Sandhusker
Well-known member
Kids, I just spent about an hour doing research for you. Guess what, I think that I'm wrong on one item. Before you get too excited about that, what I was wrong about only makes the USDA's efforts more disturbing.
What I think I'm wrong on is the OIE changing classifications. I thought they changed classifications after the USDA leaned on them. I can find no evidence of that. Instead, I find the USDA making a request and the OIE REJECTING that request. On Sept. 26, 2003, the USDA sent a request to the OIE to revise their classifications. The request was handled by the OIE's BSE expert group and REJECTED because, "The scientific basis used in the present code is still valid". What they were saying was, "We made these rules based on what we knew, and we don't know anything different, so why would we change anything?"
What did the USDA do then? They went ahead and made up their own rules to create a "minimal risk" classification anyway. The claim that their classification being based on OIE recommendations is a half truth - they cherry picked what they wanted and ignored the rest. Sure, their requirements are also requirements of the OIE, but they only took the easy ones! It's like me saying my mutt is just like my neighbors champion bird dog - they're both black, have four legs, and bark. I'm just not mentioning my dog is gun-shy and afraid of ducks. But hey, I'm not REALLY lying, am I? You can't tell any difference by just looking at them - they're alike!
And you wonder why R-CALF is torked off?
What I think I'm wrong on is the OIE changing classifications. I thought they changed classifications after the USDA leaned on them. I can find no evidence of that. Instead, I find the USDA making a request and the OIE REJECTING that request. On Sept. 26, 2003, the USDA sent a request to the OIE to revise their classifications. The request was handled by the OIE's BSE expert group and REJECTED because, "The scientific basis used in the present code is still valid". What they were saying was, "We made these rules based on what we knew, and we don't know anything different, so why would we change anything?"
What did the USDA do then? They went ahead and made up their own rules to create a "minimal risk" classification anyway. The claim that their classification being based on OIE recommendations is a half truth - they cherry picked what they wanted and ignored the rest. Sure, their requirements are also requirements of the OIE, but they only took the easy ones! It's like me saying my mutt is just like my neighbors champion bird dog - they're both black, have four legs, and bark. I'm just not mentioning my dog is gun-shy and afraid of ducks. But hey, I'm not REALLY lying, am I? You can't tell any difference by just looking at them - they're alike!
And you wonder why R-CALF is torked off?