North American BSE may have originated in the US

[SASH]

Canada's BSE plague may be U.S.-bred




OTTAWA, Apr 13, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- An investigation by a Canadian news organization has found U.S. scientists improperly analyzed two suspected cases of mad cow disease.

The findings are important because they strongly suggest the disease, which has devastated Canada's beef industry, may actually have originated in the United States and its existence missed.

The cases involved two obviously sick animals brought to a New York slaughterhouse in 1997, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Wednesday.

Dr. Masuo Doi, the U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinarian in charge of investigating one of the 1997 cases, says he fears the right tests were not done and his own department did not properly investigate whether the cows had bovine spongiform encephalopathy, more commonly known as mad cow disease.

In one case, analysts did not test the part of the cow's brain most likely to show signs of BSE.

In a second case, Doi was unable to obtain documentary evidence the animal was clear of BSE. A few days ago the CBC obtained the long-sought USDA documents.

However, those documents simply confirm what one USDA scientist who participated in the tests on the second cow said: They were of "questionable validity."

 

[Anonymous]

I'll give you Cannucks one thing, you are consistant with the finger pointing.

I might be slow, but what in this article pointed to the US being the origin of BSE? That implies to me that your problems origingated from the US, but where is the evidence of that? If you can't prove that then this article is slanderous.

I heard Sec. of Ag. Johanns on the radio this AM saying that a complete paper trail of how the mentioned cattle were handled, was sent to several news outlets. Again, where is your evidence that there is fraud here?

 

[SASH]

I'll give you Cannucks one thing, you are consistant with the finger pointing.

I might be slow, but what in this article pointed to the US being the origin of BSE? That implies to me that your problems origingated from the US, but where is the evidence of that? If you can't prove that then this article is slanderous.

I heard Sec. of Ag. Johanns on the radio this AM saying that a complete paper trail of how the mentioned cattle were handled, was sent to several news outlets. Again, where is your evidence that there is fraud here?

Look at the video tapes. How the brain tissue sample was conveniently 'misplaced'. I think the world is beginning to see the pattern here. Not that I think its going to help Canada at all, but if the world's consumers become suspicious of the testing in the US, that doesn't help us either because we are considered to be an integrated North American market.

 

[don]

I might be slow, but what in this article pointed to the US being the origin of BSE? That implies to me that your problems origingated from the US, but where is the evidence of that? If you can't prove that then this article is slanderous.


these animals may have been rendered into feed and a good chunk of canada's protein supplement has been coming up from the states.

 

[Anonymous]

"these animals may have been rendered into feed "

Proof? I might be Sylvester Stallones son too, but it is doubtful. Grasping for straws?

 

[Les]

jake does the thought that you may have had the first case of bse scare you??

 

[SASH]

"these animals may have been rendered into feed "

Proof? I might be Sylvester Stallones son too, but it is doubtful. Grasping for straws?

I could just as easily say 'prove it wasn't'.
I still think it went to those poor unfortunate people at that racetrack in New Jersey.

 

[Silver]

"these animals may have been rendered into feed "

Proof? I might be Sylvester Stallones son too, but it is doubtful. Grasping for straws?

Proof? Who the h*ll needs proof? R-CALF continues to prove that all you need to do is instill doubt and fear in people, and you don't need proof.
I doubt our problem came from the US specifically, but to think that it has never existed south of the line is foolish. And not to be able to find it should be embarrassing (if not criminaly liable) to those who's job it is to look for it.

 

[Bill]

This may have been avoided if the border would have reopened March 7th. Canada has now been forced to use the same methods which were used against us for the past 2 years. Canada is not exposing anything new, simply pointing out the short comings in the US "system" and they appear to be huge.

 

[rancher]

If this is true, then we need to keep the border closed until all mistakes of USDA is staightened out. Deal with our problems before getting more in to deal with.

 

[Denny]

jake does the thought that you may have had the first case of bse scare you??

yeh but YOU had the first furnished us with the second than had the third and fourth.

your all workin on the blame game.we cant be first YOU were dont you whiners get tired of the same **** day after day. :cry2:

 

[rkaiser]

rancher's pulling the Oldtimer game eh. "Keep the border closed til we get this figured out"

Twist any story around to get the only thing you want "a closed border".

So Rcalf it smells like the scouring end of a sick calf.

:roll:

 

[rancher]

RPK-if USDA is screwing up as you say, then why let in more cattle that might have BSE and screw up the tests and let them in the food chain or what ever. You can't have it both ways, either it is safe to let live cattle in or it isn't. IF according to you the USDA is screwing up then it is NOT SAFE to let in more cattle they could screw up in and esp. ones that are known to have had BSE in their herds. Twist it anyway you want.

 

[rancher]

Grass tetany is most common in older beef cows that have just given birth, Purdue beef specialist Ron Lemenager said. Symptoms include irritability, grazing away from the herd, muscular twitching, wide-eyed staring, thrashing, head thrown back, staggering and, finally, going down.


Oh my gosh, this sure sounds like BSE and I have had it, only thing is calcium cured it. But I should have killed the cow and had her tested.

 

[Les]

Denny thanks for answering for jake,but i am willing to bet he could have answered it better.

 

[Mike]

You're ALL forgetting the 1993 Canadian positive cow, probably where it all started here in North America. You know, that one and the cohorts that Tam said they found, then come to find out they didn't and now you guys are suing your guvment over.

 

[Anonymous]

I will answer your question. I do feel that BSE is an economic risk, and a health risk, but I accept the current science. It is probably more of an animal health risk than a human health risk when carcasses are processed correctly.

My main gripe here is that it is the same stuff day after day about the big old bad USA. I don't mean all Canadians, but some on this board seem to want to have it both ways. They cuss the USDA for being untrustworthy about some things, but fail to realize that our USDA is actually their best friend! A lot of ranchers in my neighborhood think that the USDA is doing everything possible to wreck American producers. See the irony?

Another point is that the Canadians on here point out (rightly so in my mind) that R-Calf is playing up the health risks of BSE, but yet the Canadians want to make a huge deal out of this probably non-story.

I get sick of constant criticism of the US in general. You know who you are.

My last point is that I would love to have the trade with Japan that you are currently enjoying with the US. So it is hard for me to feel that the USDA has been against you from the beginning. Seems to me that your under 30 month beef got to coming in here in a reasonable amount of time compared to how things are getting back to normal with our exports.

 

[rancher]

Jake, did you get my 2 pm?'s. Doesn't look like they went through.

 

[Anonymous]

rancher- Nope, nada, nothing. Try again.

 

[Mike]

Jake, I feel exactly the same way you do about the US bashing. I've criticized the USDA as much as anybody but also feel they have bent over backwards for Canada (plus the packers).

It's getting awful juvenile around here lately with all this "we have higher standards" BS.