Subject: RE: [sharechat] mad cow disease
by macdunk
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)
*
greater risk of losses from anything that degrades our clean and green image -
such as increased industry, or accidental/intentional release of
organisms
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 ....
See IRG research reports
