SH Wrote:
Why would anyone think that anyone from USDA that has anything to do with bse testing would be reading this forum WHEN TO MY KNOWLEDGE WE HAVE NEVER HAD A USDA REPRESENTATIVE AT THIS SITE????
So, let us see if we can increase your knowledge a little huh?
I guess you truly and simply cannot get your head wrapped around the idea that perhaps anyone, including USDA employees, can actually read this board without having to sign on to actually post on it???
OK SH, I guess it falls on me to help you with this.
First of all, we, that is, my company and my partners, have not only met with the CFIA in their own labs in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and presented our test to them, we have offered it to them free of charge to allow them to conduct a survey, in the their own lab, on the own tissue samples known to be BSE infected, in exactly the same format as I have offered it here on this board. They said thanks but no thanks.
I then - now pay attention SH - I, that is me, still with me on this? I contacted the USDA directly in Ames, Iowa and made them the same offer in March of 2004, again in April 2004 again in October 2004 and recently again in 2005 twice. I talked to many different people there in their BSE surveillance Section. Each one told me that at that time they could not commit to anything, regardless of whether the test offered was offered free or not. They simply said "thanks, but no thanks."
Are you still with me on this?
Then, I wrote them letters. No replies. I even sent Anne Venemann a letter, an assistant to her replied 4 months later with a response that was pathetically similar to all the others. "Thanks, but no thanks, as we are handling the BSE situation and do not need your assistance."
What assistance? I was offering them a chance to enhance their Risk Managment Program!!!
Also, in early 2004, I wrote a letter, first preceeded by a telephone conversation with the Prime Minister's Office in Ottawa, Canada and officially invited him and the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, along with the then Agriculture Minister's for Canada and Alberta and also the Alberta Provincial Premier, to attend a a special presentation and display of our test protocol at a Lab here in Edmonton.
Still with me SH????
Now here is the point I am trying to impress upon you -
We sent out the invitations a full two months prior to the Lab meeting and
it was a full six (6) weeks after the scheduled meeting that I received the responses and not a single one of those invited wanted to attend because, it appeared that they had to go and eat hamburgers in Southern Alberta, to appease a group of angry ranchers there. I am told about 35 or so ranchers actually showed up to listen to their BS!!
So, SH, if you think that I am hiding something, or do not have the brains that God gave geese when I post this offer on here, consider this fact - when you say that nobody from the USDA reads the postings on this board, mister, you are so completely wrong. I received an e-mail today from someone at the USDA enquiring as to what antibody we are using and they quoted having read my offer on ranchers.net.
Go figure SH, I guess that blows your horn somewhere else now huh??
Of course, there is absolutely no way that information regarding the antibody will ever be shared with them unless they wish to take us up on our offer.
I hope this clears up any lose ends regarding this current topic and hey, do not take this all to personally, we like to share info on here not get into pissing contests with each other. But having said that, some do make some fair rare comments that seem to simply come out of that bottom land, you know, where the swamp gas results from the ruptured septic pipe!!![/b]