Mad Cow in U.S.

LewB · 12-23-2003, 08:27 PM

Note to self:
Make resolution to eat less red meat in '04.

John_Berger · 12-23-2003, 08:58 PM

I thought that it was only suspected at this point.

Tab Nichols · 12-23-2003, 09:20 PM

I can only hope that Canada uses the same tact that was used by the US government when Canada had a single case of Mad Cow. I hope we close our borders to American beef. Japan already has.

Afterall, turnabout is fair play.

KyleS · 12-23-2003, 09:24 PM

It has now been confirmed as a positive test though I am sure that the Meat companies are going to have A LOT more tests done.

What are the facts behind Mad cow? Cooking the meat to a certain temperature doesnt kill the Bacteria?

KyleS

Michael*K · 12-23-2003, 10:38 PM

Well, I guess all the cattle farmers that thought they were going to fatten up their bank accounts thanks to the Atkins hysteria are now crying in their feed hoppers. I'm sure the beef futures will take a big nosedive tomorrow. All this the same day that a crate of New York strips from Omaha Steaks arrived on my doorstep.

**HTF Ads**

DavidY · 12-23-2003, 11:26 PM

I believe that other countries like England and EU countries test every cow before it is sent to the slaughterhouse or at least prior to it entering the beef supply. Maybe all beef consuming or exporting countries should do this as a mandatory requirement. Sure it's gonna be expensive, but it appears that this is the only way for the beef eating public to be very sure of what they are eating.

Dave

Yee-Ming · 12-23-2003, 11:46 PM

Quote:

What are the facts behind Mad cow? Cooking the meat to a certain temperature doesnt kill the Bacteria?

It's not a bacterial or viral infection as such. IIRC it's something that degenerates the proteins that form the brain (hence mad cow disease), and eating diseased proteins can cause the human equivalent (CJD: Creuzfeldt-Jakob, or something like that).

Thinking about the above, if we don't eat cow brain (who does?), I suppose either "stuff" gets mixed up in abbatoirs and/or butchers' shops, or the rest of the beef can also degenerate, otherwise it wouldn't be an issue.

I'm sure all the regular US news sites will have full-blown spreads and FAQs explaining everything you need to know pretty soon.

Steve_Tk · 12-24-2003, 12:11 AM

I hope it doesn't become a problem. Turkey and Chicken sure are yummy!

Jason GT · 12-24-2003, 01:27 AM

This is rather frightening:

Quote:

Washington State Deputy Director of Agriculture Bill Brookerson said later that meat from the cow may have entered the food chain as hamburger. Asked if it was possible that the meat had already been consumed, Brookerson said, "It's possible"

from the CBC

It will be curious to see how those US Farmers who were dancing so gleefully a couple of months ago about the Canadian BSE case handle this matter- especially considering that some of it may have been consumed already.

Michael Hein · 12-24-2003, 03:08 AM

From Canoe, Canada's internet newsite:

Quote:

Canada has no immediate plans to close its borders to U.S. beef, officials of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said at a news conference in Ottawa.

A single case of mad cow sent the Canadian cattle industry into crisis in 2003 as all major importing countries closed their borders to Canada's beef, costing exporters alone more than $1.9 billion Cdn.

Canadians learned the hard way this year how much damage even one case of the disease can do to an economy and doesn't want to rush to judgement, Dr. Brian Evans, chief veterinary officer of the CFIA, told a hastily called news conference.

How thoughtful of our government.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2...295800-ap.html