US Mad Cow Test Procedure Violated in Texas-USDA

[CHIMO]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=5021340§ion=news
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal inspectors failed to perform a required mad cow disease test on a suspicious animal in Texas, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Monday, just as the Bush administration is pushing to reopen world markets to U.S. beef.

Lone Star Beef said in a statement that it was "instructed by the USDA to dispose of the animal" and immediately sent the suspicious cow to rendering.


"This is deeply troubling, that USDA is not testing the cattle showing signs of central nervous system disease. These are exactly the cattle that are at highest risk of actually having BSE," said Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety expert with the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Guess what animal will be eating this?

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Cool then we all can go back to eating beef, huh (eom)

[CHIMO]

3. I Wouldn't

http://www.prwatch.org/books/mcusa.pdf

Have a look at the above document.

[Magleetis]

2. No test

no BSE, no problem. Enjoy that burger it may be your last.

[Heddi]

4. wait a minute....

It was just recently that the USDA *FORBADE* slaughterhouses from testing ALL cows for BSE, even if the slaughterhouse paid for all involved cost. According to the Agriculture Dept, the testing levels we have now are sufficient and that additional testing is unnecessary....

So then THIS happens? They FORGET to test a cow?!!??!!??!

What is it they're hiding? Seriously---is our nation's cattle supply really fucked up and the USDA doesn't want us to know? They're trying to avoid mass hysteria or some such nonsense or a collapse of the beef industry (heavy republican supporters)? That's the only reason I can figure they're being so.....hardheaded about the whole testing thing (and then refusing to test animals that need testing)

[CHIMO]

5. And

The new numbers to be tested only start this summer.

[bain_sidhe]

6. ONE beef company - Creekstone Farms

That was the company that announced its intention to test all their cows for BSE - and the USDA told them they weren't allowed to do so. They are challenging the decision.

Here's the URL to their letter to the USDA about it:

http://www.creekstonefarmspremiumbeef.com/csf_response.html

And because this URL doesn't have a link to the main site, here's that URL: http://www.creekstonefarmspremiumbeef.com/

(Note, they have a contact email and also sell direct. Just in case anybody's interested. ;-) )

[kath]

8. "is our nation's cattle supply really fucked up and the USDA doesn't want

us to know?"

that sure seems like a real possibility...

[daleo]

7. It reads like a cover-up

As someone said, no test = no BSE (but maybe new variant CJD later on).