Oldtimer
Well-known member
OPINION
MON., FEB 20, 2006 - 10:00 AM
Improve safeguards against mad cow
Wisconsin State Journal editorial
Dire predictions that mad cow disease would quickly spread through U.S. herds have so far proved false. But that's no excuse for settling for second-best in policies to guard against the brain- wasting condition.
The federal Food and Drug Administration settled for second-best in the plan it proposed last fall to keep mad cow disease from entering the food chain for cattle. The FDA should upgrade the plan by tightening its limits on the ingredients allowed in cattle feed.
A recent Canadian case of mad cow disease, combined with a recent discovery about the transmission of the disease and a surprising revelation about a related disease in deer, called chronic wasting, em phasized the need for swift and strict FDA action.
Mad cow disease is a serious threat, particularly to Wisconsin, home to more dairy farms than any other state. It is fatal to cattle. Furthermore, a human brain-wasting ailment, Creutzfeld-Jakob disease, is linked to eating brain or spinal cord tissue from cattle with mad cow disease.
Without sound safeguards against the disease, the market for U.S. beef is sure to decline. Japan has banned U.S. beef because of mad cow concerns.
Since 1997, the centerpiece of the government's policies to defend against mad cow disease has been regulation of what goes into cattle feed. Because mad cow disease is believed to be spread by eating infected material, the regulation focuses on banning cattle remains from cattle feed. However, the Jan. 23 confirmation of a Canadian case of mad cow disease in a 6- year-old cow, born after the current U.S. and Canadian cattle feed policies went into effect, demonstrated the importance of tightening the standards.
The FDA proposal continues to allow tissue from dead animals in cattle feed as long as brains and spinal cords have been removed. Recent research casts doubt on the adequacy of that plan.
Research published in the journal Science found that agents believed to cause chronic wasting disease have been found in the leg muscles of infected deer. Prior to that, scientists had believed that chronic wasting disease, like mad cow disease, was confined to the brain and spinal cord.
In addition, research in the United Kingdom has concluded that even minuscule amounts of material from infected cattle, when fed to healthy cattle, can transmit mad cow disease.
These discoveries make it essential that the FDA err on the side of safety. The ban on brains and spinal cords in cattle feed should be extended to include all high-risk material, including small intestines and eyes. Furthermore, the FDA should close loopholes that permit cattle feed to contain restaurant waste, chicken coop waste and cattle blood.
Keeping our cattle and beef supply safe from mad cow disease requires first-rate regulation. The FDA should increase its vigilance.
MON., FEB 20, 2006 - 10:00 AM
Improve safeguards against mad cow
Wisconsin State Journal editorial
Dire predictions that mad cow disease would quickly spread through U.S. herds have so far proved false. But that's no excuse for settling for second-best in policies to guard against the brain- wasting condition.
The federal Food and Drug Administration settled for second-best in the plan it proposed last fall to keep mad cow disease from entering the food chain for cattle. The FDA should upgrade the plan by tightening its limits on the ingredients allowed in cattle feed.
A recent Canadian case of mad cow disease, combined with a recent discovery about the transmission of the disease and a surprising revelation about a related disease in deer, called chronic wasting, em phasized the need for swift and strict FDA action.
Mad cow disease is a serious threat, particularly to Wisconsin, home to more dairy farms than any other state. It is fatal to cattle. Furthermore, a human brain-wasting ailment, Creutzfeld-Jakob disease, is linked to eating brain or spinal cord tissue from cattle with mad cow disease.
Without sound safeguards against the disease, the market for U.S. beef is sure to decline. Japan has banned U.S. beef because of mad cow concerns.
Since 1997, the centerpiece of the government's policies to defend against mad cow disease has been regulation of what goes into cattle feed. Because mad cow disease is believed to be spread by eating infected material, the regulation focuses on banning cattle remains from cattle feed. However, the Jan. 23 confirmation of a Canadian case of mad cow disease in a 6- year-old cow, born after the current U.S. and Canadian cattle feed policies went into effect, demonstrated the importance of tightening the standards.
The FDA proposal continues to allow tissue from dead animals in cattle feed as long as brains and spinal cords have been removed. Recent research casts doubt on the adequacy of that plan.
Research published in the journal Science found that agents believed to cause chronic wasting disease have been found in the leg muscles of infected deer. Prior to that, scientists had believed that chronic wasting disease, like mad cow disease, was confined to the brain and spinal cord.
In addition, research in the United Kingdom has concluded that even minuscule amounts of material from infected cattle, when fed to healthy cattle, can transmit mad cow disease.
These discoveries make it essential that the FDA err on the side of safety. The ban on brains and spinal cords in cattle feed should be extended to include all high-risk material, including small intestines and eyes. Furthermore, the FDA should close loopholes that permit cattle feed to contain restaurant waste, chicken coop waste and cattle blood.
Keeping our cattle and beef supply safe from mad cow disease requires first-rate regulation. The FDA should increase its vigilance.
