Cattle Feed Contaminated with Mammalian Protein Recalled

[donsu]

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2006/2006-08-10-09.asp#anchor2


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced two recalls, one for 27 million pounds of cattle feed produced in Michigan and the other for an unknown amount of feed produced in Kentucky because the feed contains mammalian protein that could carry the infectious agent that causes mad cow disease.

Vita Plus Corporation of Gagetown, Michigan, has recalled 27,694,240 pounds of dairy feed produced between February of 2005 and June 16, 2006, because it is believed it was contaminated with mammalian protein. The feed was distributed in Michigan and the recall is complete, according to the FDA's current weekly Enforcement Report.

Burkmann Feeds LLC of Glasgow, Kentucky, has recalled an unknown amount of custom feed because it contains an ingredient called Pro-Lak, which may contain ruminant-derived meat and bone meal.

Burkmann Feeds describes its Pro-Lak product as a "multi-source marine and animal by-pass protein supplement" that is fed to dairy cows for maximum milk production. The Burkmann feed was distributed in Kentucky.

Both recalled feeds were suspected of being adulterated with ruminant or mammalian protein, including ruminant meat and bone meal in the second recall.
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with criminals like Vita Plus and Burkmann Feeds - you still want to eat beef?

like you think they are the only feed company criminals?

[Lone_Star_Dem]

1. I recall Purina being caught doing something similar, too

Or am I wrong about that?

[LeftyMom]

4. No, you're not

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0106-03.htm

Members of The Pet Food Institute, who make 95% of the dog and cat food sold in the United States, use rendered material from livestock in their chow. But they insist there are no ground up pets in their pet food.

"It's a matter of good business," spokesman Stephen Payne said. "We've decided that if this is upsetting to people--and it clearly is--we should take extraordinary measures to make sure it never happens."

Still, it is not illegal to use rendered material from dogs and cats in pet food. And while no one keeps official figures, there's some evidence it happens.

The Food and Drug Administration has found "very, very low levels" of sodium pentobarbital--the chemical used to euthanize animals--in some brands of dog food, said Stephen Sundloff, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine. The agency is investigating whether the traces are "of any significance at all," Sundloff said.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

6. Thanks for the link

That was even worse than I knew about... that is just sick.

What I recalled was some of the local ranchers having fits when they found out they were paying more for the good "safe" feed and they were still unknowingly putting their cattle at risk.

[LeftyMom]

9. If I recall correctly a test of low-moderate end supermarket brands

of cat and dog food showed that they all had detectible levels of euthanizing solution, presumably from euthanized companion animals.

I would advise people to avoid low end brands and feed either do DIY food or go with a high end prepared food with no byproducts and human grade ingredients. Dogs do fabulously on veg food, but cats and dogs on a meat-based food would be well served by something like Newman's Own or Pet Promise.

[LeftyMom]

2. vCJD eats holes in a person's brain and they die slowly, in great pain.

Cow flesh doesn't taste good enough to risk that.

[terip64]

3. I only buy grass fed.

[unpossibles]

5. is it me, or ...

is humanity pretty f'd up to feed meat products to herbivores in order to make a better profit.

I'm glad I don't eat the stuff myself. That Purina story is scary too. What the hell?

[petgoat]

7. According to Michael Pollan, feedlot cattle are getting sick on grain,

let alone on meat feed, and they could not live without
doses of antibiotics so massive that their dung is toxic
waste and can not be used for fertilizer.

He points out that Doctors are reluctant to give antibiotics
to humans because doing so tends to breed antibiotic-resistant
bacteria, but anti-biotic-resistant bacteria are being bred
in the guts of feedlot cattle every day.

He says that if Congress outlawed giving anti-biotics to cattle,
the feedlot industry would collapse overnight.

(I'm relying on my memory of an NPR interview with him maybe
six weeks ago.)

Here's his recent book:

http://www.michaelpollan.com/omnivore.php

[shadowknows69]

8. Well then the beef industry needs to learn to become

soy bean farmers. This shit is ludicrous