Forum Archive Index - January 2004

["Gavin Treadgold" <gav@rediguana.co.nz>]

Hi Macdunk.

 

Just a couple of points I'd like to address.

 

1. The incubation period. The UK authorities implemented an Over Thirty Month rule that now cattle over 30 months old could be processed for human consumption (http://www.foodstandards.gov.uk/foodindustry/meat/otmreview/). They are currently reviewing it, and it seems they want to remove this rule, and replace it with the requirement that OTM cattle are tested before slaughter. This suggests that they feel confident that they can sell OTM cattle for consumption to humans. Not perfect, but it seems to indicate that they have some confidence in the timeframes involved.

 

2. The link to dairy herds may be different than you suggest. It may have been that dairy herds were fed differently from other cattle, and that it was brain/spinal material in their food that caused the BSE. I wouldn't of course rule out transmission from mother to calf - talking to my flatmate who has worked in food safety, she said that milk doesn't contain plasma, and there should be no problem with treated milk for humans - as Woody suggests. However, if the calf displays some irrational exuberence and injures the teet, it may cause blood and hence plasma to transfer from the mother to the calf. Not to mention transfer via the umbilical cord for unborn calves.

 

But what you propose is good, Macdunk. For once, geographical isolation could work in our favour and allow us to produce premium product. Clean and green would be very easy to leverage upon from our tourism marketing too.

 

The biggest issues we'd face with going down this path are: -

 

 * increased compliance from farmers to remain BSE free (increased expenses)

 * increased border security requirements (who pays?)

 * greater risk of losses from anything that degrades our clean and green image - such as increased industry, or accidental/intentional release of organisms

 

Cheers Gav

From: Duncan MacGregor

To: sharechat

Sent: Saturday, January 03, 2004 11:24 AM

Subject: [sharechat] mad cow disease by macdunk

The latest outbreak In America might only be the very small tip of the Iceberg.     Ask yourself the simple question [why only cows seem to be Infected so far]?.    The answer Is even simpler beef animals don't live long enough for the disease to show up Infected or not.    A  4 to 5 year Incubation period takes that out but hold on at what stage during the Incubation stage Is the meat unfit for human consumption.      All the animals that go to the works at between 2 and 3 years that might be Infected Is a scary thought.
New Zealand and Australia are In the drivers seat halt all animal Imports stop all G.E experiments maintain a place In the world that people know Its clean and green.             The market place will reward us much more than any slight benefit we might gain If we don't.        That will never happen of course the people that make the rules are to dumb and will cop out for the short term gain before the disaster hits.     When messing about with things we don't understand It pays to let someone else do It first and copy the good bits.    The Infected cows to date most have been dairy cows producing Infected milk I presume for at least 4 years supplied to the babies, and other at risk members of the public.    Will It happen here? of coarse It will If we do nothing to stop even the remotest chance of anything like that happening here.              Do we Import hamburger meat from America or not?.
The farmers here will gain nothing unless they keep It clean and green.
                    Cheers Macdunk
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