US Mad Cow compliance questioned

[Murgen]

I doubt the U.S. will let Canada get out of step with our policies but if you could, it would be a useful thing to pressure the administration or FDA whichever is being so difficult to get off their butts.

They have forced us to be ahead of their policies, and then they let some protectionist group have the power to be contradictory in proven science. that is where the USDA has gone wrong.

The food safety system in the US has been hijacked by a protectionist group that will have a court challenge to everything that is proposed. Sounds a little like PETA!

 

[Tam]

Please go ahead and do a search on Docket No 2004n-0264 Proposed Rule of Federal Measusres to miligate BSE risk

 

[Murgen]

TAM- is there any way you could post the link to that! thanks

 

[Anonymous]

In the wake of the December discovery of a cow infected with mad cow disease, the Food and Drug Administration on Monday announced broad changes to its rules on cattle feed, banning such things as cow blood, chicken litter and restaurant table scraps in an effort to prevent the spread of the disease.

Reader the second the USDA and the FDA announce all kinds of things in Jan. 2004 in Light of your BSE find but if you are the researcher you seem to be look on the USDA and FDA web pages to see if they ever did anything about making some of these things law. They haven't. They backed out on a lot of the things they announce and opened a Comment period so they could get feed back from the industry, which closed in the later part of 2004. They are still LOOKING at the comments and trying to decide what to do. As far as Canada, Canada has proposed changes to our feed ban too but the US beef industry is sending comments to the Canadian comment period asking them not to because that would put pressure on the US to do the same and they don't want the US to have to do the same. You seem to think that the US is out ahead of Canada but if the laws that are now proposed in Canada go ahead The US will be years behind. The US is still looking at banning things that Canada ban back in 1998. Chichen litter plate waste and salvaged pet food. Your loop holes are still loop holes and will be for awhile.

Tam- That is the reason many ranchers and vets have been questioning opening the border to live cattle from Canada--- What was going to happen with the SRM's and carcass waste from the slaughtered Canadian import cows? Were they going to be removed and rendered and become chicken feed to get mixed in the chicken litter that is still being fed to cattle? As far as I have been able to find out the USDA had no plan on disposal of SRMs-- or carcass waste - except to render... I think I read onetime that they were not going to allow OTM SRM's from Canadian cows to go to render, but never have seen their plan on what to do with them....USDA has not followed many of FDA's recomendations to put safeguards into effect- USDA has caved in to AMI lobbying- same with NCBA that said this is a "no-no" to chicken litter, but then haven't said a word since....... I know this is no fault of Canada's- but without a system in place we should not be taking in high risk cattle that could end up in our cattle feed....Like has been posted on here many times- much of the battle you perceive as R-CALF against the Canadian rancher is actually R-CALF and ranchers against the inconsistent policies of the USDA and the slipshod practices of the packers........USDA might say they're doing this today- then tommorrow are doing the opposite....

Tam- for info, what is the slaughter houses doing with SRM's and carcass waste on cattle slaughtered in Canada?

 

[Murgen]

Like has been posted on here many times- much of the battle you perceive as R-CALF against the Canadian rancher is actually R-CALF and ranchers against the inconsistent policies of the USDA and the slipshod practices of the packers

Oh really OT, then why are we not seeing R-calf saying "Canadian cattle are safe, but we want to take all precautionary measures, to meet safety concerns so, we are willing to go this one step further in providing you, the consumer with the safest meat supply available!" Because our main concern is the safety of your food.

That's a different statement than saying Canadian Beef is unsafe, and by the way we are making record icome on our calves!

 

[Anonymous]

OT: "I know this is no fault of Canada's- but without a system in place we should not be taking in high risk cattle that could end up in our cattle feed....Like has been posted on here many times- much of the battle you perceive as R-CALF against the Canadian rancher is actually R-CALF and ranchers against the inconsistent policies of the USDA and the slipshod practices of the packers........USDA might say they're doing this today- then tommorrow are doing the opposite...."

More conscience cleansing!

Now the story changes from Canadian beef is unsafe to a distrust for our processing facilities to properly handle SRMs.

How convenient.

The R-CULT spindoctors are working overtime and the clones repeat the message!


~SH~

 

[SMS]

I know this is no fault of Canada's- but without a system in place we should not be taking in high risk cattle that could end up in our cattle feed....Like has been posted on here many times- much of the battle you perceive as R-CALF against the Canadian rancher is actually R-CALF and ranchers against the inconsistent policies of the USDA and the slipshod practices of the packers........USDA might say they're doing this today- then tommorrow are doing the opposite....

Tam- for info, what is the slaughter houses doing with SRM's and carcass waste on cattle slaughtered in Canada?

OT,

Currently all SRM's from OTM cattle are taken to Swan Hills Toxic Waste disposal system. This is where PCB's and other toxic waste is destroyed here in Alberta. There is plans under way from Bio generator's to be built and this waste product used there. This would produce electricity and bio-desiel. Hope this is helpful information......

Had a good day, and am in a good mood....hope you did too Oldtimer

 

[Anonymous]

Like has been posted on here many times- much of the battle you perceive as R-CALF against the Canadian rancher is actually R-CALF and ranchers against the inconsistent policies of the USDA and the slipshod practices of the packers

Oh really OT, then why are we not seeing R-calf saying "Canadian cattle are safe, but we want to take all precautionary measures, to meet safety concerns so, we are willing to go this one step further in providing you, the consumer with the safest meat supply available!" Because our main concern is the safety of your food.

That's a different statement than saying Canadian Beef is unsafe, and by the way we are making record icome on our calves!

Canadian beef would be unsafe to have the SRM's or carcass waste from mixed into feed that may be fed to cattle--and as long as USDA allows chicken litter and blood products that could occur... R-Calf has said all along that Canadian cattle are higher risk and that until we take all the necessary precautions to protect cattle and humans we should not open the borders to higher risk cattle....That was the policy as of May 2003-- since then the USDA has wishwashed all over the place with their only goal to satisfy the packers and open the border-- they definitely have put that above maintaining herd health or human safety or they would not have backpeddled on the FDA's recommendations....

 

[Anonymous]

OT,

Currently all SRM's from OTM cattle are taken to Swan Hills Toxic Waste disposal system. This is where PCB's and other toxic waste is destroyed here in Alberta. There is plans under way from Bio generator's to be built and this waste product used there. This would produce electricity and bio-desiel. Hope this is helpful information......

Had a good day, and am in a good mood....hope you did too Oldtimer

Thanks SMS- I'm in as good a mood as you can be when the temp is 20 degrees, wind is howling 30 mph out of the east with snow flurries, there is a blizzard warning and the old girls decided it was birthing weather...May have the barn full of calves by morning...