad cow are miniscule.

[Maru Kitteh]

132. Oh bullcrap, or rather I can take my broccoli home and wash the bullcrap

off of it, and guess what? It will never. ever. give me a brain wasting disease. Mad cow? You cannot wash it away. You cannot freeze it away. You cannot cook it away. You cannot irradiate it away. You cannot smell it or taste it.

There is safe food. As a vegetarian, I do not have to treat my kitchen as a hazardous materials laboratory. As soon as I wash it in the sink I'm good to go. My food is fresh, full of vivid colors and textures, flavorful and nutritious, not dangerous.

[amazona]

162. that is a hilarious claim

Today's pesticides are systemic. You can't wash them off. Your chance of contracting cancer are substantially higher than your chance of contracting mad cow.

People need to learn math.

[Bread and Circus]

158. Damn you made me hungry. JK. Seriously though, I buy all vegetarian

fed beef.

I think it's pretty sick for humans to feed cows other cows.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

5. "no location of animal, nothing"

Sonsofbitches want to make sure people don't stop buying beef because of one cow. I'm thinking we should all stop buying beef to protest their refusing to give information.

[warrens]

68. The real issue is their mangling of science

I'm in the office writing an article about this for our website, and we all KNEW this cow was a problem back in November, when it miraculously tested negative on the IHC test. The Western blot is the definitive test and we had been using it until the positive test in 2003, when it was dropped for the far less accurate IHC test.

These guys play fast and loose with established science, then scream about "good science" when they get called on it. I think Johanns inherited a bad situation and is actually trying his best, but they can't exactly come out and say, "we lied."

I don't think one sick cow is a real problem. Mangling science, like they do throughout this administration, is a MASSIVE problem, though, and this is going to make it look like they are covering up a far worse problem than it is.

Watch for all hell to break loose on Monday. They dumped this at 9 p.m. last night, but it won't be forgotten by Monday, as so many things are.

[pandemic_1918]

70. Intelligent Design Flaw

I thought all sciences was guided by intelligent design. Is this the animal that tested positive TWICE on the screening test and then tested negative on IHC?

[warrens]

74. The one and same

I was on the phone with USDA the night they supposedly got the negative result back, and from the screaming in the background, I have severe doubts that the IHC was negative.

[pandemic_1918]

78. Now Positive THREE Times

Actually, this same animal was positive TWO times before the IHC data, so now it has been positive THREE times and is being tested AGAIN in England. It was initially positive in October.

Any cattle from herd slaughtered since October should create a class action lawsuit by all who have eaten cattle from that herd since October, 2004.

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2004/11/0502.xml

Earlier post relied on literal read of this response

QUESTION: "Hello. Am I understanding this right that you actually got two inconclusive results?"

DR. MORGAN: "No, sir. Prior to this announcement today of our third inconclusive test result, back in July we announced two inconclusive tests. So this now represents our third inconclusive test finding."

[warrens]

81. You'll love this

There are only two results from the rapid test. Negative and inconclusive. So that allows them to deny they had positives.

They're still calling this one inconclusive.

[pandemic_1918]

92. Inconclusive = Positive

Inconclusive is government talk for positive, which jurors will understand.

[pandemic_1918]

71. Friday Night Data

Bad news is always released late on Friday nights.

[dissent1977]

8. Blame Canada!

That always seems to calm the sheep when the USDA's unsafe practices are pointed out.

[leftchick]

10. They will still lie about it. Don't eat meat!!

I quit eating red meat about 20 years ago. Phew!

[gate of the sun]

11. I only buy organic beef sometimes Natural

from New Zealand......but mostly I don't and haven't for awhile and yes it's because of the mad cow. I never eat it at resturaunts.....I don't think it's worth the risk.

[Robeson]

14. Soon to be swept under the rug, as soon as the beef lobby gives Bush...

...a call.

[DeepModem Mom]

15. Haven't we had whistle-blower-type LBN stories that Am. beef is not safe?

Or one meat producing place that didn't want to follow the rules, and wanted to test in a stricter manner? I've been assuming that Americans cannot be assured that our beef is safe -- not with BushCo in charge.

[MountainLaurel]

108. Yes

I remember reading a first-person account of a regular Joe working at a meatpacking plant who tried to blow the whistle.

[converted_democrat]

16. Here's an update.............

There was one found in the U.S. in 2003, the other is in the U.S. too, but they have not confirmed it.(The second on is more recent one)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/madcow_usa_dc

[Lone_Wolf]

17. Beef is too risky...

Only a fraction of the US herd gets tested for BSE.

[JohnLocke]

28. Less than 0.01 percent (nt).

[Lone_Wolf]

112. Which probably means there are hundreds of cattle with BSE...

That will eventually end up in the food chain.

[pandemic_1918]

120. Already Eaten

The BSE positive (THREE TIMES) is an aged beef steer from Texas. Other herd members were probably already eaten before they became downers.

[dissent1977]

134. And it gets worse...

There are probably actually thousands with BSE, but even if the figure is only in the hundreds that you suggest that could still contaminate millions of pounds of ground beef. See what many people don't realize is that when they grind up beef to make Hamburger they do not just grind up meat from a single cow. Instead they throw meat from a whole bunch of cows together, and it is possible that the pound of hamburger you buy at the grocery store could have parts from literally hundreds of cows in that one pound. Read Fast Food Nation by Erik Schlosser if you want to learn more about this. Just imagine the potential for BSE to spread with this practice. And the scary thing is symptoms of Mad Cow Disease often do not show up for more than a decade after the tainted beef is consumed. We could have literally millions of American people already infected and we will not discover it for a few more years yet.

[taught_me_patience]

142. wrong...

Mad cow is only found in the brain and spinal tissues. Meat that comes from the muscle tissue is not infected with BSE. So if you don't eat those tissues, then you are not at risk. That being said, taco meat *may* contain small amounts of spinal tissue from processing.

[dissent1977]

143. I know that, but often brain and spinal tissue gets in the muscle meat...

The slaughtering process is quite brutal and it is not uncommon for small bits of brain and spinal material to get into the rest of the meat supply under current slaughtering practices. Remember there are not too many people that eat brain or spinal cord, there would not be so much concern if there was not a chance of infection of the "good" meat.

[warrens]

156. They also use mechanical scrapers to get the scraps off the spine

That goes into the cheaper hamburger, because it tastes like liver. It gets used in those dirt cheap "hamburger with gravy" frozen entrees and in sausage and so on. Not good.

The greater danger is that nerve bundles and blood both contain prions and the former are found in a lot of the good meat and the latter is fed to calves and grown cattle.

[pandemic_1918]

145. Wrong

Lab studies have shown prions in the meat portion.

[Lone_Wolf]

166. I agree... It could be thousands or tens of thousands.

You bring up an excellent point about how hamburger is mixed with beef from other cows. It doesn't matter if it's 1000's or simple a dozen... the potential for large quantities of meat being contaminated by just a few scraps of infected tissue seems to be quite high.

[dissent1977]

133. Not only that...

But they often avoid testing the ones that are most likely to carry the disease. Their policy is to do whatever they can to avoid finding the disease at all, because as soon as a case is reported profits are lost. The USDA has two jobs. One is to sell beef, the other is to regulate beef. When we give an agency two completely contradictory priorities like this we are only asking for trouble. The .01% testing rate that you point out is horrible enough, but when you look at what cows are and are not being tested the figure is even worse than it appears.

[daleo]

18. Anyone for best three out of five?

"A preliminary test was positive, a second test was negative and officials said the third test was positive."

We haven't had beef in our household for nearly two years now. I can't honestly say I miss it, anyway. It got us eating more fish, which is supposed to be highly nutritional.

Read "Mad Cow USA". You can download it for free from the internet.

[sendero]

58. Why not 4 out of seven?

Eventually, they'll find some tissue that tests negative :)

[pandemic_1918]

60. Western Blot Positive

The USDA only did one of the two Internationally recommended confirmatory test (IHC). When it was negative, they didn't do the second (Western blot), which they have now done and it was positive (Western blot is a much better confirmatory test because cells do not have to be intact).

[daleo]

96. Thanks for the update.

My morning newspaper had them saying the third test was "weakly positive", whatever that might mean. It will be interesting to watch this develop over the next while.

[pandemic_1918]

102. Sample Was Enhanced

The sample was enhanced 20X to get the positive (but that could mean it has changed slightly, which caused the negative on IHC. However, the steer was a downer (couldn't walk) and was a strong positive on the initial tests (tested positive twice).

[Straight Shooter]

21. I haven't eaten meat in many years, except for fish (problems there, too).

I think all food has the potential for some life-threatening contamination. The idea of dying from "mad cow disease" does seem to be one of the worst ways to go, though.

Always best to buy organic, if you can afford it. The sad truth is, unless you grow it or raise it yourself, you can't really trust anybody. x(

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

25. Prions have NEVER been found in fish. Other bad things...maybe.

Heavy metals and environmental toxins are the major problems with fish, but not prion diseases.

JB

[Straight Shooter]

64. I was referring to the metals and toxins.

As Billy Idol said, "There is nothing safe in this world ..."

[progressivebydesign]

22. Well Shit! I gave up beef 10 years ago.. except....

once or twice a year I get the urge for a burger. Everytime I do that, this week was no exception, there is a Mad Cow story in the paper days later. Damn. I don't eat red meat at all.. 'cept those burger cravings. No more of those!

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

23. Fish and fowl are fine...though there was a report of an ostrich in NYC

About two years ago there was a report of spongiform-like pathology in an ostrich at the NYC zoo; otherwise, NO other evidence exists of prion diseases in foul or fish.

Venison, squirrel, and other North American "bush meat" are given to chronic wasting disease (a prion disease variant), and there is still suspicion that some cases of ideopathic Crutsfield-Jacob disease (CJD) in humans may be a result of wasting disease infected game meat.

Beef is definitely a gamble, particularly processed meat such as hot dogs, baloney, etc. Generally, these processed meat products use lesser cuts of beef that are close to the spinal column and may also contain lymphatic tissue...both regions/tissue types known to harbor prions in infected animals.

JB

[anitar1]

27. I know of some one who died of this disease.

I t was about 10 years ago. Suppoesdly of game meat. We never really knew, but her death was terrible.

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

24. Fish & Fowl are fine...though ostrich is still questionable.

About two years ago there was a report of spongiform-like pathology in an ostrich at the NYC zoo; otherwise, NO other evidence exists of prion diseases in foul or fish.

Venison, squirrel, and other North American "bush meat" are given to chronic wasting disease (a prion disease variant), and there is still suspicion that some cases of ideopathic Crutsfield-Jacob disease (CJD) in humans may be a result of wasting disease infected game meat.

Beef is definitely a gamble, particularly processed meat such as hot dogs, baloney, etc. Generally, these processed meat products use lesser cuts of beef that are close to the spinal column and may also contain lymphatic tissue...both regions/tissue types known to harbor prions in infected animals.

JB

[evolvenow]

26. Easy Ways to Go Veg! Order online or mailorder- Lumen Foods (800-256-2253)

Making the Transition




Many people become vegetarian overnight, while others make the change gradually. Do what works best for you.

1. Begin by “vegging up” meals you already eat, like spaghetti with tomato sauce, soups, and salads, and by replacing the meat in favorite recipes, like lasagna, stir-fries, and chili, with beans or textured vegetable protein (TVP). Replace the beef in burritos with beans or grilled veggies. Bake stuffed peppers filled with rice pilaf or couscous (a type of quick-cooking pasta). Top baked potatoes with margarine, soy “bacon bits,” or salsa. Use crumbled tofu instead of ricotta cheese in manicotti and lasagna. Use crumbled veggie burgers instead of ground beef.

2. Check natural-food stores for instant soups and main-dish convenience items, as well as regular supermarkets. Many canned soup flavors that you’re probably already used to are vegetarian, like black bean, minestrone, tomato, and vegetable. Flavored rice mixes can be made into an entrée just by adding a can of beans. Experiment with vegetarian baked beans and refried beans (don’t forget to check for lard!) and different kinds of pasta. Order pizza without the cheese but loaded with vegetable toppings, like peppers, mushrooms, or even artichokes!

3. Try meat impostors—veggie burgers, "ham," "hot dogs," and "turkey" made out of soy and other meatless ingredients. They taste close enough to the real thing to fool any die-hard carnivore, although you might want to try several different brands before you decide which one is your favorite.

4. Visit your local healthfood stores to find the best variety of vegetarian foods. Don’t be shy—you’ll find row after row of wonderful products that you never knew existed: microwave entrées with pasta and sauces, imitation-meat products that can be used in your favorite recipes or on their own, and soy-based “cheeses,” “mayonnaise,” “sour cream,” and “milk.”

5. Explore the many vegetarian foods that have been popular in other countries for many years, like hummus (a tangy spread made from chickpeas), vegetable curries, falafel (a spicy mix of beans that can be made into patties and ”meatballs”), tempeh (a popular, high-protein meat substitute), seitan (a flavorful food made from wheat that can be sliced, marinated, cubed, fried, or baked), and a host of other vegetarian items. You’ll even find desserts, cookies, candies, and snacks that satisfy your sweet tooth without the fat and cholesterol found in animal products.

6. Make a habit of reading labels to make sure you’re buying products that are healthy and humane. Crackers may contain lard (pig fat), rice mixes may contain chicken fat, and other products include animal ingredients you’ll want to avoid, like gelatin (from animal skin, hooves, and bones). You’ll soon learn which brands are “safe,” and checking labels will become second nature.



Try these easy substitutes!

Instead of ...
Butter: Sauté in water, wine, or vegetable broth, use lemon as a dressing, and cook with vegetable margarines and oils.

Ice Cream: Try frozen desserts like Tofutti, Soy Delicious, fruit sorbets, and ices. You’ll never want to go back to the cholesterol and fat of ice cream.

Milk: Try chocolate, vanilla, and plain soy milk, rice milk, and almond milk. Excellent for cooking, on cereal, in coffee and hot chocolate—use them any way you’d use milk. Available in lowfat varieties, too.

Hamburger: There are a wide variety of vegetarian hamburgers. For “hamburger meat” as an ingredient, substitute crumbled veggie burgers in recipes for chili, “meat loaf,” and tacos.

Cheese: Check health food stores for soy cheese, which is great on pizza and sandwiches, as well as in sauces. You can also make a great creamy “cheese” sauce using nutritional yeast flakes.

Eggs: Use commercial egg replacers (made mainly from potato starch) in baked goods. For breakfast, scramble tofu with onions, mushrooms, mustard, turmeric, and soy sauce.

Jello: Look for agar-agar (made without boiling cows’ hooves and pigs’ skin), or try Hain’s Super Fruits, a vegan gelatin that comes in four fruit flavors.



Book it!
You’ll find a wide range of vegan cookbooks at your local bookstore or library. There are books for people who don’t like to spend more than 10 minutes preparing dinner, and there are books for gourmet chefs.

Borrow recipes from veggie friends and coworkers, subscribe to Vegetarian Times magazine, or order from PETA’s mall, at www.PETAmall.com.




 
“I don’t have the willpower to give up hamburgers and ice cream.”
No willpower needed: Fabulous fakes will satisfy your cravings. Most large supermarkets now carry the basics, including veggie “dogs” and burgers, and health food stores stock even more—everything from soy-based sausage and savory smoked tofu to dairy-free “cheese” and “ice cream.” Not everyone’s going to like every product, so don’t give up if the first “faux” food you try doesn’t suit your taste. And if you can’t find what you’re looking for, ask. Most store managers are happy to order special products if it beans keeping your business.

“I’d be bored eating just bean sprouts!”
Who wouldn’t be? Most new vegetarians find that they really have more food choices—not fewer! For example, many add ethnic dishes like Thai and Indian curries, tofu stir-fries, and veggie casseroles to their repertoires. And thanks to mock meats, vegetarians can still enjoy all their old favorites, too. For recipe ideas, borrow or invest in a few good veg cookbooks.

“I can’t find mock meats in my small town.”
Health food stores and co-ops tend to abound in college towns and urban areas. Make monthly trips to stock up. And you may be surprised at what you find in your local supermarket. If the pickings are slim, ask for what you want! Try mail-order, too. Lumen Foods (800-256-2253) offers veg Canadian bacon, chicken fillets, jerky, and more. Canadian readers, ABC Vegetarian Foods (800-765-6955) has meatless meats. Check the ads in vegetarian magazines, look on the Web for other sources, or consult the “Resources” section in the Vegetarian Starter Kit.

Carla Bennett, author of Living in Harmony With Animals
 

http://www.vegcooking.com/transition.asp

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

32. nice link! If people only knew how easy it was to do! THANKS for sharing

U.S. = 6% of World Population
U.S. consumes 60% of the World's Cow Meat.

Sounds nearly unbelievable doesn't it?

we lean WAY on hard on cows-
Dairy to leather to burgers--

[evolvenow]

35. Thanks Night Tripper! Easy, delicious, healthy and helps animals:)LINKS!

Here is a great link for every kind of veg food:

http://www.vegcooking.com/shoppingGuide.asp

Also, if you love glazed donuts, this bakery makes VEGAN donuts, cookies, AMAZING, you will not believe it, they are so good. They ship too.
http://www.nutrilicious.com/index.html


Have fun.

If anyone has any questions about becoming a vegetarian I am happy to help, if I can.

Pick a meal a day, and make it veggie, then 2 meals, then 3 and you will feel better, lose weight, and make a difference.

[shockra]

30. You can bet if the USDA is just now admitting it...

We've been ingesting them for decades. I've seen the "we found a mad cow" stories pop up ocassionally, and they seem to be framed as..."See how responsible we are? We locate the rare mad cow and remove it from the system!"

A few years ago I remember reading about how the increase in cases of Alzheimers may actually be due to prions from meat since the symptoms are so similar. Jim Hightower has also written about this:

The Alzheimer's connection

Not only do American cows have this horrific disease, but there's distressing evidence that American people do, too. Consider the Alzheimer's connection.

Alzheimer's disease, little known just a generation ago, is now so common in our land that the term has come to be used as a joke, as in: "Excuse me for forgetting your name—I'm having an Alzheimer's moment."

Of course, Alzheimer's is no joke, but a cruel and fatal disease that essentially dissolves the brain, causing victims literally to lose their minds. Alzheimer's has been surging in America over the past two decades: It's now registered as the eighth leading cause of death, afflicting some four million of our people.

But there's one aspect of this that the economic and political powers that be in our country don't want scientists discussing in public. Autopsy studies done at Yale and elsewhere show that 20 percent of people diagnosed with Alzheimer's were misdiagnosed: They actually had another brain-wasting disease called Creutzfeldt- Jakob Disease (CJD), and thousands of these cases might well be a variant of CJD caused by Mad Cow infected meat that the victims had eaten years earlier.

Yes, this means that Mad Cow Disease in humans, which the beef industry has adamantly insisted does not exist at all in America, could actually be widespread and already killing people under another name.

http://www.hightowerlowdown.org/articles/Apr04_v6_n4/Apr04_v6_n4_2.cfm

There's a book called Brain Trust: The Hidden Connection Between Mad Cow and Misdiagnosed Alzheimer's Disease by Colm A. Kelleher that was published last year. A review I found said this:

For the historical detail alone, this is an important and readable book on the subject. Kelleher’s true genius, however, is in his ability to speculate, convincingly, that the 8,902 percent increase in deaths from Alzheimer’s Disease over the past twenty-four years can be attributed to this infectious agent’s presence in the human food chain. As if that weren’t disturbing enough, Kelleher also relates how one of the early pioneers in the field, the highly respected Gajdusek, simply carried vials of different strains of scrapie and kuru from Great Britain into the United States, disregarding USDA rules. From 1963 through 1970 he and other researchers injected a wide variety of animals with those materials at their laboratory in the middle of a wildlife refuge in Patuxent, Maryland. Just picture it: hundreds of animals, some as small as mice, all infected and housed together in converted barns/labs in the middle of a heavily animal-populated refuge. Look no further, Kelleher suggests, for the origin of this family of diseases on the North American continent.

Reader reviews at Amazon.com focus on the book’s unpleasant revelations about the mammalian food chain, and many reviewers state their intentions to eat only “organic” meat as a result of reading it. Myself, I think they’re missing the point. Perhaps I’m just vindictive, but does anyone else think that Gajdusek, who won the Nobel Prize in 1976, should lose it as punishment for walking dangerous and largely misunderstood infectious agents around the globe? For that matter, what kind of punishment can we plan for all the government agency bureaucrats and politicians who not only tried to cover up incidences of the diseases, but also kept trying to export animal food containing contaminated blood and brain matter, to other countries?

Kelleher, a biochemist, does end his book with a note of optimism regarding our chances of containing this epidemic. Although comparisons will inevitably be drawn between this work and Eric Schlosser’s huge bestseller, Fast Food Nation, I think this book is too subtly horrifying, even with that optimism, to do as well commercially. Schlosser’s self-righteous reporter’s voice often struck me as almost unnecessarily hysterical, whereas Kelleher’s descriptive scientist’s voice and calm recitation of lax experimental methods and petty bureaucratic squabbles is extremely unsettling in its understatement.

It’s a good book. It’s a scary book, and it will undoubtedly be disdained by many for its conspiracy theories regarding cattle mutilations and Alzheimer’s Disease, but ultimately, whether it scares you out of eating meat or not, it should at least cure you of any trust you may still place in the scientific and governmental establishment.

http://www.bookslut.com/nonfiction/2005_03_004689.php

[evolvenow]

38. Great post. Animal products clog the heart even without Mad Cow. Go Veg!

When we end cruelty, it is better for the animals and better for people, and best for the environment, it is triple win!

[Mairead]

39. Any bad guys who want to do us in as a nation need no bombs or

nerve gasses. All they have to do is bring some prion juice into the country with them and get a job at one of the big slaughterhouses.

[RebelOne]

34. Glad I'm a vegetarian.

I don't have to worry about all this stuff.

[pandemic_1918]

40. Texas Mad Cow Confirmed

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2005/06/0206.xml

Release No. 0206.05
Contact:
USDA Press Office [phone]

STATEMENT BY DR. JOHN CLIFFORD REGARDING FURTHER ANALYSIS OF BSE INCONCLUSIVE TEST RESULTS

June 10, 2005

"Since the USDA enhanced surveillance program for BSE began in June 2004, more than 375,000 animals from the targeted cattle population have been tested for BSE using a rapid test. Three of these animals tested inconclusive and were subsequently subjected to immunohistochemistry, or IHC, testing. The IHC is an internationally recognized confirmatory test for BSE. All three inconclusive samples tested negative using IHC.

"Earlier this week, USDA's Office of the Inspector General (OIG), which has been partnering with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Food Safety and Inspection Service, and the Agricultural Research Service by impartially reviewing BSE-related activities and making recommendations for improvement, recommended that all three of these samples be subjected to a second internationally recognized confirmatory test, the OIE-recognized SAF immunoblot test, often referred to as the Western blot test. We received final results a short time ago. Of the three samples, two were negative, but the third came back reactive.

"Because of the conflicting results on the IHC and Western blot tests, a sample from this animal will be sent to the OIE-recognized reference laboratory for BSE in Weybridge, England. USDA will also be conducting further testing, which will take several days to complete.

[pandemic_1918]

41. Why US in Iraq

This may explain why the US is in Iraq.

[JoFerret]

42. Is it Laura?

.

[Vickers]

44. Ha! You beat me to the punch.

:spank:

[Vickers]

43. Oh my God...Barb or Laura?

:shrug:

[wakeme2008]

45. Was George milking it nt

[KeepItReal]

46. He only milks male horses, "some people say"

<eom>

[0007]

51. ....and some people say he milks Governors


Looks like love to me!

[pandemic_1918]

48. Texas Downer Steer

No it was not a cow. It was a downer steer from Texas

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-madcow11jun11,0,7290961.story?coll=la-home-headlines

"Agricultural officials would not say where the cow was from. But Cattle Buyers Weekly, a trade magazine, reported it was from Texas."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Mad-cow-disease-confirmed-in-US/2005/06/11/1118347626316.html

"Johanns said the new suspected case involved an older beef animal which was chosen for testing because it was a "downer" animal that could not walk when it arrived at the slaughterhouse."

[unhappycamper]

47. Huh?

"After we receive additional test results on this animal, we will determine what further steps need to be taken and what changes, if any, are warranted in our surveillance program."

:wtf:

Does that mean: don't say anything until the British press tells the world that the US monitoring program and its beef supply is suspect?
I'll bet the countries we export our beef to will read and act on this new revelation.

Shit. I was looking forward to a cheeseburger on the grill this weekend. :-(

[HeeBGBz]

49. Price of steak will be going down

What's a little Mad Cow, anyway?

[vanboggie]

117. LOL, The Media is Bushy Whipped

Great line :)

[HeeBGBz]

118. Thank you

lol

[kodi]

50. was this press release so poorly written on purpose?

nowhere is it mentioned whether or not after the second round of testing showed the 3 cows all negative the cows were slaughterd and consumed.

what is disgraceful is that only 375,000 cattle out of millions have been tested, for the obvious reason that it would cost the cattle industry money.

[whistle]

52. I wonder how many of the other 375,000 tested animals if subjected

...to either IHC or OIG tests would come up active? In other words how many false negatives does the BSE produce?

[daleo]

107. It's a good question.

I wondered about that too. Not to mention the fact that only testing "downer" cows pre-supposes that a cow can't have BSE unless it is falling down. It is like saying a person can't have AIDS unless he or she has already lost a lot of weight and is unable to get out of bed.

[pandemic_1918]

109. Watch the Tracing on this Herd

Keep and eye on the tracing on the herd that generated the positive (THREE TIMES) steer. The USDA has already looked, and clearly did not like what it found.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

53. Didn't the Bush admin just recently advocate letting "downers"

BACK into the meat supply. Someone else could probably provide more details, but I remember doing exorcist heads when I either read or heard it. Please help me out, someone.

[RC]

56. It's worse that that.

The USDA is on record that it doesn't want a better system for testing for mad cow. It might hurt the beef industry. I'm not kidding.

Also I just thought of something, are steers with Mad Cow counted or only cows with Mad Cow counted? With this administration I would bet only the sick cows are counted. After all how can a steer get a cow disease?

P.S. I hate these combined threads.

[pandemic_1918]

59. Only Downers Tested

Only downers (animals that can't walk) are tested. The others in the same Texas herd as the positive have probably already been eaten.

[Nothing Without Hope]

54. We all - including the USDA - know that there are mad cow-positive

animals going into human food. Otherwise, the USDA, which is basically owned and run by the big beef producers, would not have been so blatantly stonewalling testing. They don't even allow people who WANT to test their herd to do so. Why? Because they know there are positives that would be picked up. So they have drastically liimited the animals tested and, from the statements made by people assoiciated with the LAST documented case, steps are taken to be sure that results from animals likely to be sick are NOT reported.

It was just a matter of time. The sick animals were out there, and the quiet was because of the blocked testing.

It's one of the great scandals - and there are so many of them! - of this robber-baron single-party government. Absolutely anything goes, if it feeds the profits of corporate cronies of the Administration. And Big Beef is definitely a crony.

[pandemic_1918]

57. Texas Downer Steer Confirmed

This is a steer from Texas. It was originally tested because it was a downer (can't walk), but it almost certainly came from a herd where there are more positives who are still walking )or were walking when sent for slaughter).

Beef animals from Texas are eaten by people, not sold as dog food. It was called negative because after being positive initially, a second text was negative. International protocols call for positives to be retested by two independent tests. The US only used one and it was negative. The other was just run and it was positive, confirming the initial result.

The vast majority of beef animals in the Us are never tested, including most of the animals from the same herd as this Texas steer.

[sendero]

61. Man I hate to give up hamburgers..

... but this is starting to worry me.

I live in TX. We get most of our beef from a little meat market up near OK.

Do you, or anyone, know - at one time cuts other than ground beef were considered somewhat "safe" since they'd be very unlikely to contain spinal or brain tissue. Is this still the thinking?

[pandemic_1918]

62. No - BSE is in Meat

BSE has also been found in meat and just about anything can go into a hamburger.

[pandemic_1918]

63. Spinal Cords at Supermarkets

If you think that the spinal cord has been removed, go to any local supermarket and look at T-bone steaks. If you look at the outside part of the bone in the middle of the "T", you will see a little notch in the bone. If you see anything in the notch, it will be spinal cord. How many T-bone steaks have clear notches?

[sendero]

65. Thanks for answering..

.... I guess :)

[warrens]

82. T-bone steaks have been illegal in England for years

They're about to allow them to be sold again, but I don't know why. You have to heat a prion to 600 degrees to kill it.

[warrens]

72. Quite the opposite

Ground beef is the most dangerous thing because it is often scraped mechanically off the skeleton, meaning the spinal column, where prions live.

It is considered to be of moderate risk, compared to high risk (brains) or low risk (boneless whole cuts of beef).

[carincross]

66. mad cow quick test

There is a quick test (takes a couple of hours) that can be done on any cow. While not 100% accurate it can pick out suspicious animals for further testing. Japan tests all their cattle this way. It costs about $50 for an animal that is worth about $2000 in meat and byproducts. If we mandated this test our beef would be accepted anywhere in the world. But we don't do it because of strong lobbying from big-ag-business.

[area51]

76. Welcome.

Welcome to DU, carincross.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

83. There was one US Beef producer who WANTED to test EVERY

one of their cows because they were a small specialty producer who wanted to gain entry to the Japanese market and they were PREVENTED from doing this by the FDA who REFUSED to sell them the kits they needed to do this. How bout those beans? Yes, folks, your government working to protect you (not). I heard this I think on an NPR radio show some months ago.

[shockra]

105. Probably the one mentioned in the Jim Hightower article.

Who's misleading whom?

Recently, Creekstone Farms, a small producer of top-quality Kansas beef, announced that, in addition to the USDA's inspections, it was going to pay certified private labs to have 100% of its cows tested. But the USDA rushed forward to say that it will not allow private testing, no matter how good it is.

Also, at the behest of the corporate beef purveyors, the USDA says that neither Creekstone nor any other enterprising firm can promote its beef as being 100% tested—even though it is. Why? Because, say the Bushites, this would "mislead" consumers into thinking that 100% testing of herds is better than the government's 1% testing.

Well, more testing does inherently provide more safety, but Creekstone was leaving it up to us consumers to decide if we think that's better for us.

It is curious that the Bush administration, which poses as a paragon of free enterprise, opposes enterprise that would help small business and protect consumers.

http://www.hightowerlowdown.org/articles/Apr04_v6_n4/Apr04_v6_n4_4.cfm

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

115. Yes, I think you're right. The argument (made with a straight face)

by whoever was voicing the opposition was that it was a misrepresentation that this meat was safer than other meat. You've pointed out all the inherent ironies. We (American business) are not free to do it better if it embarasses large donors or might take money out of the pocket of one of our Captains of Industry. I really, really want to know what kind of meat the head os the USDA and the FDA and the Surgeon General and the head of the CDC purchase for their personal consumption.

You know, I just had the strangest flash - do y'all remember the weird cattle mutilations that were taking place at one time? Where they found dismembered and gutted cows and there was lots of speculation that it was aliens? Do you think our government was doing quickie testing to find out how prevalent MCD was?

[warrens]

137. The Bio-Rad test costs about $15 now in quantity

And if we had universal testing, it would hit about $5. I think we are going to see huge pressure for more testing. Removal of the most dangerous parts (spine, brains, eyes and so on) probably takes care of almost all the risk, but with a badly diseased animal, where the prions have amplified, eating one gram of infected matter is almost a certain death sentence. And the problem is, removing the SRMs is a pretty unscientific process. If you don't get the entire spine, the remainder ends up in hamburger. Plus there is evidence that brain wasting diseases are transmitted by blood, and that cow blood is fed to calves. Pure genius.

Using the rapid test on all animals would isolate the suspects, and reduce risk to near zero.

[spanone]

67. USDA will bury this deeeeep. With the help of the Govt.

[pandemic_1918]

69. Not a Chance

No, this will not be buried. It will force the use of western blots on all initial positives.

[warrens]

75. Correct

And it is going to PISS off the Japanese, who will suspect, with good reason, that the results were quashed so that Bush could reopen the market to U.S. beef and rake in a ton of money from the beef industry. I do not think they are going to be happy campers next week.

[crowcalling]

73. gave up beef years ago

Anyone know about buffalo meat infected with Mad Cow? I get meat from Wild Oats here, chicken and buffalo from time to time."Supposed to be free range"

[ecoalex]

84. Mad Cow has been in this country for years.

More than one farmer has been diagnosed with vJCD, which is the form of JCD from cattle.The CDC would not allow tissue to be tested for vJCD, so the family had a sample sent to England for an independent test.Results are expected soon, but the family doctor said the patient had tested positive on the preliminary test for vJCD.

There have been other cases covered up by the USDA , in Texas , and New York .

The beef industry runs USDA , and as usual for the bus* administration, industry in in charge, and $$$ is the name of the game, human welfare second.

[ecoalex]

86. Organic Beef Safe

The vJCD problem comes from modern ag perversions, feeding butcher waste to cattle, which are vegetarians.

Grass fed beef is a healthy food, lean beef is as lean as chicken.

Grass fed beef is not finished on a grain diet, so is lean and contains omega 3 fats which are heart healthy.

Grass fed beef is earth friendly , saves soil, and reduces air pollution from crops fertilized, by oil based fertilizers.

It's safe to eat Grass Fed Beef.

[DenaliDemocrat]

85. I don't eat beef

I eat moose, caribou, bear, deer, elk, and wild game birds. Just antoher great reason to hunt.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

87. Hmmm. . . I don't want to alarm you, but there is some kind of weird

wasting disease that apparnetly affects elk and I think their have been some cases of hunters getting somethng like CjD from it.

[mainer]

91. Very true -- I won't eat wild game.

There was a group of hunters in the upper midwest who all came down with CJD after feasting on elk. Plus, we've had several cases of CJD here in maine without any clear reasons for it. I suspect they may have been exposed through wild game.

[warrens]

113. Yeah, elk, deer and other wild ruminants have been getting this for ages

It's basically the same as BSE and is just as dangerous as BSE. Only eat game that has been butchered at a USDA-licensed and inspected plant.

[Canadian Socialist]

127. Chronic Wasting disease

became epidemic in Canada because of the game farming of elk, etc.

Link:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2002/11/30/elk_suit021130.html

Elk ranchers sue Ottawa over wasting disease
Last Updated Sat, 30 Nov 2002 21:57:22 EST
CBC News

REGINA - About 20 Prairie elk ranchers have launched a class action lawsuit against the federal government, demanding compensation for a disease that's wiped out their profits.

They say Ottawa should have better protected their operations from chronic wasting disease – the elk equivalent of mad cow disease.
Elk rancher Larry Hrycun

The lawsuit, filed at a Regina courthouse, alleges that the federal government failed to adequately screen elk coming into Canada from the United States. Some of the animals carried chronic wasting disease, and ended up infecting herds in Saskatchewan.
<snip>

[DenaliDemocrat]

140. NOpe, wild game is still safer

Ther eis no chronic wasting disease in Alaska, there has never been a reported case of it jumping to humans, and unlike beef, if you want to see if your deer or elk has CWDF, you can simply have it tested. The WhiteHouse will not allow private testing of beef for mad cow. Simple ugly truth. If you eat meat, shoot your own.

[NickB79]

159. There was a case of three hunting buddies getting CJD

They were from Minnesota and Wisconsin, and apparently all came down with CJD within a couple years of each other. Since chronic wasting disease had just started to spread in the Wisconsin deer herds at the time, it was feared they were infected from eating a contaminated deer. However, they never were able to link the deer meat to their illnesses, and the issue was dropped.

[Rainscents]

88. USDA cover up Mad Cow disease and shit is unbelievable!

It's very sickening how much USDA cover shit up!
I get an Organic Consumer report twice a month, you'll be amaze, how much shit that goes into our foods and the cover up by USDA. It's disgusting! FDA and our government is killing people with slow death.

I eat beef once in a while... ONLY, "Certified Organic!" Please go to web site and read the in-dept article about Mad Cow Disease.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow.htm

[silverlib]

90. Mad Cow versus Alzheimer's/misdiagnosis

Creutzfeldt Jakob disease - very similar symptoms to Alzheimer's and Mad cow - recommends no testing/brain biopsy of humans, as nothing can be done to treat. Therefore, there are no records.

I can't believe they are discouraging brain biopsies to verify this disease. How on earth can we know how many people have it versus other similar diseases?

Here's a link where it is stated that biopsies are not recommended. This link doesn't have anything about this disease coming from Mad Cow, but other links I hit did make the correlation.

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cjd/cjd.htm

[Maru Kitteh]

93. What a great time to be a VEGAN - the gub'nment is going to continue LYING

to you, reassuring you with meaningless platitudes and worthless "safety" measures that are nothing more than a bit of window dressing on the same old canker infected whore which is the meat industry.

Some fun bovine and mad cow facts for you.

The infections agent of Bovine Spongiform Encepholopathy cannot be cooked out of animal products. It survives temperatures of up to 680 degrees.

It is unaffected by freezing.

It is unaffected by irradiation.

It is unaffected by chemical agents.

Some people are under the mistaken belief that there is a ban on feeding diseased, ground up dead cows back to other cows. This is not true, there is no real ban, merely a labeling requirement for bags of feed identifying those which contain rendered ruminant remains and the practice continues. Spray dried blood and fluid products of all cows including diseased and downer cows are EXEMPT from even this ridiculously lame legislation.

Currently, we have over 100 million head of cattle in the US and in the last thirteen years up till 2004 we had only tested 57,000 animals for mad cow disease. France has 11 million cattle in their herd and they test 66,000 each week. In the US we have had a "don't look, don't find" policy and up until the 12/23/03, it worked very well. We STILL only test 21 per EACH MILLION slaughtered cattle for mad cow.

The disease can be easily spread to cattle NOT fed animal remains by the saliva of infected deer who share the salt blocks ranchers leave out in the pastures for their herds.

The human form of mad cow, brain wasting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, is 100% fatal.

Bon Appetit.

I'll be over here, enjoying my grains and veggies with my intact brain tissue.

[CrispyQ]

99. I have a theory

that AIDS will descimate the populations of developing countries & CJD will do the same in developed countries. If we won't control our numbers & restore balance, Mother Nature will, only she will do so harshly.


I'll join you for grains & veggies!

[Endangered Specie]

94. one animal out of millions...

could be an attempt to spread fear/divert attention.

[Maru Kitteh]

111. Only 21 animals PER MILLION are even tested

The reason why we have not found more mad cow is because we are just barely looking at all. Your goverment is the meat industries bitch, they don't WANT to find it. Bad for business.

[Skwmom]

98. Didn't someone recently post that they are now going to let SICK cows

enter the food supply?

[pandemic_1918]

103. Just Downers

I believe that there was an effort to allow eating of downers.

[warrens]

114. Not successful so far, and probably a dead issue after this news. Nt

[BrklynLiberal]

100. PRO/AH/EDR> BSE, bovine - USA: susp. (02): tests

BSE, BOVINE – USA: SUSPECTED (02): TESTS
*****************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail, a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.or

Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2005
From: "Mary Marshall" <[e-mail]>
Source: Web Cast Audio: U.S. Agriculture Officials To Provide
Update On BSE Surveillance Testing - Requires Windows
Media Player
<http://easylink.ibroadcastsmedia.tv/ripariane/bse061005.wma>


Transcript of Tele-News Conference with Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns and
Dr. John Clifford, Chief Veterinary Officer, Animal Plant Health Inspection
Service
Regarding Further Analysis of BSE Inconclusive Test Results Washington, D.C.
<http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?
contentidonly=true&contentid=2005/06/0207.xml>

Release No. 0207.05
Contact: USDA Press Office [phone]
10 June 2005


MR. ED LOYD: "Good evening, everyone, and thank you for joining us late on a
Friday evening. I certainly appreciate your getting on with us on such short
notice for an update of our BSE surveillance. Just so you know, our format
tonight, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns is going to make a brief
introductory statement, followed by Dr. John Clifford, the chief veterinary
officer of the APHIS, the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, who will go
into some more technical background.

...
DR. CLIFFORD: "Thank you, Mr. Secretary. And thanks everyone for being on the
phone tonight.

"Since the USDA enhanced surveillance program for BSE began in June 2004 more
than 375 000 animals from the targeted cattle population have been tested for
BSE using a rapid test. 3 of these animals tested inconclusive and were
subsequently subjected to the immunohistochemistry (IHC) testing. The IHC is
an internationally recognized confirmatory test for BSE. All 3 inconclusive
samples tested negative using the IHC test.

"As the Secretary said earlier this week, USDA's Office of Inspector General
which has been partnering with APHIS, FSIS and ARS, the Agriculture Research
Service, by impartially reviewing BSE-related activities and making
recommendations for improvement, recommended that all 3 of these samples be
subjected to a 2nd internationally recognized confirmatory test, the Western
Blot.

"We received final results a short time ago... Of the 3 samples 2 were
negative, but the 3rd came back reactive on that test.

"Because of the conflicting results on the IHC and Western
Blot test, a sample from this animal will be sent to the
OIE recognized reference laboratory for BSE in Weybridge,
England. USDA will also be conducting further testing
which will take several days to complete.

...
"After we receive additional test results on this animal,
we will determine what further steps need to be taken and
what changes if any are warranted in our surveillance
program."

MR. LOYD: "With that, Operator, we would open this up to
some questions."

...
REPORTER: "Yes, good evening. This is Peter Shinn from the
National Association of Farm Broadcasters.

"Mr. Secretary, I don't mean to ask a difficult question,
but it just immediately comes to mind. What exactly
happened in terms of how could you have gotten it not
right the first time? And what's the difference between
the IHC and the Western Blot? "

SEC. JOHANNS: "Yeah. I'll ask Dr. Clifford to get in. It's not really a
question of not getting it right. Both tests are accepted by the OIE. Both
tests are accepted under the standard. So it's not a question of getting it
right. All of the protocols were followed. We had the positive and the rapid
response test, the IHC test was applied according to the protocols, and that
is the test that has been used in the United States.

"And so it's not a situation where you've got one test that isn't accepted and
one that is. They both are accepted. There are differences in the tests, and
I'll let Dr. Clifford explain that. And maybe, Dr. Clifford, you can even
explain just what this test showed and how you went about getting through the
testing process."

DR. CLIFFORD: "Yes, we're confident in the results of actually both of these
tests. The IHC was negative for this sample. Actually the Western Blot test,
if you go back to the December <2004> cow that was found from Canada, the
Western Blot that was run on that particular sample we used one milligram of
tissue to run that test and it was found to be a very strong positive.

"In order to find a positive in this particular case with this Western Blot,
they had to enhance or enrich it, which basically means you're concentrating
the abnormal protein. So they had to use 20 times the amount. You would have
to use about 20 times the amount of tissue for this to determine to be a
positive or reactive on the Western Blot versus the one that was discovered in
December <2004> in the state of Washington.

"In addition, there are definite differences between these 2 tests. The IHC is
internationally recognized, and why we chose that for our enhanced
surveillance program is because that particular test does 2 things. It allows
you to visualize the anatomic location where the lesions are most likely to be
found which is the obex . At the
same time it uses a staining technique on the prions, on abnormal prions in
the tissue in that location....

"In the Western Blot case, it's actually a homogenate of a sample of brain
tissue that is centrifuged and they concentrate the prion protein and then
they use a protease to destroy the normal protein, leaving the abnormal
protein present. And then basically that is run through a gel-type separation
using specific antibodies that will give you bands. And they look at those
bands and the molecular weight of those bands to determine the outcome of that
test.

"So this test would actually be referred to as a weak
positive test in this case for the Western Blot, and as a
result of that and the unusualness of this case it's going
to require additional testing before we can confirm one
way or another whether this is truly BSE or not.

"What we mean by "weak positive," is going back to the original case. It
required and enrichment of these and a greater amount of normal tissue in
order to enhance this outcome. So in order to find the abnormal protein
present you had to use more material and concentrate it."

OPERATOR: "The next question will come from Joe Pelka
(sp). Your line is open.

REPORTER: "Hi. Good evening, gentlemen. I actually have
three questions. I think I can state them succinctly.
First of all, why did the IG ask for a retest in this
case? What do you expect they'll do differently at
Weybridge that they do from Ames, Iowa, in the IHC
testing? And which cow of the 3 r which animal of the
3 that had the earlier positives are we looking at
tonight?

SEC. JOHANNS: "I'll answer the first one just as best as I
can, and then Doctor, I'll just queue you up that I'll ask
you to answer the final 2.

"The IG has been looking at the surveillance. As you know,
we've tested now 375,000 animals, and Secretary Veneman
wanted to be sure that we were touching the right places--
regions of the country and etcetera to make sure that when
that surveillance was done we were satisfied that we got a
good surveillance of the herd.

"Again, keep in mind that was a surveillance effort; it
was never portrayed to be a food safety approach.

"In that effort I believe that the IG decided just to make
sure that all the bases were touched that this additional
testing should be done. So go ahead, Doctor."

DR. CLIFFORD: " The reason we're sending this to Weybridge is because we feel
this is an unusual case, and we'd like to have the assistance of an
internationally recognized laboratory for BSE.

"The inconclusive that we're referring to here is the one that we gave
notification of in November of 2004. I think it was actually 15 Nov 2004. With
regards to the OIG's recommendation, I think that recommendation was based
upon a strong reaction on the biorad test and the negative IHC, and in order
for us to try to resolve those discrepancies that have been raised relative to
that."

REPORTER: "The November case, was that the Texas cow? If it was -"

SEC. JOHANNS: "You know, Elizabeth, I don't believe the USDA ever talked about
location."

REPORTER: "I presume when you start doing trace back though for this animal
you will be then talking about the location?"

SEC. JOHANNS: "You know, I haven't even gotten that far down the road. I just
wanted to get the information out there as quickly as we had it. So."

REPORTER: "And we appreciate that, especially those of us who don't publish
until Monday.

"A further question, at the time of that test I talked to
a lot of people internationally and actually spoke to the
scientist who developed the immunohistochemistry test, and
he said while his test was state of the art when it was
first developed he now considers it as he put it more art
than science. And so I'm wondering, is USDA considering
switching to one of the newer tests, say the one that
Prusinger's Lab has created, something that's got a low
false positive but is perhaps a more sensitive test
because Europe thinks we've kind of outgrown the
immunohistochemistry test.

SEC. JOHANNS: "Yes. You talk about the curiosity of
timing; it just so happened that today I was touring our
Ames laboratory facility in Ames, Iowa. And that had been
set up well before this was an issue, and I just wanted to
see how they were doing there. And I talked to many of the
scientists that are involved in our BSE research, and I
talked about the tests. And I probed very extensively
about both tests being accepted under OIE standards.

"I believe at the risk of talking for scientists that
you'd get a pretty lively debate about what test is best,
under what circumstances is it best.

"I do know this, that the IHC test is recognized by the
OIE. It's an accepted test. It's a test that we have
employed and we're not alone. Other parts of the world do.

"We would never make a decision about changing protocol in
a knee-jerk sort of way. We would certainly want to debate
that. We would want to get a lot of good scientific
analysis. So it's not something that we would do just
very, very quickly. It's something I'd want very, very
cautious, careful consideration about because there are
some who say, 'No the IHC is where you want to be.'

"So like I said, at the risk of talking for scientists I
think you could get a pretty lively debate on your
question.

DR. CLIFFORD: "I just would like to add one thing, Mr.
Secretary, or a couple of things. Again, to reiterate, we
do not, we have not confirmed a case of BSE in the U.S. at
this time. We're going to do further analysis and study on
this.

"I'd also like to state for the audience, there is such a
thing in Europe that is called "atypical BSE" about which
there's a lot of information and data that is still needed
out there. And in those particular cases, you have in some
cases; you had where IHC has been negative and a Western
Blot been positive.

"In addition with regards to the epidemiology, we have already done some
preliminary epidemiology back when the 1st inconclusive was announced, and
we'll be ready to perform that as necessary."

OPERATOR: "The next question comes from Libby Quaid. Your line is open."

REPORTER: "Thank you. Could you go into a little bit more
on what test you expect will now be performed and when you
expect to know for sure whether this was a positive or a
negative test?"

DR. CLIFFORD: "Actually what I'd like to do is to provide
that information -- our scientists are working in the
Agriculture Research Service and APHIS in our National
Veterinary Services Lab, and they'll also be discussing
this with the scientists at Weybridge, and they'll be
developing a protocol early next week and procedures for
further testing."

OPERATOR: "The next question comes from Ken Root. Your line is open."

REPORTER: "Yes. Mr. Secretary, was this a native-born U.S. cow?"

SEC. JOHANNS: "That dates back to before I got to the USDA. Doctor, do you
know if that's been released?"

DR. CLIFFORD: "Actually, Mr. Secretary, it has not. What I can say though is
that at this time we would have no information that it was an imported animal;
also that the animal was an aged animal. It was getting up in age and was a
beef breed. That's what we're willing to release at this time."

OPERATOR: "Next question comes from Dan Goldstein. Your line is open."

REPORTER: " Two questions, one for Dr. Clifford and one for the Secretary. Mr.
Secretary, first of all, does this somewhat do you think may shake the
confidence of the international community, one, in the ability of the Ames
Laboratory and, 2, also the efficacy of the IHC test?

"And then also for Dr. Clifford, what does this mean in terms of the
protocols? Will you now have to go back and perhaps test more animals with
Western Blot tests?"

SEC. JOHANNS: "Let me address the question about the Ames
Laboratory, and I'm sure the doctor will want to offer a
thought also.

"One of the things we are very, very proud of is that Ames
laboratory. They do great work there, and again I remind
everybody that the IHC test is an internationally accepted
test. And that comes from the OIE, and like I said even
amongst scientists you would get debate about the test.

"But it is an internationally accepted test. It was done
according to protocol. It was properly done and produced
negative results as the doctor explained.

"In terms of the confidence of the international
community, I believe they look to us as leaders. Not only
are we aggressive when it comes to this disease; we quite
honestly don't leave any stone unturned in terms of our
efforts to make sure that we're proceeding along the right
pathway.

"As the doctor pointed out, this is an aged animal. Our
discussions with Japan have related to 20-month animals as
you know. Our discussions with Korea have related to
30-month animals, and the rule relative to Canada or the
Minimal Risk Rule in general I should say relates to
animals under 30 months and meat product under 30 months.

"So I really don't believe this has any impact on our
international trading partners. We'll be working with them
to get information in their hands and make sure that they
understand the situation. But again just because of what
we're talking about here and the age of the animal, we've
got a vast difference between what this is about and what
we're working with them about.

DR. CLIFFORD: "I agree wholeheartedly. Interationally our National Veterinary
Services Lab is recognized and well respected, and this doesn't put any dent
in their armor. They have run the IHC flawlessly, and we're confident in every
result that's resulted from that IHC.

"We're confident in the result of the IHC with this particular animal. As I'd
indicated earlier, and actually the ARS
scientists as well as our own because this had to be enriched this wouldn't
have been found – this particular case would have missed the type
testing we did exactly on the December cow in Canada. It was the IHC and the
Western Blot both in those cases that were found to be positive.

"We have also discussed this particular issue with
international scientists, and I think they have complete
confidence in our program while they also recognize and
would recommend that this one particular animal because of
the unusualness of this case they feel that it should have
been run also against the Western Blot."

OPERATOR: "The next question comes from Tom Stever (sp). Your line is open."

REPORTER: "How frequently has the Western Blot test been used? And also what
makes you think that this will not affect the ongoing efforts to reopen the
borders to U.S. beef in Japan and Korea?"

SEC. JOHANNS: "Again, the doctor points out that this is
an aged beef animal. What we are working with in terms of
Canada as you know is 30 months and under. What we are
working with Japan, because of a concession made in the
negotiations, is 20 months and under, and then Korea 30
months and under.

"And again in terms of our firewalls that are in place,
removal of specified risk material, the extensive
surveillance that we have done, our diligence in the
process of testing, I really do believe that this should
not have any impact on the discussions that we are having
with those countries. If anything, it should illustrate to
them the diligence by which we pursue the safety of our
feed supply and the safety of our supply of food for human
consumption.

"The other thing I do want to mention is, again I point
out that our firewall has worked here. This animal did not
enter the food supply or the feed supply. There are a
number of inter-related firewalls that we have in place,
and again we have a prime example tonight that they work
and this animal did not enter the food or feed supply.

DR. CLIFFORD: " Actually both of these tests are used extensively
internationally, and it will vary from country to country as to which test
they choose or whether they use both tests in some cases. And in most cases
countries would not use both though, except under certain circumstances or
unusual circumstances."

REPORTER: "Hi, there. Beth Gorham from the Canadian Press Wire Service. Thanks
for taking my question.

"Mr. Secretary, I understand that you think that this
isn't going to affect talks with international partners,
but given the timing of this and I'm not quite clear -- I
know the protocols are being developed next week, but, A,
is there an answer on how long this will take? And B,
given the fact that the appeal is scheduled to go ahead on
13 Jul <2005> in Seattle, are you worried about the impact as
far as the judicial proceedings are concerned?"

SEC. JOHANNS: "You know, I am really not. And let me
explain to you why. I believe that you will have the
entire cattle industry over the next few days and the
folks involved in processing beef and serving beef to
customers recognize and talk very publicly about what
we've talked about tonight. And that is that the firewalls
we have in place do work.

"We did not have an animal that entered the feed or food
chain. All of the protocols were followed. The laboratory
in Ames meticulously followed the step-by-step process,
came up with a negative, and I just think you're going to
have the industry say, hey, what we see is that the USDA
firewalls are working, they're getting the job done for
us.

"And again as you know, Canada really follows the same
approach that we do. So I just don't anticipate an issue
there, and again I don't anticipate a problem with our
trading partners. They'll want to know what the issues are
and what we have done, and we'll provide them with that
information.

"One of the things about this call tonight is, we want to
assure them and to assure the public that what we're doing
here is transparent. I had these results just barely 10
minutes before we got on the line to visit with you. So I
think that's very important.

...
SEC. JOHANNS: "Doctor, if you might -- and I don't want to
extend this longer than necessary, but it might be good
for a quick refresher on the significance of the rule
specifying 30 months and under and in Japan's case 20
months and under. Do you know what I'm driving at?

DR. CLIFFORD: "With regard to the SRM
removal, yes. Basically the animals under 30 months of age, you know with
regards to SRM removal we remove the tonsils and small intestines, and over 30
months of age animals we remove the spinal cord, the small intestines, as well
as tonsils, eyeballs, the brain tissue, and the dorsal root ganglia. Those are
the tissues that are removed in order to protect the human health in this
country."

OPERATOR: "The next question comes from Tom Brand. Your line is open.

REPORTER: "Good evening. Mr. Secretary, as we've been on this call here this
evening I was actually with a group of some cattle producers and have been
relaying some information along to them... They're interested in why we upped
the sample amount to such, the 20 times, in order to get that positive? ...

...
DR. CLIFFORD: "When you talk about the enrichment of the sample that's
something that is allowed with regards to that test and the protocol in order
to determine if there's low levels of abnormal protein present. And that's a
technique that has been probably used in more recent years and is something
that is widely used."

SEC. JOHANNS: "Okay. Let me just wrap up with just a
couple of quick comments, and then we'll call it good for
the night and we'll let you get off the line.

"The first thing I want to mention again is that there is
no risk to human health here. The animal did not get in
the food or the feed chain. The firewalls that the USDA
put in place some time ago once again have shown that they
do work. I do not believe that the information that we
have released should impact our discussions with Japan,
Korea or Canada. Again, age of animal alone would indicate
we're dealing with a much different circumstance.

"And with that, I do want to point out that as the doctor
indicated even this 3rd test is not a confirmed case of
BSE. Additional testing will occur. The other 2 animals
did test negative on the additional testing.

--
ProMED-mail
<[e-mail]>

BSE, bovine - USA: susp. 20050611.1625
BSE, bovine - Canada (04): OIE 20050125.0272
2004
----
BSE, bovine - USA: susp [phone].3096
2003
----
BSE, bovine - Canada (Alberta): confirmed 20030520.1241]
......................................jw
*##########################################################*
************************************************************
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are posted, but the accuracy and completeness of the
information, and of any statements or opinions based
thereon, are not guaranteed. The reader assumes all risks in
using information posted or archived by ProMED-mail. ISID
and its associated service providers shall not be held
responsible for errors or omissions or held liable for any
damages incurred as a result of use or reliance upon posted
or archived material.
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[spanone]

101. Bushco will act quickly to bury story for their pals the Beef Industry.

One cow?

[pandemic_1918]

104. Tracing The Herd - Born in the USA

The steer may be dead and buried, but the tissue lives on. This one will not go away. The steer was born and raised in the USA (Texas) and there will be more from that herd (although possibly already eaten).

Read the transcript of the teleconference. USDA just kept repeating the same answers. They traced this steer when it was positive the first time and they really don't want to talk about it.

[depakid]

106. If you eat grocery store beef, you're playing the lottery

In 10 years or so, we're going to be seeing a lot of cases of BSE- mostly from people who eat ground beef.

[Catchawave]

123. I think we're already seeing effects of

factory farmed meats and diary in humans. Certain cancers, resistance to antibiotics, rBGH..a growth hormone, linked to little girls developing breasts earlier and earlier...not to mention the extreme cruelty to the animals in these horrible places.

Support your local farmers! See:

http://www.farmaid.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Aboutus_home

[leesa]

116. Why would anyone think US cattle WOULDN'T test positive??

They are often fed prions in their feed. The only reason we don't identify them is because we don't routinely test...USDA won't allow it.

[Shallah Kali]

119. Petition demanding all cattle be tested before slaughter

plust alot more information on Mad Cow and the varients in other animals like pigs, deer & sheep at this site:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow.htm

[OKthatsIT]

121. The point is, there isnt a reliable test

.

[mcscajun]

124. I'm still eating beef.

And when it comes to facts on CJD, I rely on British sources; they've been dealing with it longer and more openly than the US. This disease has been in the food chain for nearly 25 years; anyone who's eaten a hamburger, hot dog, meatball, or sausage containing beef in that time is a possible victim.

Schoolboy Richard Roberts, 18, potter Marianne Harvey, 25, and musician Richard Cole, 30, who all died of the disease, lived within 12.5 miles (20km) of each other in west Wales during the late 1980s and early '90s.

An inquiry into the links between the three cases in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire found that two of the victims, Ms Harvey and Mr Cole, attended the same school where they ate school meals.

The third, Mr Roberts, went to a different school, but the meat used in meals there came from the same abattoir, the probe by the National Public Health Service for Wales has found.

The high-quality meat, used in school meals across Dyfed Powys, came from a local slaughterhouse where older animals had also been processed, putting the beef for school meals at risk of cross-infection.

http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,1430618,00.html

Simple market economics tells you why BushCo isn't doing more about it, plus a certain amount of BushCo class warfare: the cheaper processed meats (frozen hamburgers, meatballs, etc.) are purchased primarily by the folks down the ladder. They're expendable, right? :sarcasm:

As I say, I haven't gone off beef, and I'm not likely to do so. I take a more fatalistic approach than most. We're all gonna die of Something, folks, and I'm not doing without my occasional steak just to avoid some disease I may or may not get. Still, I'm looking at local sources of grass-fed beef. Can't hurt, and from what I hear, it's got a lot of advantages besides a lower risk of BSE/CJD.

[shanti]

135. a question about this...

is this a one time thing (eat one burger with prions and get the disease), or is this disease the result of a cumulative effect over many years?

[daleo]

139. It just takes one unlucky bite, in theory

Lab tests have shown the disease can be transmitted to animals by a very small amount of contamination in feed - micro-grams or so. The same should be true of humans. Although, as with anything, probability of getting a disease will tend to correlate with exposure.

[Barkley]

126. Notice the headline says "one animal" instead of "one cow"

The article doesn't mention the word 'beef'.

[warrens]

138. a cow is a female

Animal is used as a more general term when the sex of the animal is not known. Otherwise it is a steer or a bull. In this case, it was a beef steer from Texas, it appears. Not only that, but Bush knew this last fall, before the election. He was meeting with Martin, the Canadian premier, and made some joke about now we got mad cows down my way.

[Barkley]

147. The sex of the 'animal' is probably known.

I find hard to believe that they tested an 'animal' for mad cow's disease not knowing the 'animal's' sex.

Perhaps the writer might not have known to ask for the sex.

[warrens]

151. They refused to say where it was found, breed or age

Buttheads. But the word is that it was in Texas, it was a Holstein and that it was 9 years old. Although I find that convenient since the feed ban is a little under 8 years old.

[confludemocrat]

129. Eat buffalo and make for a buffalo commons on the plains.

It tastes great, they won't eat anything but grass, it's very, very lean. Gonna BBQ up some buffalo burgers today! Here in eastern Montana, the primest of buffalo country until ~1886, this land should be turned back to the "buffalo commons". Its headed that way anyway.

[Fleshdancer]

131. I love buffalo

buffalo fajitas, buffalo burgers...yummm

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

144. I LOVE to pat Buffalo, and give them a kiss on the nose ! they're cute

I just looooove Buffalo!

- cats, dogs,birds, and all animals!

Just love'm!

Especially the buffalo calves are just sooo cute!

Care for animals, don't kill them.

(By eating them you are indirectly hiring someone to kill them)


killing animals is barbaric for a "modern" society don't you think?

[flvegan]

146. Cows too!

Their breath smells like alfalfa, and they have very soft faces (and oh, how they love a good scratch behind the ears).

'Tis a great time to be vegan.

[Fleshdancer]

150. no. I'm comfortable with my carnivour tendencies

but that's just me. I totally respect your views though.

[confludemocrat]

153. At work here we bought two and divided among four families, all liked it

Total of about 15 people: everyone pleased, no complaints.

[shanti]

136. i had some ground buffalo

and it definitely tasted different than beef. i didn't care for it.

[confludemocrat]

152. Gotta think different, but must try steaks and other cuts

Most people have had it ground first--probably low quality, frozen too long, stored badly after defrost. Worth a second try, believe me.

[NickB79]

160. Ditto, I never did understand why we favored cows over buffalo

For meat production on the Great Plains. On one hand we have cattle, descended from wild aurochs of Europe that lived in thick forests with relatively mild summers and mild winters. On the other hand, we have buffalo, evolved over millions of years to live off of open plains forage, 100F summers, -30F winters and sustained windchills even lower than that. Yet we chose cattle? What were we thinking?

[FlaGranny]

167. Remember, we almost totally killed off buffalo/bison

to starve the native peoples.

[TX-RAT]

169. Not completely true

200,000+ skins a year were shipped to the European markets, between early 1800's to the 1860's. Buffalo fed the eastern us market as well, during those periods. I won't deny that Buffalo's were intentionally shot and left to rot just to deny the Native American, but to say that was the reason for their almost extinction is a stretch. The European demand for buffalo skins is what led to their demise.

[FlaGranny]

170. Many thousands were

killed to deny Native Americans. Perhaps taking skins alone would not have been enough to nearly wipe out the bison, or vice versa, but certainly taking skins for sale is not as intentionally destructive and "evil" as the deprivation killing was.

[TX-RAT]

171. We agree on that one

(destructive and "evil" as the deprivation killing was.)

[MadHound]

148. Another good reason to support your local, organic beef producer

Most everybody can find somebody who raises beef the old-fashioned way, grass and corn fed, no antibiotics, no hormones. This is method of raising beef is becoming increasingly popular as people are becoming increasingly concious of what goes into their food. Checking you local farmers' market is a great start to finding these cattle producers.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that corporate food production is a hazard to your health. You might have to pay a little more for organic food, but you will have peace of mind in return that your food supply is safe. The USDA and FDA are letting food production practices to thrive that are either untested, or proven to be a hazard, buying your food from a local organic producer allows you to know where and how your food was produced, and also supports your local economy.

With GM products entering our food stream, and various threats ranging from steroids to Mad Cow already present, it only makes sense to go with the producer who doesn't use these practices. Besides, you will find that the food is much tastier, and healthier for you than that crap passing as food in your local grocery store.

[TX-RAT]

149. You might have to pay a little more for organic food,

You actually pay less here. I've been running cows on this place for over 25 yrs, all are sold locally. They pick out the animal, i take it to the processors. They usually come out 20%-25% cheaper than store bought, plus it's cut exactly the way you want it.

You just need lot's of freezer space. I can't remember the last time we personally bought beef at the Grocery Store.

[redqueen]

168. Don't they have to pay for all of it?

Most can't afford to buy all that beef at once... even if they did have the freezer space.

Just another instance of the poor getting screwed, nothing new.

[fob]

154. Will the makers of the Second Test please report to the USDA to

sign your all-inclusive testing contract with open-ended payment structure?

[warrens]

155. It's not the makers

It's a bad test in that it takes a LOT of skill to interpret the results and two competent people could get opposite findings. The Rapid test is overly sensitive (lot of false positives) but is meant to be that way. In Europe, they use rapid test, then Western blot, and use IHC as well if there is a conflict or if they want a better look at the actual prions.

The problem is that virtually everyone in the USDA laboratory in Ames, Iowa is a USDA employee. They were trying to say it was an independent lab, which is BS. There are a few interns there, but the scientists are all employees.

[fob]

161. That was a joke meant to highlight my disdain for the fascist bush*

regime currently in power who WOULD settle for a lesser test as long as there are profits to be made.

Thanks for all the info though, you seem to be on top of this type stuff. Maybe Skinner could appoint you DU Mad Cow Czar and keep us up to date? I stopped eating beef what, 2 years ago(?) when that "lone" cow was announced and then pawned off on the Canadians.

I won't eat beef until I can trust my own government to take the threat seriously and protect the CITIZENS from the CORPORATIONS!

While I got your ear, there was a guy, can't think of his name, that has done exhaustive research on this and said he had a test that would add only pennies per pound to beef costs. Are you aware of this person and the particular test? I've heard beef from Australia is OK, but how do I trust that it's not US beef with an Aussie sticker?

Organically fed/raised cattle, do those that use that method ALSO test their livestock? Or do they just assume they are alright since they are not feeding them their relatives guts and stuff?

What is the practical reason for NOT TESTING every single cow? (Cost is not a "practical" reason in my book especially at pennies a pound)

Thanks,

I hope some day I get the US-DU approval from you!

[Megahurtz]

163. Elch!

:puke: Looks like they're trying to cover it up fast since they're not revealing any details.