U.S. Government Trying to Prevent Meat Company from Testing All of Its Cows for Mad Cow Disease
May 12th, 2008Via: Time:
The Bush administration on Friday urged a federal appeals court to stop meatpackers from testing all their animals for mad cow disease, but a skeptical judge questioned whether the government has that authority.
The government seeks to reverse a lower court ruling that allowed Arkansas City, Kan.-based Creekstone Farms Premium Beef to conduct more comprehensive testing to satisfy demand from overseas customers in Japan and elsewhere.
Less than 1 percent of slaughtered cows are currently tested for the disease under Agriculture Department guidelines. The agency argues that more widespread testing does not guarantee food safety and could result in a false positive that scares consumers.
“They want to create false assurances,” Justice Department attorney Eric Flesig-Greene told a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
But Creekstone attorney Russell Frye contended the Agriculture Department’s regulations covering the treatment of domestic animals contain no prohibition against an individual company testing for mad cow disease, since the test is conducted only after a cow is slaughtered. He said the agency has no authority to prevent companies from using the test to reassure customers.
“This is the government telling the consumers, `You’re not entitled to this information,'” Frye said.
Chief Judge David B. Sentelle seemed to agree with Creekstone’s contention that the additional testing would not interfere with agency regulations governing the treatment of animals.
“All they want to do is create information,” Sentelle said, noting that it’s up to consumers to decide how to interpret the information.
Larger meatpackers have opposed Creekstone’s push to allow wider testing out of fear that consumer pressure would force them to begin testing all animals too. Increased testing would raise the price of meat by a few cents per pound.
Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, can be fatal to humans who eat tainted beef. Three cases of mad cow disease have been discovered in the U.S. since 2003.
The district court’s ruling last year in favor of Creekstone was supposed to take effect June 1, 2007, but the Agriculture Department’s appeal has delayed the testing so far.
Testing all the beef you sell creates true assurances, not false ones. The false assurance is the government’s that testing 1% of all beef is sufficient.
Moreover, why would the meatpackers even care about the added cost when they can just push it to consumers? It doesn’t make sense. If consumers care about the testing, they’ll pay the extra cost; if they don’t, they won’t.
I wonder where these dorks who don’t want testing get their meat to eat from? Or are they vegans who don’t believe that there could be spooky critters in food?
I don’t know, just when I thought Bush Co. was FUBAR and beyond that, they announce another fight against something or other that would ensure the health and safety of a human being. You know, stuff like air, water, food.
These wing nut corporations who are fighting the costs of testing must have their heads up some cows ass looking for Jesus, or some other holy one that I am unaware of.
Do these wingnuts “get” that no country in the world WANTS THE BEEF if it isn’t tested? And if it isn’t tested and no one will import it from the U.S. – who gets to eat that downer cow? If you don’t know who raised the beef you are eating its probably you.
Does anyone know whether Bush’s head has been examined for the fateful 666 emblazoned on his skull?
Just curious. Doesn’t seem like there are any degrees of separation left between his skull and whatever is tatooed on it with pure evil intent towards killing off the peoples who inhabit this planet.
“I wonder where these dorks who don’t want testing get their meat to eat from? Or are they vegans who don’t believe that there could be spooky critters in food?”
Eileen,
I’ve tried to educate plenty of my students as well as friends and family members regarding the truth about industrialy produced meat. You have no idea how many people simply don’t care. They don’t know how the meat gets there and they don’t give a shit. Just keep those $1.99 Big Macs coming. It’s willful ignorance because they can’t imagine not having cheap, plentiful meat available.
– Mike Lorenz
The only thing that matters is cows in, meat out per hour.
That meat box or unit per hour is the only number worth counting.
As for testing, if they start with BSE like tests, other test might get introduced.
The USA has 3 options.
Have cheap meat and no questions.
Pay a lot more for real meat.
Or nuke the meat at the end of the plant and keep it clean and cheap.