Mrs. Greg wrote:
For one thing OT,BSE isn't infectious from what I gather,I don't believe WHOLE herds have BSE,its like anything,what causes Alzhiemers and why only one person in a household gets it,and Alziemers isn't really typical in all cases as a matter of fact its been different in EVERY case I've ever dealt with and the brain damage is never the same...Pet Scans can now prove that.
Let me simply say this:
If BSE or in other words, the Bovine form of Prion Disease (PrPsc) is, as you state, NOT INFECTIOUS - why is that all testing facilities for the disease and for all other TSE's must be done in a lab that has at least a "Level 3 Containment" ranking????
Prion Disease is still obvioulsy misunderstood by some on this board. As for Alzheimer's Disease, I would sure like to know why you state that there is no difference between each and every case??
Would you agree that some cases of vCJD or CJD have been misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's Disease??
Look Mrs. Greg, I am not saying at all that the entire Canadian Herd is full of or rampant with BSE. I am however saying loudly and very clearly that the current testing protocol is not enough and that the risk of some animals slipping through the system is extremely possible - and has likely happened.
Do the math -
if one apple in the barrel that is full of apples has a worm in it, how many apples will you bite into without checking for a worm???
Common sense is not a game - it is manadatory when we sell product for human consumption and to evade complete and absolute safety is indeed a crime in my opinion.
Would you want a woman to use a pregnancy test that would suggest that she is only a little bit pregnant?? I think not - but you do advocate testing only a handfull of animals and you do advocate accepting those results as being a sure sign and garantee that the entire national herd is safe. Now do you understand what I am trying to get through to you Mrs. Greg. It is not about your herd or about TimH's herd - it is about food safety - period!!! I do applaud the things you do to raise strong and healthy product, really, I do!! But why not test them for the sake of the consumer??
The arguments against testing are for the most part - THE COST!! This is why the Packers do not want testing - it cuts into their bottom-line!! Producers are concerned about the costs added to the producing the beef or beef products? Five years ago we heard the cost of testing was around CAN$300.00 per head. Today, we can do it for less than CAN$20.00 per head. By the time our test is validated, we know that cost will fall even more.
The arguments for testing are many - but they include:
Food Safety
Human Health
Risk Management of the National Herds
Enhanced Markets Acceptance
Better Price per pound of beef to the producer
Competetive Marketing Strategies
International Acceptance for the tested product
Low cost testing
What producer would not want these things if all it took was to simply test their product with a test that could make all of the above possible without costing more than good meal at a local restaurant?????