BSE

[Anonymous]

I just heard on the news and then read on the net (USDA), that they were aware of the "possible" BSE case on December 9th. Apparently, tests are done at slaughter houses on; particulary "downer" cows, as this cow was. Then while the tests are being processed and BEFORE they know diddly, they put the meat from the tested cow into the meat supply. So, after the meat is intermingled with all the other meat, they decide that the cow might have had BSE.. so now tons of meat are recalled. Why on this earth do they test if they just put the meat in with the rest before they know anything???? Does that not seem to only increase the losses? Additionally, I read the report on this cow is still "presumptive", meaning not conclusive. So we report to the world that we found a case of mad cow in the US, the beef market goes to hell and we are still in the "presumptive" stage? Someone please explain this madness, sounds like our own worst enemy might be us. It would also seem to me that the way to handle this is to hold your beef if you can..try to keep the supply below the demand. This whole thing makes me sick.

 

[Anonymous]

It is a government conspiracy.They want everyone to be vegetarians.The next thing you know they will be slaughtering herds indiscriminately like they did in England. They will have to kill me to slaughter my herd.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't think so

 

[Anonymous]

It's a conspiricy of the turkey industry because they didn't sell enough of them over thanksgiving!

 

[Anonymous]

i agree and now it sheds a whole new light on how the canadian farmers must have felt. the testing caught the one that had BSE and it worked. yet they are in crisis and what is going to happen to the US if it is positive. it would not keep me from buying beef. what is going to happen, now that it is out you can't go back. :roll:

 

[Anonymous]

i just heard on the news that the infected cow came from alberta canada... wonder what affect this will have?

gene

 

[Anonymous]

The cow hasn't been traced so saying she is from Canada is speculation. If she is you will be testing hundreds of herds all across the US and testing means de-populating

Jason

 

[Anonymous]

i recieved an e-mail that hey confirmed the cow was from canada imported 2 and ahalf years ago along with 73 other cows. :?

 

[eric]

maybe I am just being naive, but I just cant see the gov't letting the prices fall as low as the Canadien markets fell, and hanging all our ranchers out to dry! I have read on some posts where the Canadien markets were closed for over 3 months, and now the cows are selling for 5-10 cents a pound......I just cant see this happening here!

Does anyone feel it will ever get that bad here, or will the gov't put enough spin control in place to not allow that to happen?

 

[Frankie]

The US doesn't export nearly as much of our beef as Canada did. I think over 90% of US produced beef is consumed inside the US. So all those countries refusing to buy US beef won't hurt us nearly as bad as closing the border to Canda. The fact that the cow was imported, not raised here in the US, may keep some of our export markets open. Prices will drop, but probably not to the extent that Canada has been hit. IMO, this is a wake up call to the beef industry that we need to get a mandatory traceback/ID system in place ASAP. Perception is everything and if consumers don't think beef is safe, they'll eat chicken.

 

[Dyann]

When statistics show one has a 6,060% greater cahnce of dieing from salmonella due to poultry, than one has of contracing BSE from beef.. why would they?

 

[Frankie]

"When statistics show one has a 6,060% greater cahnce of dieing from salmonella due to poultry, than one has of contracing BSE from beef.. why would they?"

Because people react to the news reports. I haven't seen a news report showing the chances of dieing from either BSE or salmonella. Have you?
But I've seen lots of news reports about e coli and, recently, BSE. If we get to keep the beef checkoff, a good place to spend some of that money would be in educating the public about those two, IMO.

 

[Jake]

We have a neighbor that's husband is Canadian. Their family in Canada said that the government made up the difference between the $10 cwt prices given to the $80 they should have brought. But we never heard about that in the media
cowinky dink :?: