Mad Cow Disease A "Minor" Concern

[Craig]

NEW YORK - The newly identified case of mad cow disease in an animal from an American herd shouldn't worry consumers, experts said, because the condition appears to be very rare and safeguards are in place to protect the food supply.

"It certainly is a minor concern" compared to ordinary food-borne diseases like salmonella and E. coli, said Dr. Richard Johnson of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, an authority on mad-cow-like diseases in animals and people.

http://healthandfitness.sympatico.msn.ca/News/ContentPosting.aspx?contentid=624c233b654c4c329fe4 2a2470de2e42&show=True&number=6&showbyline=False&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc

This is one of those incidents that leaves me pissed off with America. When Canada had a single case of Mad Cow disease, the States panicked and placed a complete embargo on Canadian beef. Now, when the same thing happens down there, it's only a "minor concern". :mad:

[ceemes]

NEW YORK - The newly identified case of mad cow disease in an animal from an American herd shouldn't worry consumers, experts said, because the condition appears to be very rare and safeguards are in place to protect the food supply.

"It certainly is a minor concern" compared to ordinary food-borne diseases like salmonella and E. coli, said Dr. Richard Johnson of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, an authority on mad-cow-like diseases in animals and people.

http://healthandfitness.sympatico.msn.ca/News/ContentPosting.aspx?contentid=624c233b654c4c329fe4 2a2470de2e42&show=True&number=6&showbyline=False&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc

This is one of those incidents that leaves me pissed off with America. When Canada had a single case of Mad Cow disease, the States panicked and placed a complete embargo on Canadian beef. Now, when the same thing happens down there, it's only a "minor concern". :mad:


No Duhh.......As far as American's are concerned, it will always be a case of "Do as we say, not as we do."
<MOD EDIT>

[Ed Sane]

Shutting off all beef would cripple the market...Before hand shutting off Canandian meat was possible with little adverse affects. Now its just something we have to live with...

[serenity]

This is one of those incidents that leaves me pissed off with America. When Canada had a single case of Mad Cow disease, the States panicked and placed a complete embargo on Canadian beef. Now, when the same thing happens down there, it's only a "minor concern"

surely you're not surprised, though?

[jamesrage]

Now I bet with all this Mad Cow desease commotion going on McDonalds is the only one not suffering.

[JoeR]

Incidentally, investing in McDonald's during mad cow scares is a good way to make money, since once the scare is over the stock will go back up

[Craig]

surely you're not surprised, though?

No, and that's the really sad part. In fact, I often mention bits of news that I pick up off of Whistlestopper to my relatives, and they're not surprised either, even when it's something that's quite bizarre and would raise eyebrows if it happened in another nation. I wish I could say that this was just an unusual, abbarent event in US policy, but it's not.

[jamesrage]

Incidentally, investing in McDonald's during mad cow scares is a good way to make money, since once the scare is over the stock will go back up

I don't think McDonalds uses real meat in their hamburgers,so I do not think their stock will fall during a mad cow desease scare.Now those places like Wendy's,Lot-a-burger, and What-a-Burger that actually use real meat their stocks may drop during a mad cow desease scare.

[beg your pardon]

Well some of it is real meat, and it doesnt matter if they do or not. People associate their food with real meat, and will stop eating there anyways.

[Mirror Lake 444]

The government is downplaying the latest case and lying through their teeth stating as long as you don't eat the brain and spinal column of a cow you will be fine. Is that so? Would they please explain to me how when initially quartering a beef with a saw you can avoid cutting into the spinal column and not subsequently potentially contaminating every subsequent piece of meat that makes contact with that saw blade?

I was a meatcutter for several years and this is blantant deception. I'm not saying mad cow disease is something to worry about, but if you believe the government won't try and downplay a possible danger and panic I've got some lakefront property to sell you in Kansas.

[Mirror Lake 444]

"I DO know about it, cause i am a beef farmer full time and taxidermist part time. First off we are importing more beef from canada than EVER! Our embargo is on live cattle, not beef. They are totally different commodities. We are importing beef that is less than 20 months of age. The prions do not develop til 30 months or more. The cow in question was seven years old, which made it older than the meat meal embargo, which is a whole issue in itself. Canada does not have adequate meat meal bans and what they do have is not enforced, THAT is why their cattle and beef are dangerous to american consumers. They are still possibly feeding infected cattle to their current cattle. They are responsible for america's first two cases. It just so happen they couldn't manage to detect it, but when they sent it down here we did find it."

"Prions ARE killed if meat is cooked thoroughly."

"Americans are testing every "suspect" cow, young cattle do not need be tested. Americans should be proud of the USDA because the cow that tested positve was almost forced to test positive, it was almost negative/positive 6 times before it was sent to the UK (untrustworthy bias if you ask me) to finally get a hard positive. "

"I don't know anything about the conspiracy theories of "covering up" cases. But i bet they are just that."

"But i do know japan has had at least 17 confirmed cases and won't import our beef just because we won't import canada's dangerous beef.
And americans should support the canadian ban for their own safety and the well being of their farmers."

"I doubt the war had anything to do with it but i do know that americans pay one dollar for every calf they sell to advertise beef and canadians are selling their beef under our advertisement and aren't paying ANYTHING! Yet the U.S. government forces american farmers to pay for it. And won't differentiate our beef from theirs."

IF ANYTHING THIS CASE OF MAD COW SHOULD PROVE THAT THE USDA IS KEEPING EVERY POSSIBLE DISEASED ANIMAL OUT OF THE FOOD SYSTEM.

[The_Penguin]

This is one of those incidents that leaves me pissed off with America. When Canada had a single case of Mad Cow disease, the States panicked and placed a complete embargo on Canadian beef. Now, when the same thing happens down there, it's only a "minor concern". :mad:
:shrug: We've had only 2 instances of mad cow disease, both were neutralized before the meat hit the market in any form. Also, you're forgetting that when US put those restrictions against Canadian beef, the disease came out only recently and it was more of a knee-jerk reaction (as is the case with most new diseases), not to mention the fact that Canada had more than 2 instances of mad-cow disease. Most (if not all) of the restrictions have been lifted on beef from your country.

The guidelines were actually put in place by the companies themselves, they know that if they screw up, people will panick and demand will plummet (turkey farmers will make a killing as a result :) .)

[lord tammerlain]

"I DO know about it, cause i am a beef farmer full time and taxidermist part time. First off we are importing more beef from canada than EVER! Our embargo is on live cattle, not beef. They are totally different commodities. We are importing beef that is less than 20 months of age. The prions do not develop til 30 months or more. The cow in question was seven years old, which made it older than the meat meal embargo, which is a whole issue in itself. Canada does not have adequate meat meal bans and what they do have is not enforced, THAT is why their cattle and beef are dangerous to american consumers. They are still possibly feeding infected cattle to their current cattle. They are responsible for america's first two cases. It just so happen they couldn't manage to detect it, but when they sent it down here we did find it."
Canada to my knowledge has now a stricter meat/meal ban then the US.


"Prions ARE killed if meat is cooked thoroughly."
Not to my knowledge, prions are relatively industructable

"Americans are testing every "suspect" cow, young cattle do not need be tested. Americans should be proud of the USDA because the cow that tested positve was almost forced to test positive, it was almost negative/positive 6 times before it was sent to the UK (untrustworthy bias if you ask me) to finally get a hard positive. "
No, they are not testing every suspect cow, many suspect cows have been dissappeared. Former FDA officials and vets have reported this

"I don't know anything about the conspiracy theories of "covering up" cases. But i bet they are just that."

"But i do know japan has had at least 17 confirmed cases and won't import our beef just because we won't import canada's dangerous beef.
And americans should support the canadian ban for their own safety and the well being of their farmers." The ban is not for safety reasons but for the well being of the US farmers.


"I doubt the war had anything to do with it but i do know that americans pay one dollar for every calf they sell to advertise beef and canadians are selling their beef under our advertisement and aren't paying ANYTHING! Yet the U.S. government forces american farmers to pay for it. And won't differentiate our beef from theirs."

IF ANYTHING THIS CASE OF MAD COW SHOULD PROVE THAT THE USDA IS KEEPING EVERY POSSIBLE DISEASED ANIMAL OUT OF THE FOOD SYSTEM.

The USDA is doing everything that they can to prevent knowledge that more cattle in the US has been infected. The adage "Shoot, Shovel, and Shut up" that Ralph Klein used is not just an Albertan thing.

[Mirror Lake 444]

Canada to my knowledge has now a stricter meat/meal ban then the US.

Not to my knowledge, prions are relatively industructable
No, they are not testing every suspect cow, many suspect cows have been dissappeared. Former FDA officials and vets have reported this
The ban is not for safety reasons but for the well being of the US farmers.


The USDA is doing everything that they can to prevent knowledge that more cattle in the US has been infected. The adage "Shoot, Shovel, and Shut up" that Ralph Klein used is not just an Albertan thing.


LT,

Can you provide any links to your responses?

[Chidi]

LT,

Can you provide any links to your responses?
Can you?

[Mirror Lake 444]

Can you?


When you say "Can you?" do you me Can you?" or "Can YOU?"

I was not disputing his assertions I just want something to back them up that I can use to further my argument. I would be estatic if he would provide links.

[lord tammerlain]

LT,

Can you provide any links to your responses?

Sure no problem, I have no problems when somebody questions facts that I bring up without proof.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/madcow/stories.html

Is a link to a bunch of stories and a large report on mad cow disease overall

About a year ago the CBC had a documentary regarding mad cow disease in the US which gave a strong indication that at least two cows were not properly tested for BSE and disposed of
link
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/04/12/usbse050412.html

As for prions being destroyed by cooking

Prions are extremely resistant to conventional inactivation procedures including irradiation, boiling, dry heat and chemicals (formalin, betapropiolactione, alcohols). Most procedures reduce infectivity rather than eliminate it. All treated contaminated materials should be discarded through the infectious waste stream and incinerated. Use DISPOSABLE plastic labware whenever possible

http://www.ehrs.upenn.edu/protocols/sa_destruct.html


As for the shoot, shovel and shut up comment.

It is a educated guess that this goes on a lot more then what is reported. Farmers and ranchers are a pratical group of people and realize that a single report of mad cow can lead to the destruction of their entire herd. Shooting the animal, buring the animal and making no mention of the animal can save a lot of hassle. It is the logical thing for a rancher to do.

Just think about it, if the farmer who had the first cow in Alberta that was detected with MCD had done just that the Canadian economy would have saved a couple of billion dollars.

[Mirror Lake 444]

Thanks... Appreciate it!

[Chidi]

When you say "Can you?" do you me Can you?" or "Can YOU?"

I was not disputing his assertions I just want something to back them up that I can use to further my argument. I would be estatic if he would provide links.


Hey I'm just interested. Mad cow disease is a big deal in Ireland.