December 29, 2003
Mad Cows
There are two important things that everyone should get out of the mad cow story, no matter where that cow came from, or where it went:
- US farmers feed dead cows to other cows, even though cannibalism is a notorious transmitter of gruesome diseases impossible to come by otherwise
- US farmers routinely sell 'downer' cows, cows that have dropped dead or are sick for reasons unknown, to slaughterhouses instead of having a veterinarian determine the problem or cause of death and dispose of the animal
Everything else is a side dish, as it were.
Sisyphus finds more on our 'food safety' net. Seeing The Forest has it covered here, here, and here.
Posted by natasha at December 29, 2003 06:57 PM | TrackBackThese two (heavily researched) articles below, including the first link to a list of continuously updated related articles, seem like a good source of info from a news source not connected to the US government or US beef industry. Sisyphus also points to an article from the Organic Consumers site. Make your decision whether or not to eat meat wisely.
* Articles about Mad Cow Disease, BSE, etc.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/meatlink.html
* USDA Misleading American Public about Beef Safety
by Michael Greger, M.D., Organic Consumers Association, Dec. 24, 2003
http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow/Greger122403.cfm
* US Violates WHO Guidelines For Mad Cow Disease
A Comparison of North American and European Safeguards
By Michael Greger, M.D., for the Organic Consumers Association, Updated July 15, 2003
http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow/GregerBSE.cfm
------------------
"There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action."
-- Johann von Goethe