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More Washington Trouble?

Mike

Well-known member
Story Published: Mar 8, 2007 at 5:05 PM PST

By Scott SistekSPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - State animal health officials are investigating reports of dead cows at a Stevens County dairy farm, a Washington State Department of Agriculture spokesman said Thursday.

The investigation by state Veterinarian Dr. Leonard Eldridge was in the initial stages, spokesman Jason Kelly said Thursday afternoon.

"We don't have any information that would lead us to identify one cause of illness or death," Kelly said. "Right now, we're just investigating these reports we've gotten about diseased animals."

Kelly said state investigators previously had been at the dairy near Addy, about 75 miles north of Spokane and about 50 miles south of the Canadian border. No milk had been sold or distributed there since December, Kelly said.

The investigation was prompted by reports that dead animals were seen at the dairy. Kelly declined to give details, including how many animals were involved, whether there were actual deaths or to identify the dairy.

"Reports prompted us to begin an animal health investigation," he said.

Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Food and Drug Administration were aiding the investigation, Kelly and others said.

Alan Bennett, a spokesman with the FDA in Portland, Ore., said his agency has been in contact with state agriculture officials, but noted it is not uncommon for the agency to work with state officials.

Kelly would not say whether the investigation involves bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, a chronic, degenerative disease of the brain and spinal cord in cattle. Cattle can get the disease through contaminated meat and bone meal fed to the animal as a protein source.

It's thought that people eating infected beef can contract the human variant of the disease.

The first U.S. case of the deadly brain-wasting disease was found in a Mabton dairy cow in December 2003. The herd was destroyed and that cow's origins were later traced to Canada, where it was believed to have eaten contaminated feed.

Kelly warned against concluding that the current diseased animal investigation has any link to BSE.

"The state veterinarian's office is conducting an investigation right now," Kelly said. "At this point, we simply don't have any information."
 

Tam

Well-known member
The first U.S. case of the deadly brain-wasting disease was found in a Mabton dairy cow in December 2003. The herd was destroyed and that cow's origins were later traced to Canada, where it was believed to have eaten contaminated feed.

Got to love reporters. :roll:

That herd at Mabton was a dairy herd of 4000 head. The USDA destroyed 255 cattle in that entire investigation. Those 255 head came from 10 different places in search of the 80 other cows that were imported with the index cow. Of which they never did find all. So what is with "the herd was destroyed" comment. The USDA has never destroyed a whole herd due to BSE. Canada has but not the US. :roll: Maybe if they had and found a US cow in that dairy positive then maybe we would know if the feed came from Canada or that repeatedly non compliant Washington feed plant that was closed about the same time the Washington cow was found. :roll:
 

Ben Roberts

Well-known member
PORKER said:
Alan Bennett, a spokesman with the FDA in Portland, Ore., said his agency has been in contact with state agriculture officials,

Not good when this outfit gets in the [email protected]

This is strictley a management issue at this dairy, the dairy has been under watch since October of 2006. It is not, doom and gloom time for the cattle industry.

Ben Roberts
 

Mike

Well-known member
Ben Roberts said:
PORKER said:
Alan Bennett, a spokesman with the FDA in Portland, Ore., said his agency has been in contact with state agriculture officials,

Not good when this outfit gets in the [email protected]

This is strictley a management issue at this dairy, the dairy has been under watch since October of 2006. It is not, doom and gloom time for the cattle industry.

Ben Roberts

That's good to know.

Bet Tam hates it though. :lol:
 

Kato

Well-known member
Isn't it interesting how a reporter immediately skips past things like poor management, and jumps directly to BSE? :roll: :roll: There are a huge number of reasons why there would be dead cows at a dairy farm, but BSE is certainly not one of them. I guess chronic pneumonia or milk fever just doesn't sell papers eh? :???:
 

Ben Roberts

Well-known member
Kato said:
Isn't it interesting how a reporter immediately skips past things like poor management, and jumps directly to BSE? :roll: :roll: There are a huge number of reasons why there would be dead cows at a dairy farm, but BSE is certainly not one of them. I guess chronic pneumonia or milk fever just doesn't sell papers eh? :???:

My thoughts exactly!
 
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