Hogs That Ate Tainted Food to Be Euthanized

[Demeter]

Source: Washington Post


Hogs That Ate Tainted Food to Be Euthanized
About 300 Could Have Already Gotten Into Humans' Food Supply

By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 27, 2007; A03



Officials emphasized that the human health risks of eating pork from animals fed the contaminated food are very low. The decision to keep those animals off the market -- and to reimburse farmers for the losses -- was made in the interest of extreme prudence, they said.

FDA officials said the number of pets that the agency has confirmed dead from the contamination remains in the high teens -- far fewer than the hundreds claimed by others -- but they conceded that they are not making an effort to track that number. Their main concern, they said, is to block the entry of more contaminated ingredients into the country and to stem the spread of contaminated food products already in the country.

That effort led to the recognition that some pet food manufacturers that had used tainted ingredients had sold pet food waste or scraps to eight hog producers in California, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, Kansas, Oklahoma and Utah.

Under federal law, farmers are not required to destroy the potentially contaminated hogs. But the Agriculture Department has informed them that the animals will not get the agency's stamp of approval, which is required for the meat to be sold.




Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/26/AR2007042602614.html?referrer=email

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tick...tick...tick....

[xultar]

1. Shouldn't they keep some alive for study and long term effects. I seems

like a waste. Poor piggies.

Something tells me they don't want people to know the long term effects.

[Coventina]

2. Good point. But this government's first impulse is always to kill.

If there's a problem with something, the solution must be to kill it and move on.

Granted, these poor guys were doomed one way or another from the start. Poor piggies indeed. That's why I don't eat them myself.

[Cobalt Violet]

3. So we have to pay for the hogs.

:wtf: I'm fucking sick of the damn bailouts.

[truthisfreedom]

4. And, of course, we'll be reading a story (in a few weeks) about how these hogs were fed to other

animals that enter the human food chain...

[Theres-a]

5. I thought of that, too.

Evil bastards.

[melnjones]

6. they will at least

become pet food

[Shallah Kali]

8. yep that is sop for diseased animals -tho sometimes it is OKed to feed to humans

Link:
http://www.nodowners.org/usda.htm

Despite its responsibility for preventing adulterated and tainted meat from being used for human food, the United States Department of Agriculture explicitely allows diseased animals into the human food supply.

* A study of USDA slaughterhouse records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act shows that the Agency approves meat from animals with pneumonia, hepatitis, lymphona, gangrene and other ailments. Click here for report.

* When the USDA was petitioned to prevent the slaughter of diseased animals for human food, it responded with a letter explicitely stating that it is acceptable to use meat from diseased animals for human food. Click here to read letter.[/div}

[NYC]

7. Some of the hogs were already eaten.

(Some little piggies went to market.)

What about those? What about the people who ate them?

[Shallah Kali]

9. FDA swears risk is minimal and doesn't advise them to go to the doctors to be checked out

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/158956.html

About 100 private customers bought hogs killed and packaged by American Hog Farm during the time they were fed the tainted pet food. The butchered pork was intended for private use and stamped as unavailable for resale, said Dr. Richard Breitmeyer, the state veterinarian. State officials were using farm records to contact those individuals and tell them not to eat the pork.

Reilly said that the risk to humans is considered minimal and that the customers are not being told to seek medical treatment.

[NYC]

10. Thanks.

The remaining problem is: Can the government be trusted?

[NYC]

11. Thank you for all the information.

I've missed some important things, for instance, this link which you provided elsewhere:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x496517

I'm astounded.

[Shallah Kali]

12. Abit more on Menu Food's CEO when he was head of Safety Kleen

http://www.7cblogs.com/catalog/2007/04/pet-food-recall-keeps-widening-scandal.html

http://lethaldose.wordpress.com/2007/03/21/what-is-this-guy-up-to-he-spent-years-ruining-americans-health-now-he-is-targeting-our-pets/

http://tinyurl.com/2rjo84

[Demeter]

13. Very Interesting! Thanks for the Links!