Guest guest Posted December 28, 2003 Report Share Posted December 28, 2003 Now a second herd has been quarantined. ys hkdd ------------------------------ Content-type: message/rfc822 Return-path: <fmw (AT) gwi (DOT) net> Received: from conversion-daemon.mail.bowdoin.edu by mail.bowdoin.edu (iPlanet Messaging Server 5.2 HotFix 1.15 (built Apr 28 2003)) id <0HQM00A019SJ7B (AT) mail (DOT) bowdoin.edu>; Sun, 28 Dec 2003 13:05:32 -0500 (EST) Received: from smtp-sec.bowdoin.edu (smtp-sec [139.140.14.88]) by mail.bowdoin.edu (iPlanet Messaging Server 5.2 HotFix 1.15 (built Apr 28 2003)) with ESMTP id <0HQM008A1A98MW (AT) mail (DOT) bowdoin.edu>; Sun, 28 Dec 2003 13:05:32 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by smtp-sec.bowdoin.edu (Postfix) with ESMTP id 20F93AB8524; Sun, 28 Dec 2003 13:05:32 -0500 (EST) Received: from smtp-sec.bowdoin.edu ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (iorek [127.0.0.1:10024]) (amavisd-new) with LMTP id 00962-01-70; Sun, 28 Dec 2003 13:05:28 -0500 (EST) Received: from aphrodite.gwi.net (aphrodite.gwi.net [207.5.128.164]) by smtp-sec.bowdoin.edu (Postfix) with ESMTP id 69660AB8520; Sun, 28 Dec 2003 13:05:28 -0500 (EST) Received: from f2t9a1 (d-216-195-155-31.gwi.net [216.195.155.31]) by aphrodite.gwi.net (8.12.6p3/8.12.6) with SMTP id hBSI5156087237; Sun, 28 Dec 2003 13:05:01 -0500 (EST envelope-from fmw (AT) gwi (DOT) net) Sun, 28 Dec 2003 13:09:24 -0500 Molly Willcox <fmw (AT) gwi (DOT) net> Hold the poultry, pork & pet food? "Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@bowdoin.edu Message-id: <001201c3cd6d$bf6e1da0$1f9bc3d8@f2t9a1> MIME-version: 1.0 X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000 X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000 Content-type: multipart/alternative; boundary="Boundary_(ID_BhupqfFDeALvtdZIFkdAwQ)" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-priority: Normal This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --Boundary_(ID_BhupqfFDeALvtdZIFkdAwQ) Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable [Cattle remains are ground up & used in feed for poultry, pigs & pets. = Cf. paragraph 23 below. 3 stories (some conflicting) are here. MW]=20 Second Herd Quarantined in Mad Cow Scare by Randy Fabi and Richard Cowan Reuters=20 Friday 26 December 2003=20 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Agriculture Department on = Friday quarantined a second herd of cattle in Washington state in = connection with the first U.S. case of mad cow disease, as cattle = producers scrambled to minimize damage to the $27 billion industry.=20 The cattle industry, reeling from the discovery of the = deadly, brain-wasting disease, on Friday withdrew objections to tighter = controls that would prevent sick animals from entering the food supply.=20 White House officials said that the U.S. beef supply is safe = for consumers and a spokesman said President Bush continues to eat beef. = The second Washington state herd placed under quarantine = brings to 4,400 the number of animals under observation.=20 With more than two dozen countries banning the import of U.S. = beef, including $1 billion-a-year customer Japan, federal Agriculture = Department officials said their probe into the origin of the disease = could take months and widen far beyond the dairy farm in Mabton, = Washington, where the 4-year-old Holstein was discovered.=20 In Chicago, cattle futures fell by the maximum allowable = amount for the second consecutive day and experts said beef prices could = tumble by a further 20 percent and predicted that exports to Japan and = other key markets would be disrupted well into the new year.=20 Venezuela and Egypt on Friday joined some two dozen nations = that halted imports of U.S. beef. Food company stocks also tumbled as = investors worried that U.S. consumers could begin to eat less beef.=20 The U.S. Agriculture Department on Friday quarantined a = second herd of 400 bull calves in Sunnyside, Washington, not far from = Mabton, that contains a calf recently born to the original infected = Holstein.=20 The USDA had previously quarantined a 4,000-animal herd at = the dairy farm in Mabton, where the infected cow lived before it was = slaughtered on Dec. 9. The cow was sent to slaughter after = complications from calving left her unable to walk.=20 The U.S. Cattlemen's Association, the industry's major group, = on Friday changed its position on dealing with sick cattle, saying that = those are too sick to walk -- so-called downer animals -- should be = tested for mad cow disease before they are slaughtered and processed for = consumption.=20 The animal that came down with the nation's first case of mad = cow disease had been made into hamburger and probably eaten before the = U.S. Agriculture Department received test results.=20 Ranchers and farmers now support a "test and hold" program = that segregated the carcasses of sick animals from others until testing = for mad cow, Terry Stokes, chief executive officer of the National = Cattlemen's Beef Association, said.=20 The cattle industry previously contended that downer cattle = pose no clear-cut risk to the human food supply. A USDA spokeswoman = said the department was reviewing all of its existing mad cow safeguards = for possible improvements, but declined further comment.=20 The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also said it was = assessing its rules, with an eye toward possibly banning the use of = cattle remains in all animal food. =20 The U.S. government said it was sending trade experts to = Japan, the biggest single buyer of U.S. beef, to begin talks on Monday = on how to address that nation's concerns and resume beef shipments.=20 An outbreak of mad cow disease, known formally as bovine = spongiform encephalopathy, forced the slaughter of millions of cattle in = Europe in the 1990s. At least 137 people, mostly in Britain, died of a = human form of the disease, known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.=20 In both cattle and humans, the disease destroys portions of = the brain, causing paralysis and blindness. There is no cure.=20 The investigation to pinpoint how the U.S. cow was infected = will take time, said Ron DeHaven, USDA's chief veterinarian.=20 "It might not be a matter of days, it might be a matter of = weeks or months," DeHaven told reporters.=20 It was "highly unlikely" that BSE [bovine spongiform = encephalopathy] -- which is conveyed through infected brains, spinal = column and nervous system tissue -- could be spread to other animals = through birth, but scientists cannot rule out that possibility, he said. = The investigation by the USDA and the FDA focused on where = the infected cow was born and what kind of feed she consumed early in = life.=20 "We assume it was infected very early in life because the = average incubation period is generally four or five years," said Stephen = Sundlof, the FDA's chief veterinarian.=20 In 1997, the FDA banned the use of cattle remains as an = ingredient in feed for other cows. However, cattle brains, spinal cords = and other potentially risky material can be ground up and used in feed = for poultry, pigs and household pets. [Cf. first abbreviated AP story = below. According to that story, cattle are also fed feed made from = brain & spinal tissue from other cattle. Further, a scientist named = Stauber has written that the disease is carried through bovine blood, = wh/ is exempt from the ban. USDA says "Nah...." - MW] DeHaven also said it was "premature" to speculate whether the = infected cow was born in Canada. In May, Canadian officials found a = single case of BSE in a Black Angus cow in Alberta. Investigators were = never able to determine the cause.=20 The U.S. probe could be broadened to "potentially many = states," DeHaven said.=20 Shares in beef processor Tyson Foods Inc. were pounded again = on Friday. Major hamburger chains like McDonald's Corp. recovered = modestly, as investors tried to gauge the impact on consumer demand.=20 Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's on Wednesday placed = the debt ratings of most U.S. beef protein processors on watch, with = negative implications.=20 -------= - =20 U.K. Lab Confirms Mad Cow Case in U.S. by Mark Sherman The Associated Press=20 Thursday 25 December 2003=20 WASHINGTON - ....Government officials have said there is no = threat to the food supply because the cow's brain and spine - nerve = tissue where scientists say the disease is found - were removed before = it was sent on for processing.=20 ....Experts say muscle cuts of beef - including steaks and = roasts - are safe. Also hamburger ground from labeled cuts, such as = chuck or round, poses little health risk, experts say.=20 ....The government is trying to find the herd the cow was = raised with, since the cow likely was sickened several years ago from = eating feed made partly from an infected cow. =20 ....Authorities also want to know where the animals [sic] = were transported [from] and have narrowed their search to two = unidentified livestock markets in Washington state, where the sick cow = could have been purchased.=20 ...A dairy farm near Mabton is under quarantine and...its = herd would be slaughtered if the mad cow diagnosis was confirmed.=20 ....The Agriculture Department already has issued a recall = for 10,410 pounds of beef slaughtered Dec. 9 at Vern's Moses Lake Meat = Co. in Moses Lake, Wash.=20 ....John Stauber, the author of "Mad Cow U.S.A.", said the = U.S. hasn't done enough to keep BSE out of the country.=20 [This paragraph conflicts w/ the Reuters story above - MW] = Cattle get sick by eating feed that contains tissue from the brain and = spine of infected animals. The United States has banned such feed since = 1997.=20 "Here's the problem, the [1997] feed ban has been grossly = violated by feed mills," Stauber said in a telephone interview from his = home in Madison, Wis.=20 In one such case, X-Cel Feeds Inc., of Tacoma, Wash., = admitted in a consent decree in July that it violated FDA regulations = designed to prevent the possible spread of the disease.=20 Agriculture officials said that only two out of some 1,800 = firms are not in compliance with the ban, a significant improvement = since 1997.=20 Stauber also said he believes the ban is ineffective because = it exempts blood from cattle, which Stauber said could transmit mad-cow = type diseases. Government officials and industry executives have said = there is no evidence [sic] that animals can be infected from the blood = of other animals.=20 Dr. Stanley Prusiner, a neurologist at the University of = California at San Francisco who discovered the proteins that cause mad = cow disease [& who's been researching the disease for 20 years - MW], = said he warned [Agric. Sec.] Veneman recently that it was "just a matter = of time" before the disease was found in the United States.=20 He said he told her the United States should immediately = start testing every cow that shows signs of illness and eventually every = single cow upon slaughter, The New York Times reported in Thursday's = editions.=20 Prusiner, a Nobel laureate, told the Times that fast, = accurate and inexpensive tests are available, including one that he has = patented through his university that he says could add 2 or 3 cents a = pound to the cost of beef.=20 The scientist said Veneman is getting poor advice from USDA = scientists and did not seem to share his sense of urgency when he met = with her six weeks ago, after several months of seeking a meeting....=20 = ***** =20 U.S. Loses 90 Percent of Beef Exports by Emily Gersema The Associated Press=20 Saturday 27 December 2003=20 WASHINGTON (AP)--Just days after discovering the nation's = first case of mad cow disease, the United States has lost nearly all of = its beef exports.... Gregg Doud, an economist for the Denver-based National = Cattlemen's Beef Association, said Friday that the United States, at = today's market level, stands to lose at least $6 billion a year in = exports and falling domestic prices because of the sick cow.=20 "We've lost roughly 90 percent of our export market just in = the last three days," Doud said.=20 Keith Collins, the Agriculture Department's chief economist, = said...that 10 percent of U.S. beef is exported.=20 ....Federal officials on Friday quarantined a herd of 400 = bull calves, one of which is an offspring of the sick cow. During its = life, the infected cow bore three calves.=20 One calf is still at the same dairy near Mabton, Wash., that = was the final home of the diseased Holstein cow. That herd was = quarantined earlier. Another calf is at a bull calf feeding operation = in Sunnyside, Wash., and a third died shortly after being born in 2001, = said Dr. Ron DeHaven, chief veterinarian for the Agriculture Department. = "There is the potential that the infected cow could pass the = disease onto its calves," he said. No decision has been made on = destroying the herds, he said.=20 Investigators are focused on finding the birth herd of the = cow, since it likely was infected several years ago from eating = contaminated feed, DeHaven said. Scientists say the incubation period = for the disease in cattle is four or five years.=20 ....If U.S. officials determine the sick cow was imported = from Canada and its offspring has been destroyed, they could protect the = American beef trade from economic fallout....[How abt if the Canadian = cow was eating US feed???] But investigators have not yet found where the sick cow was = born.=20 U.S. officials have repeatedly said the food supply is safe = because the cow's brain, spinal cord, and lower part of the small = intestine--where the disease is found--were removed before it was sent = for processing....=20 ------- =A9 Copyright 2003 by TruthOut.org =20 --Boundary_(ID_BhupqfFDeALvtdZIFkdAwQ) Content-type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><!-- header --><A name=3Dtop></A><FONT=20 face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D3><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>[Cattle = remains are ground=20 up & used in feed for <U>poultry, pigs = & pets</U>. Cf.=20 paragraph 23 below. 3 stories (some conflicting) are here.=20 MW]</FONT> </FONT> <DIV class=3Dtext align=3Dcenter><!-- body: left nav --> <TABLE cellSpacing=3D0 cellPadding=3D0 width=3D"100%" border=3D0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD class=3Darttext> <P><STRONG></STRONG> </P> <P><STRONG>Second Herd Quarantined in Mad Cow Scare</STRONG><BR>by = Randy=20 Fabi and Richard Cowan<BR>Reuters </P> <P>Friday 26 December 2003=20 <P> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - = <STRONG>The U.S.=20 Agriculture Department on Friday quarantined a second herd of = cattle in=20 Washington state </STRONG>in connection with the first U.S. case = of mad=20 cow disease, as cattle producers scrambled to minimize damage to = the=20 <STRONG>$27 billion industry</STRONG>.=20 <P> <STRONG>The cattle = industry</STRONG>,=20 reeling from the discovery of the deadly, brain-wasting disease,=20 <STRONG>on Friday withdrew objections to tighter controls that = would=20 prevent sick animals from entering the food supply.</STRONG>=20 <P> White House officials said that = the U.S.=20 beef supply is safe for consumers and a spokesman said = <STRONG>President=20 Bush continues to eat beef</STRONG>.=20 <P> The second Washington state herd = placed=20 under quarantine brings to 4,400 the number of animals under = observation.=20 <P> With<STRONG> more than two dozen=20 countries banning the import of U.S. beef, including $1 = billion-a-year=20 customer Japan</STRONG>, federal Agriculture Department officials = said=20 their <STRONG>probe into the origin of the disease could take=20 months</STRONG> and widen far beyond the dairy farm in Mabton, = Washington,=20 where the 4-year-old Holstein was discovered.=20 <P> <STRONG>In Chicago, cattle = futures fell=20 by the maximum allowable amount for the second consecutive = day</STRONG>=20 and experts said beef prices could tumble by a further 20 percent = and=20 predicted that exports to Japan and other key markets would be = disrupted=20 well into the new year.=20 <P> Venezuela and Egypt on Friday = joined some=20 two dozen nations that halted imports of U.S. beef. = <STRONG>Food=20 company stocks also tumbled as investors worried that</STRONG>=20 <STRONG>U.S. consumers could begin to eat less beef. </STRONG> <P> The U.S. Agriculture Department = on Friday=20 quarantined a second herd of 400 bull calves in Sunnyside, = Washington, not=20 far from Mabton, that contains <STRONG>a calf recently born to the = original infected Holstein. </STRONG> <P> The USDA had previously = quarantined a=20 4,000-animal herd at the dairy farm in Mabton, where <STRONG>the = infected=20 cow</STRONG> lived before it was slaughtered on Dec. 9. The = cow=20 <STRONG>was sent to slaughter after complications from calving = left her=20 unable to walk</STRONG>.=20 <P> The <STRONG>U.S. Cattlemen's=20 Association</STRONG>, the industry's major group, on Friday = changed its=20 <STRONG>position on dealing with sick cattle</STRONG>, saying that = <STRONG>those are too sick to walk -- so-called downer animals -- = should=20 be tested for mad cow disease before they are slaughtered and=20 processed</STRONG> for consumption.=20 <P> <STRONG>The animal that came=20 down</STRONG> with the nation's first case of mad cow disease had = been=20 made into hamburger and <STRONG>probably eaten before the U.S. = Agriculture=20 Department received test results. </STRONG> <P> Ranchers and farmers now support=20 <STRONG>a "test and hold" program</STRONG> that segregated the = carcasses=20 of sick animals from others until testing for mad cow, Terry = Stokes, chief=20 executive officer of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, = said.=20 <P> The cattle industry previously = contended=20 that downer cattle pose no clear-cut risk to the human food = supply. =20 A USDA spokeswoman said the department was reviewing all of its = existing=20 mad cow safeguards for possible improvements, but declined further = comment.=20 <P> The Food and Drug Administration=20 <STRONG>(FDA)</STRONG> also said it was assessing its rules, with = an eye=20 toward <STRONG>possibly banning the use of cattle remains in all = animal=20 food</STRONG>. =20 <P> The U.S. government said it was = sending=20 trade experts to <STRONG>Japan, the biggest single buyer of U.S.=20 beef</STRONG>, to begin talks on Monday on how to address that = nation's=20 concerns and resume beef shipments.=20 <P> An outbreak of mad cow disease, = known=20 formally as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, forced the = <STRONG>slaughter=20 of millions of cattle in Europe in the 1990s</STRONG>. At = least 137=20 people, mostly in Britain, died of a <STRONG>human form</STRONG> = of the=20 disease, known as variant <STRONG>Creutzfeldt-Jakob = disease</STRONG>.=20 <P> In both cattle and humans, the = disease=20 destroys portions of the brain, causing paralysis and = blindness. =20 There is no cure.=20 <P> <STRONG>The investigation to = pinpoint how=20 the U.S. cow was infected will take time</STRONG>, said Ron = DeHaven,=20 USDA's chief veterinarian.=20 <P> "It might not be a matter of = days, it=20 might be a matter of weeks or months," DeHaven told reporters.=20 <P> It was "highly unlikely" that BSE = [bovine=20 spongiform encephalopathy] -- which is conveyed through infected = brains,=20 spinal column and nervous system tissue -- could be <STRONG>spread = to=20 other animals through birth</STRONG>, but<STRONG> scientists = cannot rule=20 out that possibility</STRONG>, he said.=20 <P> The investigation by the USDA and = the FDA=20 focused on where the infected cow was born and what kind of feed = she=20 consumed early in life.=20 <P> "We assume it was infected very = early in=20 life because <STRONG>the average incubation period is generally = four or=20 five years,</STRONG>" said Stephen Sundlof, the FDA's chief = veterinarian.=20 <P> <STRONG>In 1997, the FDA banned = the use=20 of cattle remains as an ingredient in feed for other = cows.</STRONG> =20 <STRONG>However, cattle brains, spinal cords and other = <U>potentially=20 risky material can be ground up and used in feed for poultry, pigs = and</U></STRONG><U> <STRONG>household pets</STRONG>.</U> =20 <STRONG>[Cf. first abbreviated AP story below. According to=20 that story, <U>cattle</U> are also fed feed made from brain = &=20 spinal tissue from other cattle. Further, = a scientist=20 named Stauber has written that the disease is carried through = bovine=20 blood, wh/ is exempt from the ban. USDA says = "Nah...." -=20 MW]</STRONG> <P> DeHaven also said it was = "premature" to=20 speculate whether the infected cow was born in Canada. = <STRONG>In=20 May, Canadian officials found a single case of BSE in a Black = Angus cow in=20 Alberta. Investigators were never able to determine the=20 cause.</STRONG>=20 <P> The U.S. probe could be broadened = to=20 "potentially many states," DeHaven said.=20 <P> Shares in beef processor = <STRONG>Tyson=20 Foods</STRONG> Inc. were <STRONG>pounded again on = Friday</STRONG>. =20 Major hamburger chains like <STRONG>McDonald's Corp. recovered=20 modestly</STRONG>, as investors tried to gauge the impact on = consumer=20 demand.=20 <P> Credit rating agency = <STRONG>Standard=20 & Poor's on Wednesday placed the debt ratings of most U.S. = beef=20 protein processors on watch, with negative implications.</STRONG>=20 <P> <HR> <P><B>U.K. Lab Confirms Mad Cow Case in U.S.</B><BR>by Mark = Sherman<BR>The=20 Associated Press=20 <P>Thursday 25 December 2003=20 <P> WASHINGTON - ....Government = officials=20 have said there is no threat to the food supply because the cow's = brain=20 and spine =97 nerve tissue where scientists say the disease is = found =97 were=20 removed before it was sent on for processing.=20 <P> ....Experts say muscle cuts of = beef =97=20 including steaks and roasts =97 are safe. Also hamburger = ground from=20 labeled cuts, such as chuck or round, poses little health risk, = experts=20 say.=20 <P> ....The government is trying to = find the=20 herd the cow was raised with, since the cow likely was sickened = several=20 years ago from eating feed made partly from an infected cow. = <P> ....Authorities also want to know = where=20 the animals [sic] were transported [from] and have narrowed their = search=20 to two unidentified livestock markets in Washington state, where = the sick=20 cow could have been purchased.=20 <P> ...A dairy farm near Mabton is under=20 quarantine and...its herd would be slaughtered if the mad cow = diagnosis=20 was confirmed.=20 <P> ....The Agriculture Department = already=20 has issued a recall for 10,410 pounds of beef slaughtered Dec. 9 = at Vern's=20 Moses Lake Meat Co. in Moses Lake, Wash.=20 <P> ....John Stauber, the author of = "<U>Mad=20 Cow U.S.A</U>.", said the U.S. hasn't done enough to keep BSE out = of the=20 country.=20 <P> <STRONG>[This paragraph conflicts = w/ the=20 Reuters story above - MW] Cattle get sick by eating feed = that=20 contains tissue from the brain and spine of infected = animals. The=20 United States has banned such feed since 1997. </STRONG> <P> <STRONG>"Here's the problem, the = [1997]=20 feed ban has been grossly violated by feed mills," Stauber said in = a=20 telephone interview from his home in Madison, Wis. </STRONG> <P> In one such case, <STRONG>X-Cel=20 Feeds</STRONG> Inc., of Tacoma, Wash., <STRONG>admitted in a = consent=20 decree in July that it</STRONG> <STRONG>violated FDA regulations = designed=20 to prevent the possible spread of the disease. </STRONG> <P> Agriculture officials said that = only two=20 out of some 1,800 firms are not in compliance with the ban, a = significant=20 improvement since 1997.=20 <P> <STRONG><U>Stauber also said he = believes=20 the ban is ineffective because it exempts blood from cattle, which = Stauber=20 said could transmit mad-cow type diseases</U>.</STRONG> = Government=20 officials and industry executives have said there is no evidence = [sic]=20 that animals can be infected from the blood of other animals.=20 <P> Dr. <STRONG>Stanley = Prusiner</STRONG>, a=20 neurologist at the University of California at San Francisco who=20 discovered the proteins that cause mad cow disease [& who's = been=20 researching the disease for 20 years - MW], said he <STRONG>warned = [Agric.=20 Sec.] Veneman recently that it was "just a matter of time" before = the=20 disease was found in the United States</STRONG>.=20 <P> He said he told her the United = States=20 should immediately start testing every cow that shows signs of = illness and=20 eventually every single cow upon slaughter, The New York Times = reported in=20 Thursday's editions.=20 <P> Prusiner, a <STRONG>Nobel=20 laureate</STRONG>, told the Times that <STRONG>fast, accurate and=20 inexpensive tests are available</STRONG>, including one that he = has=20 patented through his university that he says could add 2 or 3 = cents a=20 pound to the cost of beef.=20 <P> The scientist said Veneman is = getting=20 poor advice from USDA scientists and did not seem to share his = sense of=20 urgency when he met with her six weeks ago, after several months = of=20 seeking a meeting....=20 <P> =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 ***** =20 <P><B>U.S. Loses 90 Percent of Beef Exports</B><BR>by Emily = Gersema<BR>The=20 Associated Press=20 <P>Saturday 27 December 2003=20 <P> WASHINGTON (AP)--Just days after=20 discovering the nation's first case of mad cow disease, the United = States=20 has lost nearly all of its beef exports.... <P> Gregg Doud, an economist = for the=20 Denver-based National Cattlemen's Beef Association, said Friday = that=20 <STRONG>the United States, at today's market level, stands to lose = at=20 least $6 billion a year</STRONG> in exports and falling domestic = prices=20 because of the sick cow.=20 <P> "We've lost <STRONG>roughly 90=20 percent</STRONG> of our export market just <STRONG>in the last = three=20 days</STRONG>," Doud said.=20 <P> Keith Collins, the Agriculture=20 Department's chief economist, said...that 10 percent of U.S. beef = is=20 exported.=20 <P> ....Federal officials on = Friday=20 quarantined a herd of 400 bull calves, one of which is an = offspring of the=20 sick cow. <STRONG>During its life, the infected cow bore=20 <U>three</U> calves</STRONG>.=20 <P> One calf is still at the same = dairy near=20 Mabton, Wash., that was the final home of the diseased Holstein = cow. =20 That herd was quarantined earlier. Another calf is at a bull = calf=20 feeding operation in Sunnyside, Wash., and a third died shortly = after=20 being born in 2001, said Dr. Ron DeHaven, chief veterinarian for = the=20 Agriculture Department.=20 <P> "There is the potential that the = infected=20 cow could pass the disease onto its calves," he said. No = decision=20 has been made on destroying the herds, he said.=20 <P> <STRONG>Investigators are focused = on=20 finding the birth herd of the cow, since it likely was infected = several=20 years ago from eating contaminated feed</STRONG>, DeHaven = said. =20 Scientists say the incubation period for the disease in cattle is = four or=20 five years.=20 <P> ....If U.S. officials determine = the sick=20 cow was imported from Canada and its offspring has been destroyed, = they=20 could protect the American beef trade from economic=20 fallout....<STRONG>[How abt if the Canadian cow was eating US=20 feed???]</STRONG> <P> But investigators have not yet = found=20 where the sick cow was born.=20 <P> U.S. officials have repeatedly = said the=20 food supply is safe because the cow's brain, spinal cord, and = lower part=20 of the small intestine--where the disease is found--were removed = before it=20 was sent for processing....=20 <P>------- <P> <FORM>=A9 Copyright 2003 by=20 TruthOut.org<BR><BR></FORM></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- footer = --></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> --Boundary_(ID_BhupqfFDeALvtdZIFkdAwQ)-- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 28, 2003 Report Share Posted December 28, 2003 Here's a reformatted version. These articles are from my friend, Molly Wilcox. [bracketted notes are also hers. I think some of the ?? are probably supposed to be -- or " or something else.] ys hkdd ************** Second Herd Quarantined in Mad Cow Scare by Randy Fabi and Richard Cowan Reuters Friday 26 December 2003 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Agriculture Department on Friday quarantined a second herd of cattle in Washington state in connection with the first U.S. case of mad cow disease, as cattle producers scrambled to minimize damage to the $27 billion industry. The cattle industry, reeling from the discovery of the deadly, brain-wasting disease, on Friday withdrew objections to tighter controls that would prevent sick animals from entering the food supply. White House officials said that the U.S. beef supply is safe for consumers and a spokesman said President Bush continues to eat beef. The second Washington state herd placed under quarantine brings to 4,400 the number of animals under observation. With more than two dozen countries banning the import of U.S. beef, including $1 billion-a-year customer Japan, federal Agriculture Department officials said their probe into the origin of the disease could take months and widen far beyond the dairy farm in Mabton, Washington, where the 4-year-old Holstein was discovered. In Chicago, cattle futures fell by the maximum allowable amount for the second consecutive day and experts said beef prices could tumble by a further 20 percent and predicted that exports to Japan and other key markets would be disrupted well into the new year. Venezuela and Egypt on Friday joined some two dozen nations that halted imports of U.S. beef. Food company stocks also tumbled as investors worried that U.S. consumers could begin to eat less beef. The U.S. Agriculture Department on Friday quarantined a second herd of 400 bull calves in Sunnyside, Washington, not far from Mabton, that contains a calf recently born to the original infected Holstein. The USDA had previously quarantined a 4,000-animal herd at the dairy farm in Mabton, where the infected cow lived before it was slaughtered on Dec. 9. The cow was sent to slaughter after complications from calving left her unable to walk. The U.S. Cattlemen's Association, the industry's major group, on Friday changed its position on dealing with sick cattle, saying that those are too sick to walk -- so-called downer animals -- should be tested for mad cow disease before they are slaughtered and processed for consumption. The animal that came down with the nation's first case of mad cow disease had been made into hamburger and probably eaten before the U.S. Agriculture Department received test results. Ranchers and farmers now support a "test and hold" program that segregated the carcasses of sick animals from others until testing for mad cow, Terry Stokes, chief executive officer of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, said. The cattle industry previously contended that downer cattle pose no clear-cut risk to the human food supply. A USDA spokeswoman said the department was reviewing all of its existing mad cow safeguards for possible improvements, but declined further comment. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also said it was assessing its rules, with an eye toward possibly banning the use of cattle remains in all animal food. The U.S. government said it was sending trade experts to Japan, the biggest single buyer of U.S. beef, to begin talks on Monday on how to address that nation's concerns and resume beef shipments. An outbreak of mad cow disease, known formally as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, forced the slaughter of millions of cattle in Europe in the 1990s. At least 137 people, mostly in Britain, died of a human form of the disease, known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. In both cattle and humans, the disease destroys portions of the brain, causing paralysis and blindness. There is no cure. The investigation to pinpoint how the U.S. cow was infected will take time, said Ron DeHaven, USDA's chief veterinarian. "It might not be a matter of days, it might be a matter of weeks or months," DeHaven told reporters. It was "highly unlikely" that BSE [bovine spongiform encephalopathy] -- which is conveyed through infected brains, spinal column and nervous system tissue -- could be spread to other animals through birth, but scientists cannot rule out that possibility, he said. The investigation by the USDA and the FDA focused on where the infected cow was born and what kind of feed she consumed early in life. "We assume it was infected very early in life because the average incubation period is generally four or five years," said Stephen Sundlof, the FDA's chief veterinarian. In 1997, the FDA banned the use of cattle remains as an ingredient in feed for other cows. However, cattle brains, spinal cords and other potentially risky material can be ground up and used in feed for poultry, pigs and household pets. [Cf. first abbreviated AP story below. According to that story, cattle are also fed feed made from brain & spinal tissue from other cattle. Further, a scientist named Stauber has written that the disease is carried through bovine blood, wh/ is exempt from the ban. USDA says "Nah...." - MW] DeHaven also said it was "premature" to speculate whether the infected cow was born in Canada. In May, Canadian officials found a single case of BSE in a Black Angus cow in Alberta. Investigators were never able to determine the cause. The U.S. probe could be broadened to "potentially many states," DeHaven said. Shares in beef processor Tyson Foods Inc. were pounded again on Friday. Major hamburger chains like McDonald's Corp. recovered modestly, as investors tried to gauge the impact on consumer demand. Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's on Wednesday placed the debt ratings of most U.S. beef protein processors on watch, with negative implications. ***************************** U.K. Lab Confirms Mad Cow Case in U.S. by Mark Sherman The Associated Press Thursday 25 December 2003 WASHINGTON - ....Government officials have said there is no threat to the food supply because the cow's brain and spine ? nerve tissue where scientists say the disease is found ? were removed before it was sent on for processing. .....Experts say muscle cuts of beef ? including steaks and roasts ? are safe. Also hamburger ground from labeled cuts, such as chuck or round, poses little health risk, experts say. .....The government is trying to find the herd the cow was raised with, since the cow likely was sickened several years ago from eating feed made partly from an infected cow. .....Authorities also want to know where the animals [sic] were transported [from] and have narrowed their search to two unidentified livestock markets in Washington state, where the sick cow could have been purchased. ....A dairy farm near Mabton is under quarantine and...its herd would be slaughtered if the mad cow diagnosis was confirmed. .....The Agriculture Department already has issued a recall for 10,410 pounds of beef slaughtered Dec. 9 at Vern's Moses Lake Meat Co. in Moses Lake, Wash. .....John Stauber, the author of "Mad Cow U.S.A.", said the U.S. hasn't done enough to keep BSE out of the country. [This paragraph conflicts w/ the Reuters story above - MW] Cattle get sick by eating feed that contains tissue from the brain and spine of infected animals. The United States has banned such feed since 1997. "Here's the problem, the [1997] feed ban has been grossly violated by feed mills," Stauber said in a telephone interview from his home in Madison, Wis. In one such case, X-Cel Feeds Inc., of Tacoma, Wash., admitted in a consent decree in July that it violated FDA regulations designed to prevent the possible spread of the disease. Agriculture officials said that only two out of some 1,800 firms are not in compliance with the ban, a significant improvement since 1997. Stauber also said he believes the ban is ineffective because it exempts blood from cattle, which Stauber said could transmit mad-cow type diseases. Government officials and industry executives have said there is no evidence [sic] that animals can be infected from the blood of other animals. Dr. Stanley Prusiner, a neurologist at the University of California at San Francisco who discovered the proteins that cause mad cow disease [& who's been researching the disease for 20 years - MW], said he warned [Agric. Sec.] Veneman recently that it was "just a matter of time" before the disease was found in the United States. He said he told her the United States should immediately start testing every cow that shows signs of illness and eventually every single cow upon slaughter, The New York Times reported in Thursday's editions. Prusiner, a Nobel laureate, told the Times that fast, accurate and inexpensive tests are available, including one that he has patented through his university that he says could add 2 or 3 cents a pound to the cost of beef. The scientist said Veneman is getting poor advice from USDA scientists and did not seem to share his sense of urgency when he met with her six weeks ago, after several months of seeking a meeting.... ******************* U.S. Loses 90 Percent of Beef Exports by Emily Gersema The Associated Press Saturday 27 December 2003 WASHINGTON (AP)--Just days after discovering the nation's first case of mad cow disease, the United States has lost nearly all of its beef exports.... Gregg Doud, an economist for the Denver-based National Cattlemen's Beef Association, said Friday that the United States, at today's market level, stands to lose at least $6 billion a year in exports and falling domestic prices because of the sick cow. "We've lost roughly 90 percent of our export market just in the last three days," Doud said. Keith Collins, the Agriculture Department's chief economist, said...that 10 percent of U.S. beef is exported. ....Federal officials on Friday quarantined a herd of 400 bull calves, one of which is an offspring of the sick cow. During its life, the infected cow bore three calves. One calf is still at the same dairy near Mabton, Wash., that was the final home of the diseased Holstein cow. That herd was quarantined earlier. Another calf is at a bull calf feeding operation in Sunnyside, Wash., and a third died shortly after being born in 2001, said Dr. Ron DeHaven, chief veterinarian for the Agriculture Department. "There is the potential that the infected cow could pass the disease onto its calves," he said. No decision has been made on destroying the herds, he said. Investigators are focused on finding the birth herd of the cow, since it likely was infected several years ago from eating contaminated feed, DeHaven said. Scientists say the incubation period for the disease in cattle is four or five years. .....If U.S. officials determine the sick cow was imported from Canada and its offspring has been destroyed, they could protect the American beef trade from economic fallout....[How about if the Canadian cow was eating US feed???] But investigators have not yet found where the sick cow was born. U.S. officials have repeatedly said the food supply is safe because the cow's brain, spinal cord, and lower part of the small intestine--where the disease is found--were removed before it was sent for processing.... ------- © Copyright 2003 by TruthOut.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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