OP
OP
Anonymous
> I doubt that these ID/tag/chip
> issues will SOLVE anything. An
> occasional disease/problem in any
> line of the food chain happens and
> the beef industry is one the
> safest operations in the world.
> Compared to other entities, the %
> of beef that is uneffected is
> astronomically great. FAR too much
> is being made of this thing, and
> now that the government is digging
> into even more, there is sure to
> be something counterproductive
> come out of it. Panic is a
> by-product of juming to
> conclusions and things getting
> blown out of proportion. Lets get
> back to business.
Unfortunity we cannot just "get back to business". Our business just changed. A national ID system that will enable the tracing of the animal as well as receiving information back about that animal is in order. The ear tags that are being considered are only round button type tags and are not as prone to catching on something and being pulled off. The tags will be put on the animals when they leave the birth farm/ranch, thus for the small producer, they can be put on at the sale barn referanceing the sellers location. I would hope that an electric tag can be developed that will not wander around within the animal, but until then this tag will have to do.
My concern is the inspection process of the animals to be harvested. I worked with the Dept of Ag in Wisconsin as an inspector for about eight months. Some interesting information for me was the process and the operation. If any of you have not wittness the procedure and are producing beef, you need to be award of the process.
Here in Wisconsin we have a lot of small processing plants that make sauage and sell beef. We do not allow an animal to be harvested if It cannot walk into the plant. We have downer plants for those animals that cannot walk. I think the downer plants should be controlled more with stricker inspection requirments than the regular plants. Downer plants have USDA inspectors instead of state inspectors.
As an inspector, we inspect the limp system as this system is the filter system for the animal. If all looks ok the animal is passed. We do not look at or test the brain or look for antibiocats unless we supect the presence. Testing is not automatic.
The processor keeps the heart, liver, head and of course the carcus. These small plants run slowly, about 1 to 2 animals per hour or hour & half using a cradle to operate on. The larger plants like Packerland in Green Bay use chain convayors and will run about one animal thru every 12 to 15 seconds. The plants pay the State or the USDA for the inspectors. No animal can be harvested without an inspector present. If an inspector leaves the floor, the plant must shut down until they return. All state inspectors must be trained as the USDA inspectors are trained and the same program must be followed.
As an industry through out the US, we inspected about 20 to 30,000 head for BSE last year, a small percentage of the total animals harvested in this country. The cull cows and older cattle are the ones most suspect. These should be looked at more closly than they are now. Some say all cattle should be tested for BSE but I think a random sampling program would do the trick for regular cattle, but maybe full testing should be done on downer cattle. We should certinely increase our sample size. We think our system is working, but is it?
I also think rendered spinal system material should NOT be allowed in any animal food as it is now. Watch what your cat and dog are eating not to metion your hogs and chickens. We eat these animals and we are what we eat. I hope I have not boared you with so much info, but I think it is important for all comsummers and producers to know how and where their food is produced and inspected.
[email protected]
> issues will SOLVE anything. An
> occasional disease/problem in any
> line of the food chain happens and
> the beef industry is one the
> safest operations in the world.
> Compared to other entities, the %
> of beef that is uneffected is
> astronomically great. FAR too much
> is being made of this thing, and
> now that the government is digging
> into even more, there is sure to
> be something counterproductive
> come out of it. Panic is a
> by-product of juming to
> conclusions and things getting
> blown out of proportion. Lets get
> back to business.
Unfortunity we cannot just "get back to business". Our business just changed. A national ID system that will enable the tracing of the animal as well as receiving information back about that animal is in order. The ear tags that are being considered are only round button type tags and are not as prone to catching on something and being pulled off. The tags will be put on the animals when they leave the birth farm/ranch, thus for the small producer, they can be put on at the sale barn referanceing the sellers location. I would hope that an electric tag can be developed that will not wander around within the animal, but until then this tag will have to do.
My concern is the inspection process of the animals to be harvested. I worked with the Dept of Ag in Wisconsin as an inspector for about eight months. Some interesting information for me was the process and the operation. If any of you have not wittness the procedure and are producing beef, you need to be award of the process.
Here in Wisconsin we have a lot of small processing plants that make sauage and sell beef. We do not allow an animal to be harvested if It cannot walk into the plant. We have downer plants for those animals that cannot walk. I think the downer plants should be controlled more with stricker inspection requirments than the regular plants. Downer plants have USDA inspectors instead of state inspectors.
As an inspector, we inspect the limp system as this system is the filter system for the animal. If all looks ok the animal is passed. We do not look at or test the brain or look for antibiocats unless we supect the presence. Testing is not automatic.
The processor keeps the heart, liver, head and of course the carcus. These small plants run slowly, about 1 to 2 animals per hour or hour & half using a cradle to operate on. The larger plants like Packerland in Green Bay use chain convayors and will run about one animal thru every 12 to 15 seconds. The plants pay the State or the USDA for the inspectors. No animal can be harvested without an inspector present. If an inspector leaves the floor, the plant must shut down until they return. All state inspectors must be trained as the USDA inspectors are trained and the same program must be followed.
As an industry through out the US, we inspected about 20 to 30,000 head for BSE last year, a small percentage of the total animals harvested in this country. The cull cows and older cattle are the ones most suspect. These should be looked at more closly than they are now. Some say all cattle should be tested for BSE but I think a random sampling program would do the trick for regular cattle, but maybe full testing should be done on downer cattle. We should certinely increase our sample size. We think our system is working, but is it?
I also think rendered spinal system material should NOT be allowed in any animal food as it is now. Watch what your cat and dog are eating not to metion your hogs and chickens. We eat these animals and we are what we eat. I hope I have not boared you with so much info, but I think it is important for all comsummers and producers to know how and where their food is produced and inspected.
[email protected]