Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

USDA Webcast Update on Mad Cow Disease
USDA ^ | 12/24/03 | USDA

Posted on 12/24/2003 7:15:58 AM PST by torstars

Live webcast at 10:30 AM EST

http://easylink.ibroadcastsmedia.tv/winlive/riparianlive.asx


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: cwd; madcow; usda; vcjd
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-52 last
To: JustAnAmerican
But how do we know the chickens haven't been fed prion containing meat? One news story said these cows were also used for animal food, although I thought they meant animals like pet dogs and cats.
41 posted on 12/24/2003 11:03:48 AM PST by giotto
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: JustAnAmerican
Guess now is a good a time as any to stop eating beef, for me at least.

You worry too much. I'd have a steak tonight if it weren't Christmas Eve(I always eat shrimp on the 24th). I've got plenty of prime West Virginian black angus. Our beef aren't as multi-cultural as what McDonalds typically buys. They were born & raised here. Most have never been out of the county. I suspect that its the same in lots of places in America. Its the bulk buyers who don't care what they buy that will be hurting. Local beef should be fine.

42 posted on 12/24/2003 11:14:13 AM PST by FreeInWV (Do you know where your cows have been?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: torstars
Does anyone else find it curious that this comes out right when there is a big push for Country Of Origin labeling & record keeping?
43 posted on 12/24/2003 11:16:15 AM PST by FreeInWV (Do you know where your cows have been?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: FreeInWV
Does anyone else find it curious that this comes out right when

No, this is a major story that the USDA did NOT want to report.

44 posted on 12/24/2003 11:28:54 AM PST by torstars
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 43 | View Replies]

To: TBall
Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. ((BIO.A)) soared $10.04, or 20.2 percent, to $59.82 on expectations that its diagnostic test for mad cow disease could win approval in the United States.

Other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies gained steam. Orchid BioSciences Inc. (ORCH,Trade) leaped 13.84 cents, or 11.2 percent, to $1.37. Strategic Diagnostics Inc. (SDIX,Trade) surged 74 cents, or 17.4 percent, to $4.99.
45 posted on 12/24/2003 11:31:16 AM PST by JustAnAmerican
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: JustAnAmerican
Guess now is a good a time as any to stop eating beef, for me at least.

I don't think you worry too much. As for me, I stopped eating beef in '96, time now to curtail the poultry (will be a tough job). Have to deal with the mercury in tuna also.

46 posted on 12/24/2003 11:40:50 AM PST by steve86
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: torstars
Good discussion. My guess is that the US cattle industry will, as you stated, be doing a lot more testing of animals sent for slaughter in the short term. I can remember traveling to a veal processing plant in upstate NY, and seeing on a large trry row upon row of veal calf brains, destined for New York, so someone eats this stuff!

The US sheep and goat industry are in some ways, more acclimated and supportive of proactive control measures of their species specific TSE. The USDA scrapie program has been in effect for several years, and a couple of years ago, there was a dramtic change in the program which placed limits on interstate movement of animals without proper identification, movement restrictions of animals from flocks/herds that were Suspect or Positive for scrapie, etc. The sheep industry really drove this level of government involvement, which I believe is, in this instance, a good role for government.

Additionally, at least on the sheep side, there is a substantial body of work pertaining to genetic resistance to PrP Scrapie. Codon 171 plays a major role of relative scrapie susceptibility. As such, if a producer retains sheep with AA RR at codon 171, these sheep appear to be very resistant to scrapie (only one case documented in the world of such a sheep developing PrP scrapie - in Japan). Culling QQ sheep (as one combination example) can also help to improve the flocks resistance to scrapie.

In the long term, my guess is that the cattle industry will try to isloate a polymorphisim(s) at the appropriate codon(s) for cattle, so that cattle more resistant or indeed resistant to BSE can be identifed and selected by producers. If the sheep industry can do this, the cattle industry, with their superior genetic infrastructure, also do this sort of work.

Additionally, there is a preclinical test for scrapie that is available for sheep (third eyelid test), although USDA-APHIS does not consider this a definitive test. One would believe that a live animal test for BSE would be well underway at this point.

47 posted on 12/25/2003 7:31:41 AM PST by Fury
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: BearWash; JustAnAmerican
Guess now is a good a time as any to stop eating beef, for me at least.
I don't think you worry too much. As for me, I stopped eating beef in '96, time now to curtail the poultry (will be a tough job). Have to deal with the mercury in tuna also.


Great! More beef left for me! And when the three of us have met our untimely demise by auto accident, homicide, cancer, influenza, second-hand smoke (LOL!) or any number of statistically more likely ways to die, we'll have a good discussion in the afterlife about how much we each enjoyed our meals up to that point...
48 posted on 12/25/2003 1:42:35 PM PST by beezdotcom (I'm usually either right or wrong.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: beezdotcom
we'll have a good discussion in the afterlife about how much we each enjoyed our meals up to that point...

I don't know that anyone is telling you to stop eating beef. Why harass us?

49 posted on 12/25/2003 2:12:44 PM PST by steve86
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 48 | View Replies]

To: Fury
" ...there is a substantial body of work pertaining to genetic resistance to PrP Scrapie"

Very interesting! I wonder if something similar is going on with the BSE and vCJD. Might this be why they haven't seen the number of cases expected by now in Great Britain ?
50 posted on 12/25/2003 2:22:24 PM PST by Domestic Church (AMDG...still cooking beef but I'm holding on the jello)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: giotto; torstars
If these prionic diseases are spread naturally through feces and saliva and manure is a common farm fertilizer, will we be at risk from watermelon or tomatoes?
51 posted on 12/25/2003 2:37:04 PM PST by Domestic Church (AMDG...still cooking beef but I'm holding on the jello)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: BearWash
I don't know that anyone is telling you to stop eating beef. Why harass us?

Wow. If that sort of a response on a public thread constitutes 'harassment', I'm frightened to see how you might define "hate crime".
52 posted on 12/25/2003 2:48:50 PM PST by beezdotcom (I'm usually either right or wrong.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-52 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson