Could mad cows go unnoticed? (WA mad cow might not be a downer)

King5 ^ | 1/23/2004 | Jim Forman

[lelio]

SEATTLE There are new questions over the mad cow found on a Washington farm. The government admits it may not have been a downer cow after all.

It is critical the government sorts this out fast. If the mad cow was not a sick, crippled-looking cow – a trigger for mandatory testing, but healthy-looking, it could mean that infected cows are slipping through the cracks.

Dave Louthan was there the day the Mabton mad cow was slaughtered at Vern's Moses Lake Meats.

"I killed this cow," he said. "It was a walker."

Louthan is now one of three people who worked at Vern's who have come forward to dispute the government's claim that the Mabton mad cow was a downer - too sick or injured to stand.

Louthan said the mad cow showed no outward symptoms and was tested by accident.

The question of whether or not the Mabton mad cow was on her feet is no small matter. The government, acting on the theory that the Mabton mad cow was a downer, made sweeping policy changes to bolster worldwide confidence in American beef.

But if infected cows can look healthy and therefore aren't tested, can mad cows still slip into the food chain?

The USDA said Louthan, who has been laid off from Vern's, is simply wrong and the Mabton mad cow was acting strangely. The USDA vet, who noticed it, ordered the test.

The government says the system worked.

Other cows

Investigators have been working to trace the whereabouts of 81 Canadian cattle following the announcement of the Mabton mad cow case - the first confirmed case of the disease in the United States.

Twenty-seven cows from that herd have since been traced to farms in Mabton, Mattawa, Moxee, Quincy, Connell, Tenino and Burley, Idaho.

Investigators are still looking for the other 54 cows. The USDA now concedes it may never find them all and some of these missing cows may already have passed through the food supply.

Investigators have tracked down one cow with ties to the Mabton cow. It was traced to a farm in Moxee, just southeast of Yakima.

The state Department of Agriculture placed a hold order on the Moxee farm to prevent any animals from leaving.

The finding means the mad cow investigation, which is in its fifth week, has stretched to a sixth Washington state farm, as well as one in Idaho and one in Oregon.

Mad cow disease eats holes in the brains of cattle and is incurable. Humans can develop a similar brain-wasting illness from consuming contaminated beef products.

[lelio]

Keep in mind that the person making these claims was laid off, it could be a vendetta. Or it could be true. Who knows?

No mad cow tests in Washington State

[lelio]

ping

[farmfriend]

Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
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[Jeff Chandler]

Maybe the cow wasn't actually mad. Maybe it was merely somewhat annoyed.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!

[gnarledmaw]

If the prion theory of the disease origin is correct then yes, as it likely is in every state. This also would show the whole old cow/downer thing to be a red herring. Whatever you do, dont look behind the red curtain of gov-agribusiness, it could "effect the economy".

[budwiesest]

From USA Today: Beef prices have mainly been pressured by the cutoff of exports, which account for 10% of all U.S. beef sales. On Tuesday Taiwan announced it was cutting off U.S. beef imports, perhaps for as long as seven years. Bulgaria, Israel and Poland also joined the growing list of countries banning imports of U.S. beef, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation. ....

"We sold a lot of brisket today. It was kind of amazing," says Bill McKenna, owner of McKenna's Blues Booze and BBQ in Omaha. "I haven't seen anybody really back off from ordering beef."

beef prices were at historically high levels, boosted by tight supplies and increased demand, in part a result of the popular, meat-heavy Atkins diet.

"Prices are still relatively high. If they stay where they are, then that's not the worst news for farmers."

[Cicero]

If you're paranoid, you can read it two ways: a) he's trying to make trouble because he was laid off; or b) he was laid off because he refused to go along with the official story.

From what I have heard, it takes the disease many years to develop, and presumably the prions could spread if the cow was eaten before the symptoms showed.

I'm not about to stop eating beef. I think the dangers have been greatly exaggerated by yuppies who suffer from the illusion that if you eat very carefully and work out on a treadmill you can live forever.

You're much more likely to be hit by a car when you step off the sidewalk.

[vetvetdoug]

Do you want to see a Mad Cow? Just treat a cow that is infected and in the latter stages of Anaplasmosis. This cow that has triggered all of the hoopla was caught on a survey by accident. It was diagnosed serendipitously. Even having said that, the system worked.

[Triple Word Score]

I think eating central nervous system tissue is an unnecessary risk. Beef sausage and beef hot dogs, bologna, etc., are in that category unless you know otherwise for sure; ox tails sold for soup I wouldn't eat anymore either.

[pax_et_bonum]

"Maybe the cow wasn't actually mad. Maybe it was merely somewhat annoyed."

Which leads us to the even more titillating question:

Could somewhat annoyed cows go unnoticed?

[aimhigh]

Even having said that, the system worked.

It worked for one cow. So few are tested that we have no idea how many more are infected.