USDA orders silence on mad cow in Texas

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20040511-015527-4917r

WASHINGTON, May 11 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued an order instructing its inspectors in Texas, where federal mad cow disease testing policies recently were violated, not to talk about the cattle disorder with outside parties, United Press International has learned.

The order, sent May 6 by e-mail from the USDA's Dallas district office, was issued in the wake of the April 27 case at Lone Star Beef in San Angelo, in which a cow displaying signs of a brain disorder was not tested for mad cow disease despite a federal policy to screen all such animals.

The deadly illness also is known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

Both the USDA and its Inspector General -- amid allegations that an offsite supervisor overruled the opinion of the inspectors onsite and made the final decision not to test the animal -- have opened up investigations to determine why agency policy was violated.

The order, which was obtained by UPI, was issued by Ijaz Qazi, circuit supervisor for the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service's Dallas district, which covers the entire state. It reads: "All BSE inquiries MUST be directed to Congressional Public Affairs Phone [phone] attention Rob Larew OR Steve Khon. This is an urgent message. Any question contact me. Ijaz Qazi."

more

[jobycom]

1. They don't want to malign potential Republican candidates, maybe?

[revcarol]

2. GIVE ME BACK MY GOVERNMENT!!

The USDA is supposed to be looking out for US.

The EPA is supposed to protect the environment. The Labor Department is supposed to be for Labor/labor.

GIVE ME BACK MY GOVERNMENT.

[nolabels]

5. No, they stole it fair and square and you can't have it back

:P

(really looks like we ALL might have to take it back)

[denverbill]

21. The USDA and FDA are two of the most corrupt agencies in govt.

Even under Democrats they suck, IMO.

I'm totally with you on this one though. We have got to get our govt back to working FOR us, not against us.

The USDA and FDA are supposed to protect the public from harmful foods and drugs, and instead, they protect the meatpackers and drugmakers from the consumers.

Whether it's hiding country of origin labelling, or restricting consumers ability to know if food has been irradiated, or whether food is genetically modified, or whether it's preventing a company from testing all of it's cattle for BSE, the govt is NOT on the side of the people.

[madrchsod]

3. i guess i`ll be

buying my beef from the local meat locker. at least the local farmers around here won`t poison themselves..where is upton sinclair when we need him?????

[colonel odis]

16. can you imagine what they'd say about upton sinclair?

this bunch of right-wing screechers ......

ann coulter would say he should be killed. o'reilly would claim he wanted to stir up a boycott to hurt good people. rush would laugh at him and act exasperated. hannity would claim he's anti-capitalism and wants to scare people to further his socialist agenda.

they suck. truly suck.

[Coventina]

4. I just can't stand it anymore.

This government can't do anything right.

[UpInArms]

6. this criminal mal-administration just pisses me off

http://www.arkcity.net/stories/050504/com_0002.shtml

Second packer wants to test all its cattle

Another small meat packer besides Creekstone Farms Premium Beef has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to do 100 percent testing of the cattle it processes for mad cow disease.

The Gateway Beef Cooperative in Overland, Mo., a St. Louis suburb, has followed the lead of Creekstone, and requested private testing to reopen foreign markets for American beef.

Robbie Meyer, president of the cooperative, wrote a letter dated April 30 to Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman asking for permission to test. The USDA has not yet responded, a cooperative spokeswoman said today.

Meanwhile, Kansas State Rep. Joe Shriver, D-Arkansas City, is busy today trying to arrange a conference call between Bill Fielding, Creekstone's chief operating officer in Ark City, and members of the House Agriculture Committee.

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

...more...

small companies fighting to do the right thing - our goverment is fighting to do the wrong thing - and in the case of the original post, did they deliberately fail to test a cow with symptoms?

:mad:

[Moderator]

26. UpInArms

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
news source.

Thank you.

DU Moderator

[aquart]

7. So. Mad Cow is in Texas and the FDA won't test all cattle?

Isn't that special.

[daa]

8. If nobody buys their beef

they will start testing it.

[DustMolecule]

12. Our family hasn't had beef since late December

We've gone much more vegetarian and, to be very honest, we all feel much healthier for it. Slow changes over the weeks in our dietary habits, has produced BIG results in 6 months. I highly recommend this approach. As Mark Twain once said, "you can't throw a bad habit out the window, you've got to slowly walk it down the stairs".

We're not buying beef again until all US cattle are 100% tested (like in Japan). I'm sure once that FINALLY happens, our family's consumption will be much less than before, because by then we will be accustomed to a much better, cheaper, and healthier eating pattern.

[Redleg]

23. Same here.

We are still eating pork and chicken (even though chicken has gotten a bit dicey lately). The cattle industry has a hell of a lot of clout with the Government, especially this Bush gov.

[info being]

24. Same here. I haven't met anyone else who's made the same decision

though. It just doesn't seem to register with most Americans.

[Beware the Beast Man]

9. In light of this recent article....

does anyone have any good recipes for black beans??
I'm dead serious by by asking this.

[Taverner]

11. Eat Niman Ranch Beef

It's safe

[PfcHammer]

14. Soy burgers aren't that bad. Boca, Morningstar Farms, etc.

[gulfcoastliberal]

10. Beef: It's whats Eating Holes in your Brain

Trust big beef. They know what's good for you.

/sarcasm

[Lori Price CLG]

15. I hope Bush eats *tons* of steaks and hamburgers with his pretzels....

And, we can all hope for the *best!*
:bounce:

Cheers,
Lori Price

[tom_paine]

13. This is why I still haven't eaten beef (and I LOVE eating beef)

Bceause, when the government goes Soviet and all the institutions that were previously tasked to protect you are now run by people who want to kill the institution they are now in charge of and who would allow thousands of "Filthy Little Nobodies" to die without a second thought...when THAT happens, as it has here in Imperial Amerika (like Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union before it), trust NOTHING and NO ONE who represents the Empire.

They are NOT telling the truth...EVER! I used to think this was possible but only because I never experienced Totalitarianism (or it's embryonic beginnings, to be fair to the Empire currently) firsthand.

If the Soviet Minitsry of Agriculture had told me Soviet Beef was safe to eat in 1979, my response would be EXACTLY the same as it is to this Bushevik Lying "Announcement".

[Don_G]

17. Who's Planning On Marketing The Home Test Kits?

The Carlyle Group, Halliburton or the Drug Industry?

[yellowcanine]

18. Issue an order not to talk and the order itself becomes public? Yeah,

that's the ticket. Especially in an election year. Let the games begin.

[The Blue Flower]

19. "Don't ask, don't tell"

Not just for the military anymore!

[The Backlash Cometh]

20. I'm sick of this business-first mentality. And at this rate, we'll all be

sick...with mad cow disease. Winning at all costs will make us all losers.

[Parche]

22. MAD COW

THE ONLY MAD COW IN TEXAS IS FROM CRAWFORD

[ursacorwin]

25. ha ha, i didn't know there is an animal that's part mad cow

and part puppet monkey! that's our boy, it seems.

listen folks, if you love beef- do yourselves and your communities a favor. do the homework, and locate the organic cattle farmers in your state. they exist, even in surprising places.

i live in chicago, and i've eaten at such super upscale steak houses as morton's (600$ dinner bill in 99) the steak there was really, really good.

but last year, my mom bought a 1/4 cow from the local organic farmer. paid to have it cut, on the whole roughly the same per pound cost as buying individual cuts for the winter individually.

and let me tell you: i've never, ever tasted beef this good. even the round steaks are succulent, and the hamburger is so low in fat you'll wonder if it's turkey.

i almost gave up beef a few years back, when farming friends told me about downer cows for the first time. ick! who knew things had gotten so bad. but i love beef, i'm sorry but i do, and it's been a wonder to eat healthy, tasty, low fat beef all the time again. this year we bought a full 1/2 cow and filled two freezers.

anyone in the WI area (where mom lives) and wants to get in touch with becky (the farmer) drop me a PM.

[puerco-bellies]

27. Be nice to Pickles. eom

[anarchy1999]

28. Why is anyone surprised?

NOT ME! There's not much I want to eat anymore. Especially any form of meat. Only if I can by it at WholeFoods and they charge whey too much. Our country is f"@#@%.d I am so sorry for us all. The only people that can eat well are way too rich. Screw everyone else!

Once again, I am just so sorry! Read up, educate yourselves, this has been planned for hundreds of years. Especially in the last 50-60 years. It is all according to plan.

[Tellurian]

29. They'll probably pulverize the brain tissue, & feed it to cows going to NE

[pacifictiger]

30. they don't want anyone advertising

theres a Mad Cow from Texas on the loose! Oh the irony.