Legalectric

Stolen from AP-Damian Dovarganes

And another update, in the Feb. 20 STrib:

 Minnesota school districts used most of the ground beef from California company

Update on the downer cows — in a Duluth Tribune run of a Washington Post story, they’re actually talking about “BSE,” or Bovine Spongiform Encephalathophy, or “Mad Cow” disease, and about that being a factor in the massive recall of 143 million pounds of meat, the biggest in U.S. history:

One worry when an animal collapses is that it may have bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the infection known as “mad cow disease.” A small number of people who have eaten meat from such animals have developed a fatal brain infection. But Richard Raymond, USDA’s undersecretary for food safety, discounted the chance of BSE in any of the Hallmark/Westland cattle.

But most of that 143 million pounds has been eaten. What to do, send the digested remains to them in brown envelopes with no return address? Induce vomiting? This “too little, too late” effort shows the problem with after the fact recalls rather than constant inspection and rigorous enforcement of basic common sense regulation.

And from CNN’s report on it, here’s an Ag official sounding pretty reluctant and lackadaisical:

One worry when an animal collapses is that it may have bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the infection known as “mad cow disease.” A small number of people who have eaten meat from such animals have developed a fatal brain infection. But Richard Raymond, USDA’s undersecretary for food safety, discounted the chance of BSE in any of the Hallmark/Westland cattle.”We do not know how much of this product is out there at this time. We do not feel this product presents a health risk of any significance,” said Dick Raymond, the undersecretary of agriculture for food safety. “But the product was produced in noncompliance with our regulations, so therefore we do have to take this action.”

There are repeated statements in article after article that the practices at Hallmark were “common place” and “blatant.” If you go to any other slaughterhouse, is it any different? Yet these practices, these conditions, continue? There’s a recall, AFTER the meat is consumed, mostly by SCHOOL KIDS??? And people still eat meat? What will it take?

Oh, but we don’t need to worry…

“Of course there is some concern,” Derksen said. “But health experts have assured us there is a very minimal health risk from these products.”

“I think the risk for BSE is very, very small. We have not had a domestic case of BSE in this country ever,” said Mariane Kiraly, an educator with Delaware County Cornell Cooperative Extension. “They have all been animals that have been imported.”

The Jack-In-The-Box spokesperson also told News 4 they only use Hallmark/Westland Beef as a minor supplier, and, at this time, they are not using any of the beef.

143 million pounds of beef recalled, “most of it has been consumed” yet “not here!” anywhere! Yup, I sure feel good knowing that the USDA and its crew of inspectors is at work protecting the public safety…