"Downers" not a new thing? - Mad Cow is!
Wow - how did Mad Cow disease (BSE or Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) get here (Mabton, Washington) and
why are "downers" (animals too sick or injured to walk) allowed into the US food chain?
It appears the concerns are not new and have been in Congress for a LONG time.
Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Representative Gary Ackerman (D-NY) have worked on the "downer" issue for what appears to be a long time. Charlie Stenholm (D-TX) fought the measure saying it would "harm farmers economically." I bet this will harm more farmers more than banning downers. (Mercury News)
Also, it might just be the case that this practice (using "downers") is already illegal but just not enforced by the USDA.
Here are a few articles on the downers, both old and new, from people generally
opposed to this on the basis of the inhumane treatment of the animals- but they
mention the food and Mad Cow as potential issues also.
- Humane Society Article
- Nodowners.org Article
- Farm Sanctuary.org Article
- Mad Cow concerns- right on the nose from Oct 2003.
- Canada Story from their Mad Cow problem earlier this year
- Think you are safe since you do not eat spinal tissue. Not so fast: 35% of "suspect meat" is contaminated according to a USDA study
references: USDA advanced meat recovery sampling and the details AMR survey follow-up (note the chili reference on page 6, item 8)
Another interesting
article
Some consumer advocates however are wary about USDA information, saying it's not only "misleading" to the public but "irresponsible."
According to a Web site of the Organic Consumers Association, humans do in fact eat bovine central nervous system tissue, and that many edible products, such as beef stock, beef extract, and beef flavoring are frequently made by boiling the skeletal remains (including the vertebral column) of the carcass. And that, according to a consumer advocacy organization, Center for Science in the Public Interest, spinal cord contamination may also be found in U.S. hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza toppings, and taco fillings.
The site also reports that according to a 2002 USDA survey, "approximately 35 percent of high risk meat products tested positive for central nervous system tissues."
And if mad cow and vCJD (variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease- the human version caused by eating mad cow infected meat) not enough how about our old favorite
E. coli 0157:H7 - One farmer's plight reporting tainted meat from a large Agribusiness. Blame the small guy for finding a problem- don't look at the source. Same suspects, similar problems, and the same sorts of protection for you!
After reading that you must wonder who opposed this- we will research this and post more on this page
as soon as we find out.
UPDATE: Dairy Farmers contribute to House panel
If you had to guess, the HUGE industrial farms with deep pockets
probably "worked" to defeat this. Certainly Congress will act "quickly" to prohibit use of "downers" when they go back to work. Bet on a news conference where they take credit for acting "quickly" to guarantee the safety of our food supply. Glad they have our best interest in mind. The same big money people that fought the "downer" elimination will now suffer great economic damage and insist Congress act quickly to shore up their profits with a financial bail-out while the market is down and the "new" legislation is enacted.
Note: There are reports that
Burger King, Wendy's and McDonald's have all prohibited their suppliers from using meat from downed animals and
downer meat is prohibited in schools. Strange it is not banned everywhere.
After reading all that and hearing the USDA and other government types state the meat recall is really just a formality- "it is safe" - maybe we should have a banquet and feed the "safe" recalled meat to the industy, lobbyists, USDA lap dogs, and the puppet Senators and Congressmen that have created this mess. I really wonder how many would eat the "safe" meat their "actions" have created.
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