OT: BSE (aka Mad Cow Disease) in the US

[Unknown_Enemy]

No punt intended, but I remember reading an article two years ago explaining how unlikely it was that USA was free of the mad cow disease.

On the Mac Donald case, kudos to them, it is a good thing a corp can put its acts together and act in a sensitive way.

[Renegade 13]

Guess I should rename this thread from Mad Cow Disease in Canada to Mad Cow Disease in the US! Personally, I'm interested to see if the US will FINALLY open the border to Canadian beef.

Renegade 13

[DavidG]

Originally posted by Renegade 13:
Guess I should rename this thread from Mad Cow Disease in Canada to Mad Cow Disease in the US! Personally, I'm interested to see if the US will FINALLY open the border to Canadian beef.

Renegade 13

Well i wouldn't hold your breath. Seeing as how Japan found 2 cases of BSE in their own country in Oct or Nov and yet Canadian beef is still apparantly a health risk.

I think the realy tradgedy in Canada is that our politicians are too busy talking about 'important' issues like gay marriage or decriminilizing pot instead of those that really matter like this one.

[Renegade 13]

Originally posted by DavidG:
Well i wouldn't hold your breath. Seeing as how Japan found 2 cases of BSE in their own country in Oct or Nov and yet Canadian beef is still apparantly a health risk.

I think the realy tradgedy in Canada is that our politicians are too busy talking about 'important' issues like gay marriage or decriminilizing pot instead of those that really matter like this one.

I totally agree with you there. Its time the politicians start doing their jobs and try to negotiate a solution with the Americans.

Personally, I think the US will have no choice but to open their borders to Canadian beef. They're going to say that their beef is perfectly safe, that the consumer has nothing to fear; it was only one isolated case after all. However, that's the exact same as it was in Canada, many months ago. So if the US keeps the border closed while saying that their own beef is still safe, it will show a double standard, and the consumer will not be pleased. They'll say "Well if our beef is safe when we had one case, why isn't Canada's?" And that could start something no beef industry in the US or Canada wants.

Renegade

[ December 24, 2003, 18:00: Message edited by: Renegade 13 ]

[Narrew]

Originally posted by narf poit chez BOOM:
recieved an email once. how do you tell the difference between a normal cow and a mad cow:

cow: Mooooow

mad cow:MoooHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

too funny... Reminds me of my anti-PETA/vegetarian joke.

"Why I think cows should be a vegetarian food? ... any animal you can hunt with a HAMMER has to be as dumb as a plant!!! "

[DavidG]

Originally posted by Renegade 13:

Personally, I think the US will have no choice but to open their borders to Canadian beef. They're going to say that their beef is perfectly safe, that the consumer has nothing to fear; it was only one isolated case after all. However, that's the exact same as it was in Canada, many months ago. So if the US keeps the border closed while saying that their own beef is still safe, it will show a double standard, and the consumer will not be pleased. They'll say "Well if our beef is safe when we had one case, why isn't Canada's?" And that could start something no beef industry in the US or Canada wants.

Renegade

Yea it is interesting how all of a sudden they are saying beef is safe in spite of one case of BSE. The intersting thing is that the case is not the same as Canada's at all. It's worse. I think in the US case the beef actually entered the food chain.
Also I the animal in question was dead before it went to be processed. I could be wrong but I think this practice is Banned in Canada. Edit: Actually I'm sure it is Banned. I'm surprised I forgot but there was a big stink in Ontario when a processing plant was accused of using deadstock.

Of course the real reason that the US should imediataly reopen the border to Canadian beef is that the only reason they claim it was still closed was because of the Japanese threats. Since Japan has now Banned US imports there would seem to be little reason to continue the Canadian ban.

[ December 26, 2003, 12:46: Message edited by: DavidG ]

[Renegade 13]

Originally posted by DavidG:
Of course the real reason that the US should imediataly reopen the border to Canadian beef is that the only reason they claim it was still closed was because of the Japanese threats. Since Japan has now Banned US imports there would seem to be little reason to continue the Canadian ban.

But it won't. That whole Japanese thing was just an excuse so for a protectionist policy. This year their cattle producers got unprecedented high prices for their cattle, so why would their gov't open the border when it's being closed benefited their people?

However, some cattle organizations down there were requesting the border be reopened precisely because they could foresee a case of BSE being found in the US. They wanted Canada to treat them nice if they got a case. Unfortunately, that group was not listened to, and some other more extreme Groups WERE listened to.

I don't know if the American border to Canadian cattle will be reopened anytime soon, but I sure hope it will for the sake of Canadian cattle producers everywhere.

Renegade 13

[ December 26, 2003, 15:56: Message edited by: Renegade 13 ]