Sun, 26 Jun 2005

Beef scare tests US on cow-feed policies

Maybe the USDA doesn't understand the food chain. Or the fact that prion disease is caused by malformed proteins, not a virus, bacteria or fungus. But the loopholes in current regulations to stop BSE before it starts are glaring:

"The use of rendered cattle remains is allowed in feed for hogs and poultry, and in turn, hog and poultry remains can be put back into cattle feed," Ms. Hauter says. "All of these loopholes provide pathways for cattle to eat potentially infective tissue from other cattle and create the potential for the disease to spread."

Doh! Ya think? By the gods, I wish our bureaucrats in charge of agricultural policy had the brains of a non-mad cow!

The federal government insists that American beef is safe, but doubts linger among importing nations.

(link) [Christian Science Monitor | Top Stories]

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