NEWS: NEWS: BSE reaction muted - Dairy Herd Management 6/29/05

[Guest guest]

Below is the industry's response to the discovery of the second case of

mad cow disease in the US.

 

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is claiming that the cow is a

beef cow that was born before 1997 -- in other words a beef cow that is

at least 8 years old.

 

Question: Why would a beef farmer keep a beef cow for 8 years, when 2

years is the industry norm? From his perspective, wouldn't he consider

it a waste of money to feed the animal for an additional 6 years?

 

Am I the only one who thinks the USDA is lying?

 

your servant,

 

Hare Krsna dasi

********************

 

Dairy Herd Management 6/29/05

 

*Top Stories*

 

BSE reaction muted

August live-cattle futures gained 70 cents per pound on the Chicago

Mercantile Exchange Monday, the first trading day following the USDAs

announcement of a BSE-infected animal in the United States. There wasnt

much drama, since traders knew two weeks in advance that the animal

might be BSE-positive. And, only one foreign trading partner Taiwan

has made a big stink so far. For updated information on BSE, follow this

link.

http://www.bseinfo.org/

 

What we know about the infected animal

The USDA has confirmed the following about the animal diagnosed to have BSE:

A beef cow.

 

A downer or non-ambulatory animal.

 

Born before the ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban was instituted in 1997.

 

No one is confirming yet where the animal came from but speculation

centers on Texas.

 

*News and Notes*

 

More impetus for a national animal-ID system

 

As of Tuesday, USDA officials still hadn't announced the herd-of-origin

for the BSE-infected cow (see items above). Such a delay might be

avoided with a national animal-ID system.

 

According to a new survey by Global Animal Management Inc., average

consumer confidence in meat safety and security would jump from 6.5 to

7.4 (out of a possible 10) with a national animal-ID system in place.

The survey was conducted before last weeks BSE announcement. For more

information, go to: dairyherd.com

 

BSE test for live animals

The Vacci-Test Corporation announced last week that it has created a

test to detect BSE in live cattle. Utilizing a single drop of blood, the

Vacci-Test BD can identify the presence of Protein 14-3-3 the marker

for brain infections, including BSE.

 

The test will go through a validation process before becoming

commercially available. Estimated cost is about $20 per animal.