Al Martens column: Expense for RFID tags can't be justified

Posted on March 28, 2007 by Mad Cow
The threat of a foreign animal disease infecting the livestock herds of east central Wisconsin is certainly not keeping anyone I know awake at night.

Diseases like Foot and Mouth disease or hog cholera are someone else's worry — after all, they are a continent away.

Even Mad Cow disease only affected Wisconsin producers indirectly by reducing the slaughter price of cattle and eliminating down cow kill facilities. But the threat is very real, and disease control experts' main focus is on when a foreign animal disease will strike, not if it will strike.

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Japan wants US beef plant taken off approved list

Posted on March 28, 2007 by Mad Cow
TOKYO, March 23 (Reuters) - Japan has asked the U.S. Agriculture Department to remove a Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN.N: Quote, Profile, Research) facility in Nebraska from a list of suppliers eligible to ship beef to Japan after it failed to supply proper documents.

Japan suspended imports from the facility operated by Tyson, the largest U.S. meat firm, in February after it exported a cargo to Japan that did not include documents providing the age of the cattle.

In a statement issued late on Thursday, Japan's farm and health ministries said they decided to take the step after studying a USDA report on the incident.

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Toward Safer Disposal Of Animals Infected With Mad Cow And Other Prion Diseases

Posted on March 28, 2007 by Mad Cow
Science Daily — Burying prion-infected carcasses of cattle, deer and other animals in lime may actually enhance the spread of those infectious proteins through soil, a new study suggests. Placing quicklime on carcasses once was thought to be the best way to foster quick decay of bodies and to prevent the spread of disease.

The study is scheduled for the April 15 issue of ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal.

In the study, Joel A. Pedersen and colleagues from the University of Wisconsin cite the need for safe methods of disposing of prion-infected carcasses, noting that prions can resist harsh conditions such as strong disinfectants and dry-heat temperatures of 1,100°F that destroy other disease-causing agents and that prions can remain infectious in the soil for at least three years. Pedersen and colleagues investigated the effect of different conditions (pH, salinity) on the adsorption, or attachment, of prions to sand particles.

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Alberta 'mad cow' did not enter food chain

Posted on March 9, 2007 by Mad Cow

According to Canadian Press reports -- Alberta's latest case of mad cow disease involved a six-and-a-half year-old animal that was born and raised on the same farm where it died.  It's the province's ninth case overall and it was confirmed last month.  The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a news release on the case, explaining that its investigation is nearing completion.

The release says the agency has directed "all necessary resources'' toward the tracing of cattle that may have been exposed to the same feed during the early part of their lives.  The bull was born in 2000 and died in early February.  It was detected as an "animal of interest'' through a national farm surveillance program.  Provincial and federal tests then confirmed it had BSE.  A ban on using cattle remains in feed in Canada went into effect in 1997 to guard against the spread of the disease.  The food inspection agency has said the animal did not enter the food chain.
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USDA poised to weaken mad cow safeguards

Posted on March 5, 2007 by Mad Cow


According to Consumer Reports:

Consumers who want to eat beef can limit their risk for mad cow disease by avoiding the foods most likely to carry it: brains and processed beef products that may contain nervous-system tissue, such as hamburger, hotdogs, and sausage. Organic, biodynamic, or 100 percent grass-fed beef carries the least risk, since the cattle are not fed any animal remains. Steak and hamburger ground while you watch are also lower risk.

The USDA should test all cattle over 20 months old and require testing for any animals shipped to the U.S. from countries with mad cow disease. Until these safeguards are in place, the USDA should not weaken import regulations on Canadian cattle.
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