U.S. plans a major reduction in its BSE testing

Let's compare Canada's approach to preventing anything like the use of
statins.
"They concluded 19,600 people would have to take the medication for five
years to prevent a single death from heart disease."
How many deaths are attributed to mad cow disease each year?
The US is learning from Canada on how to save money.
There will be many more lives lost in Canada by not treating patients at
high risk for CAD compared to lives lost to mad cow disease in the US.

"TC" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

http://calgary.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=ca-mad-cow-usda20050414

Quoted message said:

U.S. denies having 2 BSE cases in 1997
Last Updated Apr 14 2005 08:18 AM MDT
CBC News
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Agriculture admits there were
problems with the samples taken from two cows in 1997, but insists the
animals did not have mad cow disease.

Ron DeHaven, administrator of the USDA's Animal and Plant Inspection
Service, said that while key parts of the animals' brains needed to
make an accurate diagnosis were missing and not tested, it was better
to test what they had.

"We had two choices: run the tests with the samples that we had, or not
run them at all," DeHaven said "If we had something to hide, we could
make an argument for not running the samples at all.

"In this case, we chose to run the samples with the tissues that we had
and subject them to three different tests to compensate for the fact
that we may not have the perfect tissues."

For years Canadian cattle producers have been suspicious about U.S.
claims that it has only found one cow affected with bovine spongiform
encephalopathy - and that the one animal had been born in Canada. The
cow, sent south from Leduc, was diagnosed in December 2003 in
Washington state.

Three other Canadian-born animals have tested positive for BSE. The
first case, confirmed in May 2003, saw the U.S. shut its border to
Canadian beef. It was to reopen last month, but an American ranchers'
group obtained a temporary injunction.

CBC News uncovered a USDA video showing what USDA veterinarians feared
might be two cases of mad cow disease in the U.S.

The official tests were negative. But CBC news uncovered documents
showing key areas of the cow's brain, in both cases, were never tested.

Retired USDA scientist Karl Langheinrich says without those tests,
American authorities will never be able to rule out mad cow disease.

"It means you cannot make a diagnosis, a specific diagnosis," he said.

Rick Paskal, who runs a feedlot near Iron Springs and has fought to
have the U.S. border reopened, says the news is frustrating.

"It just enrages me, this double standard that they have set on the
North American continent," he said. "We need to ensure to the consumers
that our beef is safe.

"And when people within the USDA, their own people are questioning
their own organization as to whether some of the protocols were
followed or not followed, then my goodness, it doesn't speak for their
system."

Bill Donald, president of the Montana Stockgrowers Association, says
the important thing is that the U.S. has been diligent in its testing
for the last 14 months.

"I think this increased testing that's being done right now is more
meaningful than some tests in 1997, where they thought they had some
problems with the samples," he said.

Rob McNabb, of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, says his
organization wants the USDA to investigate.

"What we would fully expect is that the USDA address the allegations,"
he said.

One of the USDA's top officials said that the U.S. testing program was
never designed to catch every single case of mad cow disease, but to
measure how much disease there is.

After testing thousands of animals the USDA believes if BSE exists,
it's at a very low level.

Next year, the U.S. plans a major reduction in its BSE testing program,
from a high of 300,000 animals to just 40,000.

*******

I hope they implement an Country of Origin Labeling program in North
America for beef. I am only buying Canadian Beef. At least then I know
that they are doing all they can to properly deal with all cases of
BSE, unlike in the US where they are trying to hide it from everyone
including their own consumers.

TC

Yibbels said:

As always with US industry, they externalize the risk to others
in order to pursue short term profit. And then, they get their
[censored] in Congress to pass legislation limiting lawsuits
against them.

The US are going to pay dearly in the long term.

Canada has brought their processing capacity up to nearly 100% of their
domestic needs. In a few months Canada will be able to process all of
their beef for domestic consumption. Within a year Canada will have
enough capacity for their export markets. Northern US processors have
lost that business forever. They used to process 100% on Manitoba's
beef and much of Saskatchewan's and Alberta's.

Canadian producers have had to scrape by on a shoe string budget and on
the verge of bankruptcy. Now they are so lean and mean that they will
annihilate their competition south of the border. Their efficiency is
staggering. US producers will never be able to compete with the
Canadian producers.

Canada's testing and monitoring in the beef industry is now second to
none in the world. Canada has proven itself to be completely
thoughtful, thorough and transparent insofar as the BSE issue is
concerned. Canada will easily overtake the US's exports in beef,
especially to Japan and other asian countries. That is already underway
behind the scenes.

The US beef industry had better bank their profits from high beef
prices now, because in as little as a few months they are going to see
the flip side of the BSE issue hit them big time.

Canada's response to BSE is a model for the rest of the world and will
quickly establish them as the safest beef supply in the world.

The US response has been the most dishonest and dangerous of all
possible responses and will destroy their beef industry for
generations.

TC