Saturday, January 10, 2004
OPINION/COMMENTARY
Panthers and taxes: Tools of land-grabbers
The goals of the Wildlands Project are to convert "at least" half of the U.S. land area to wilderness, to manage "most" of the rest of the land for "conservation objectives," and to force people to live inside urban boundaries in what's euphemistically called "sustainable communities."
Although this bizarre plan has never been debated or adopted by Congress, it is being implemented in dozens of ways by governments at every level, through a variety of feel-good programs, all working toward the Wildlands Project goals.
Two of these programs are especially sinister: reintroduction of the "Florida panther" and taxing Tennessee air.
According to Jan Michael Jacobson, a Florida scientist who specializes in Everglades ecology, there is no such thing as a "Florida" panther. The cats being reintroduced into the Everglades were catnapped from Texas, where they are considered vermin and legally shot as pests. When the Fish and Wildlife Service brings them across the Florida border, they are dubbed "Florida" panthers and declared to be an endangered or threatened species entitled to legal protection.
Jacobson says these cats are known to prefer children in the 5-to-9-year-old range, but will eat pets, which are much easier to catch than wild prey. This fact must have guided the government agencies that deposited the panthers at the edge of the Everglades, between two campgrounds, one of which is designed for elementary school children...
Permalink
Panthers and taxes: Tools of land-grabbers
The goals of the Wildlands Project are to convert "at least" half of the U.S. land area to wilderness, to manage "most" of the rest of the land for "conservation objectives," and to force people to live inside urban boundaries in what's euphemistically called "sustainable communities."
Although this bizarre plan has never been debated or adopted by Congress, it is being implemented in dozens of ways by governments at every level, through a variety of feel-good programs, all working toward the Wildlands Project goals.
Two of these programs are especially sinister: reintroduction of the "Florida panther" and taxing Tennessee air.
According to Jan Michael Jacobson, a Florida scientist who specializes in Everglades ecology, there is no such thing as a "Florida" panther. The cats being reintroduced into the Everglades were catnapped from Texas, where they are considered vermin and legally shot as pests. When the Fish and Wildlife Service brings them across the Florida border, they are dubbed "Florida" panthers and declared to be an endangered or threatened species entitled to legal protection.
Jacobson says these cats are known to prefer children in the 5-to-9-year-old range, but will eat pets, which are much easier to catch than wild prey. This fact must have guided the government agencies that deposited the panthers at the edge of the Everglades, between two campgrounds, one of which is designed for elementary school children...
Permalink
Friday, January 09, 2004
NEWS ROUNDUP
Gory Details Released About Fatal Lion Attack Sheriff's officials say an autopsy has confirmed that Mark Jeffrey Reynolds, 35, was mauled to death by a mountain lion in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in southern Orange County. Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff's Department said that "removal of organs from the chest and abdominal cavity due to a predatory animal, in this case a mountain lion" was the official cause of death. Authorities believe that Reynold's bike chain had fallen off and he was repairing it when he was attacked. Anne Hjelle, 30, is in serious condition on Friday after several other bikers pulled her away from a lion in a tug-of-war. She suffered non-life-threatening wounds to her neck, head, back and legs...USFS Fiscal Study Leads to Staff Cuts The United States Forest Service (USFS) is thinning its employee ranks, firing 80 vehicle mechanics statewide - including three who work in the Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara County. However, employees on the chopping block don't plan to go down without a fight. An internal USFS study, released Jan. 7, concluded it would be cheaper to hire outside contractors to perform the duties of current employees in the vehicle fleet maintenance divisions of the state's 18 national forests. USFS regional press officer Matt Mathes said the fired employees will not be abandoned by the forest service, which plans to use a six-month transition period to help the workers decide what to do after they are let go...Snowshoeing boom creates back-country feud The noise in the backcountry has nothing to do with snowmobiles. Cross-country skiers and snowshoers know where to go to get away from the piercing cackles of racing two-cycle engines. The problem is that snowshoeing is booming, that a huge proportion of snowshoers are beginners and their lack of etiquette is really ticking off the cross-country skiing public. Snowshoers who don’t watch where they’re stepping are getting yelled at a lot on Oregon’s backcountry trails...NEPA "modernization' discussed A consortium of state and federal officials met Thursday in a roundtable discussion to figure out how to "modernize" the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The conference, which continues today at Copper Mountain Resort, was held to discuss how to streamline NEPA processes, restore the original intent of the act, encourage collaboration between state, federal and local entities and get the public more involved in the process. Conference attendees agreed NEPA is still a valuable document. But in the 33 years since its implementation, it has become cumbersome for those proposing projects, has alienated the public from participation and has forced project applicants to generate giant reports in fear their data won't be deemed adequate, said Fred Wagner, a Washington, D.C., attorney whose firm focuses on environmental review and permit processing...Kempthorne defends downlisting of Canadian gray wolves Governor Dirk Kempthorne is joining the Bush Administration in defending the federal government’s decision to “downlist” Canadian gray wolf populations in Idaho. The Kempthorne Administration and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game will stand with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton in a lawsuit filed by several environmental groups seeking to stop U.S. Fish and Wildlife plans to downlist the wolves from endangered to threatened status under the Endangered Species Act. The proposed rule was originally announced by the Clinton Administration in July of 2000...Endangered Species Act Hits 30-Year Mark "It's the pre-eminent anti-growth act in America, the pre-eminent anti-housing, anti-construction, anti-new road law in America. That's not what it's supposed to be. It's supposed to be the pre-eminent species protection act in America," said property rights activist Laer Pearce. In the last two years alone, the federal government has set aside 38 million acres of so-called critical habitat, including three parcels each the size of Rhode Island — one for a bird, one for a frog and the last for an owl. Critics say that as a result of the act, endangered flies have blocked freeway construction, spawning salmon have brought down dams and suckerfish in Oregon have put hundreds of farmer out of work. In California, a shrimp that thrives in mud puddles gave government nearly de facto control over private property, effectively denying owners the right to build, farm or sell their land. "There is a lot of taking of land that happens," Pearce said, adding that hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost in the mining, construction, logging and farming industries. "We are forced to give away a lot of our land and very rarely is anything given in return."...Column: The lobo doesn't belong in Colorado The Rocky Mountain News' Jan. 2 article, "Wolves set to huff, puff, blow into state," and its accompanying sidebar mistakenly state that Mexican gray wolves may have originally inhabited Colorado. Though the taxonomy of wolves continues to evolve, one thing remains clear: Colorado's gray wolves were not the unique Mexican subspecies, Canis lupus baileyi. The highest U.S. priority for restoration of this animal, the lobo (or "desert wolf" in the words of pioneering ecologist Aldo Leopold), should be to Arizona's Sky Islands Ecosystem, where cool, forested mountains rise out of an ocean of desert. To the contrary, wolf taxonomy was originally elucidated by the federal agency that wiped out the species. That extermination campaign began in 1915 after wolves survived both state-sponsored bounties and ranchers' individual efforts to eliminate them. The last resident wolf in the American West was trapped in Conejos County, Colorado, in 1945...Two plans offered to protect migration corridor A coalition charged with developing a plan to protect a key wildlife migration corridor in western Wyoming has submitted two proposals for consideration. One plan outlines ways to address threats from oil and gas development, private land development, fencing and vehicle collisions to animals migrating through the historic Trapper's Point area west of Pinedale. That proposal, developed by the majority of the 22-member coalition, was submitted last month to Bureau of Land Management officials. The Wyoming Outdoor Council and other conservation groups, meanwhile, developed a counterproposal that calls for more ''no leasing'' for oil and gas development areas within the Trapper's Point bottleneck. The groups felt the original plan didn't do enough to protect migrating animals...Bear baiting opponents deliver signatures aplenty Opponents of bear baiting have more than enough signatures to put the question of banning the controversial practice before Alaska voters this fall, but pro-hunting groups are mobilizing for a fight they say will be one of the most important in the nation. "The bottom line is that the anti-hunting movement has decided bear hunting is the next target," said Rob Sexton of the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance. Along with a similar ban proposed in Maine, he said, "I expect this will be the biggest issue in 2004." Bear hunters say bait stations are necessary in areas of thick brush, and they note that drawing bears into the open ensures a clean shot on a legal animal. State law requires bait stations stay at least a mile from homes and a quarter-mile from roads or trails and be cleaned up afterward...IG, Ethics Office, clear Interior solicitor of conflict charges An investigation by the Interior Department's inspector general and a review by the Office of Government Ethics show that the former solicitor, William G. Myers III, generally sought to avoid conflicts with groups on whose behalf he had lobbied. "Mr. Myers' actions show a strong intention to comply with his ethics agreement and the rules governing conduct of government employees," wrote Amy L. Comstock, chief of the Office of Government Ethics, in a letter obtained by The Associated Press. "Based on the evidence presented in the report of investigation, we have concluded that Mr. Myers did not violate his ethics agreement with regard to any of the meetings raised" in a complaint by environmental groups, wrote Comstock, who was appointed by President Clinton...Party Leaders Agree Environment Could be Key for Swing Voters in '04 Elections; Environment2004 Called 'Most Interesting' Group Targeting Bush, Allies Records Environmental issues could be the key issue for swing voters in the 2004 Presidential and Congressional elections, according to Democratic and Republican leaders interviewed by Living On Earth, a nationally syndicated radio program that airs 302 National Public Radio stations starting this weekend. Reporters who want to preview the show can view the transcript at http://www.environment2004.org/story.php?id=165 or listen to it online starting at 5 p.m. today by visiting http://www.loe.org. The show suggests that Environment2004, the first Democratic environmental Section 527 organization, could be the most interesting group focusing on environmental issues. Section 527 groups are allowed to collect soft money to fund direct voter contact and issue messaging. Next week the Environment2004 Education Fund is co-sponsoring a major environmental address by former Vice President Al Gore attacking the Bush Administration's policies on global warming and the environment at the historic Beacon Theatre in New York City on Thursday, Jan. 15, at 12 p.m...Rancher objects to rail route When it comes to the preferred route for shipping 77,000 metric tons of nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain, Warm Springs rancher Joe Fellini lies right in the path. The northern Nye County public lands advocate offered an early indication to Nye County Commissioners meeting here Tuesday that ranchers will put up a stiff fight before allowing the Department of Energy to ship nuclear waste through their grazing lands. Fellini said the federal government is misleading the public in a notice published in the Federal Register Dec. 29, a request to withdraw 308,600 acres of public land. Fellini said he added up 1,002 sections listed in the notice, which, at 640 acres per section, would amount to a much greater land seizure of 641,280 acres. Fellini said the land withdrawal would cut him off from water sources. He told Nye County Commissioners he's unsure what affect it would have on his permitted animal unit months for grazing. Fellini reminded commissioners that ranchers are about the last source of tax base left in the area. The Department of Energy could take a shortcut by building a rail line through the Nellis Air Force Range, the Caliente-Chalk Mountain Corridor, which would be only 214 miles, but U.S. Air Force officials objected, he said...EPA Administrator Promises to Pursue Clinton-Era Pollution Lawsuits The Bush administration's top environmental official promised Friday to prosecute vigorously Clinton-era lawsuits against polluters even as his agency seeks to ease the clean-air standards that produced the litigation. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Mike Leavitt said the administration would go forward with eight lawsuits filed against coal-fired plants that are among the nation's main sources of air pollution. He also indicated the administration may file new cases...Brucellosis investigation turns to neighboring elk The investigation into the cause of brucellosis in a western Wyoming cattle herd will soon focus on elk that gather at an adjacent state feedground. ''We have plans to catch as many elk on that feedground as possible and test them for exposure to brucellosis,'' said Terry Kreeger, Game and Fish Department veterinary research services supervisor. The tests could help determine whether the herd was infected by elk...Cowboy built Ford-tough He's got the kind of cool name - to say nothing of the grit, gumption, style and smarts - that befits a someday world champion. And, for the record, the designer genes he brings into the rodeo arena aren't bad, either. Son of a gun, a son of a legend is making his mark. Which is to say that Royce Robert Ford of Kersey, a 22-year-old 6-footer with boyish good looks, the kind of shy smile guaranteed to turn a buckle bunny all dewy inside, and $148,584 in 2003 earnings, is the third-ranked bareback bronco rider in the world. Even more eye-popping is Ford's M.O. for reaching that pinnacle...On The Edge Of Common Sense: Northern bronc riders have time to practice Since 1980, all but two of the World Champion Saddle Bronc riders have come from the Hi-Line; Montana, Alberta, North Dakota or South Dakota. The question is why? Theories abound: Bronky horses do better in blizzards, wind, ice and snow; cowboys who can ride bronky horses do better in blizzards, wind, ice and snow; judges are tougher in blizzards, wind, ice and snow; cowboys whose names end in son, sen, ibbs, or auer do better in blizzards, wind, ice and snow...Artsy to boot Among the boots the museum will feature are a red-and-white pair that belonged to cowboy singer/actor Gene Autrey and a pair of Kilgore Rangerette boots. The oldest pair on display, which are black with a green butterfly, are from 1925 and are an example of how boots looked back then, Nielsen says. There's also a beautiful pair of pink-and-brown boots with multicolored silk embroidery, a shark-skin pair that Justin made for the winner of the annual All-Around Cowboy title and a pair of John Justin Jr.'s TCU boots. "He just wore them to one game and ended up making pairs for every team in the [now defunct] Southwest Conference," Nielsen says. There's also a pair of cowboy-boot roller skates, because "anything you can do, you can do better wearing boots," John Justin Jr. once said...
Permalink
Gory Details Released About Fatal Lion Attack Sheriff's officials say an autopsy has confirmed that Mark Jeffrey Reynolds, 35, was mauled to death by a mountain lion in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in southern Orange County. Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff's Department said that "removal of organs from the chest and abdominal cavity due to a predatory animal, in this case a mountain lion" was the official cause of death. Authorities believe that Reynold's bike chain had fallen off and he was repairing it when he was attacked. Anne Hjelle, 30, is in serious condition on Friday after several other bikers pulled her away from a lion in a tug-of-war. She suffered non-life-threatening wounds to her neck, head, back and legs...USFS Fiscal Study Leads to Staff Cuts The United States Forest Service (USFS) is thinning its employee ranks, firing 80 vehicle mechanics statewide - including three who work in the Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara County. However, employees on the chopping block don't plan to go down without a fight. An internal USFS study, released Jan. 7, concluded it would be cheaper to hire outside contractors to perform the duties of current employees in the vehicle fleet maintenance divisions of the state's 18 national forests. USFS regional press officer Matt Mathes said the fired employees will not be abandoned by the forest service, which plans to use a six-month transition period to help the workers decide what to do after they are let go...Snowshoeing boom creates back-country feud The noise in the backcountry has nothing to do with snowmobiles. Cross-country skiers and snowshoers know where to go to get away from the piercing cackles of racing two-cycle engines. The problem is that snowshoeing is booming, that a huge proportion of snowshoers are beginners and their lack of etiquette is really ticking off the cross-country skiing public. Snowshoers who don’t watch where they’re stepping are getting yelled at a lot on Oregon’s backcountry trails...NEPA "modernization' discussed A consortium of state and federal officials met Thursday in a roundtable discussion to figure out how to "modernize" the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The conference, which continues today at Copper Mountain Resort, was held to discuss how to streamline NEPA processes, restore the original intent of the act, encourage collaboration between state, federal and local entities and get the public more involved in the process. Conference attendees agreed NEPA is still a valuable document. But in the 33 years since its implementation, it has become cumbersome for those proposing projects, has alienated the public from participation and has forced project applicants to generate giant reports in fear their data won't be deemed adequate, said Fred Wagner, a Washington, D.C., attorney whose firm focuses on environmental review and permit processing...Kempthorne defends downlisting of Canadian gray wolves Governor Dirk Kempthorne is joining the Bush Administration in defending the federal government’s decision to “downlist” Canadian gray wolf populations in Idaho. The Kempthorne Administration and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game will stand with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton in a lawsuit filed by several environmental groups seeking to stop U.S. Fish and Wildlife plans to downlist the wolves from endangered to threatened status under the Endangered Species Act. The proposed rule was originally announced by the Clinton Administration in July of 2000...Endangered Species Act Hits 30-Year Mark "It's the pre-eminent anti-growth act in America, the pre-eminent anti-housing, anti-construction, anti-new road law in America. That's not what it's supposed to be. It's supposed to be the pre-eminent species protection act in America," said property rights activist Laer Pearce. In the last two years alone, the federal government has set aside 38 million acres of so-called critical habitat, including three parcels each the size of Rhode Island — one for a bird, one for a frog and the last for an owl. Critics say that as a result of the act, endangered flies have blocked freeway construction, spawning salmon have brought down dams and suckerfish in Oregon have put hundreds of farmer out of work. In California, a shrimp that thrives in mud puddles gave government nearly de facto control over private property, effectively denying owners the right to build, farm or sell their land. "There is a lot of taking of land that happens," Pearce said, adding that hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost in the mining, construction, logging and farming industries. "We are forced to give away a lot of our land and very rarely is anything given in return."...Column: The lobo doesn't belong in Colorado The Rocky Mountain News' Jan. 2 article, "Wolves set to huff, puff, blow into state," and its accompanying sidebar mistakenly state that Mexican gray wolves may have originally inhabited Colorado. Though the taxonomy of wolves continues to evolve, one thing remains clear: Colorado's gray wolves were not the unique Mexican subspecies, Canis lupus baileyi. The highest U.S. priority for restoration of this animal, the lobo (or "desert wolf" in the words of pioneering ecologist Aldo Leopold), should be to Arizona's Sky Islands Ecosystem, where cool, forested mountains rise out of an ocean of desert. To the contrary, wolf taxonomy was originally elucidated by the federal agency that wiped out the species. That extermination campaign began in 1915 after wolves survived both state-sponsored bounties and ranchers' individual efforts to eliminate them. The last resident wolf in the American West was trapped in Conejos County, Colorado, in 1945...Two plans offered to protect migration corridor A coalition charged with developing a plan to protect a key wildlife migration corridor in western Wyoming has submitted two proposals for consideration. One plan outlines ways to address threats from oil and gas development, private land development, fencing and vehicle collisions to animals migrating through the historic Trapper's Point area west of Pinedale. That proposal, developed by the majority of the 22-member coalition, was submitted last month to Bureau of Land Management officials. The Wyoming Outdoor Council and other conservation groups, meanwhile, developed a counterproposal that calls for more ''no leasing'' for oil and gas development areas within the Trapper's Point bottleneck. The groups felt the original plan didn't do enough to protect migrating animals...Bear baiting opponents deliver signatures aplenty Opponents of bear baiting have more than enough signatures to put the question of banning the controversial practice before Alaska voters this fall, but pro-hunting groups are mobilizing for a fight they say will be one of the most important in the nation. "The bottom line is that the anti-hunting movement has decided bear hunting is the next target," said Rob Sexton of the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance. Along with a similar ban proposed in Maine, he said, "I expect this will be the biggest issue in 2004." Bear hunters say bait stations are necessary in areas of thick brush, and they note that drawing bears into the open ensures a clean shot on a legal animal. State law requires bait stations stay at least a mile from homes and a quarter-mile from roads or trails and be cleaned up afterward...IG, Ethics Office, clear Interior solicitor of conflict charges An investigation by the Interior Department's inspector general and a review by the Office of Government Ethics show that the former solicitor, William G. Myers III, generally sought to avoid conflicts with groups on whose behalf he had lobbied. "Mr. Myers' actions show a strong intention to comply with his ethics agreement and the rules governing conduct of government employees," wrote Amy L. Comstock, chief of the Office of Government Ethics, in a letter obtained by The Associated Press. "Based on the evidence presented in the report of investigation, we have concluded that Mr. Myers did not violate his ethics agreement with regard to any of the meetings raised" in a complaint by environmental groups, wrote Comstock, who was appointed by President Clinton...Party Leaders Agree Environment Could be Key for Swing Voters in '04 Elections; Environment2004 Called 'Most Interesting' Group Targeting Bush, Allies Records Environmental issues could be the key issue for swing voters in the 2004 Presidential and Congressional elections, according to Democratic and Republican leaders interviewed by Living On Earth, a nationally syndicated radio program that airs 302 National Public Radio stations starting this weekend. Reporters who want to preview the show can view the transcript at http://www.environment2004.org/story.php?id=165 or listen to it online starting at 5 p.m. today by visiting http://www.loe.org. The show suggests that Environment2004, the first Democratic environmental Section 527 organization, could be the most interesting group focusing on environmental issues. Section 527 groups are allowed to collect soft money to fund direct voter contact and issue messaging. Next week the Environment2004 Education Fund is co-sponsoring a major environmental address by former Vice President Al Gore attacking the Bush Administration's policies on global warming and the environment at the historic Beacon Theatre in New York City on Thursday, Jan. 15, at 12 p.m...Rancher objects to rail route When it comes to the preferred route for shipping 77,000 metric tons of nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain, Warm Springs rancher Joe Fellini lies right in the path. The northern Nye County public lands advocate offered an early indication to Nye County Commissioners meeting here Tuesday that ranchers will put up a stiff fight before allowing the Department of Energy to ship nuclear waste through their grazing lands. Fellini said the federal government is misleading the public in a notice published in the Federal Register Dec. 29, a request to withdraw 308,600 acres of public land. Fellini said he added up 1,002 sections listed in the notice, which, at 640 acres per section, would amount to a much greater land seizure of 641,280 acres. Fellini said the land withdrawal would cut him off from water sources. He told Nye County Commissioners he's unsure what affect it would have on his permitted animal unit months for grazing. Fellini reminded commissioners that ranchers are about the last source of tax base left in the area. The Department of Energy could take a shortcut by building a rail line through the Nellis Air Force Range, the Caliente-Chalk Mountain Corridor, which would be only 214 miles, but U.S. Air Force officials objected, he said...EPA Administrator Promises to Pursue Clinton-Era Pollution Lawsuits The Bush administration's top environmental official promised Friday to prosecute vigorously Clinton-era lawsuits against polluters even as his agency seeks to ease the clean-air standards that produced the litigation. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Mike Leavitt said the administration would go forward with eight lawsuits filed against coal-fired plants that are among the nation's main sources of air pollution. He also indicated the administration may file new cases...Brucellosis investigation turns to neighboring elk The investigation into the cause of brucellosis in a western Wyoming cattle herd will soon focus on elk that gather at an adjacent state feedground. ''We have plans to catch as many elk on that feedground as possible and test them for exposure to brucellosis,'' said Terry Kreeger, Game and Fish Department veterinary research services supervisor. The tests could help determine whether the herd was infected by elk...Cowboy built Ford-tough He's got the kind of cool name - to say nothing of the grit, gumption, style and smarts - that befits a someday world champion. And, for the record, the designer genes he brings into the rodeo arena aren't bad, either. Son of a gun, a son of a legend is making his mark. Which is to say that Royce Robert Ford of Kersey, a 22-year-old 6-footer with boyish good looks, the kind of shy smile guaranteed to turn a buckle bunny all dewy inside, and $148,584 in 2003 earnings, is the third-ranked bareback bronco rider in the world. Even more eye-popping is Ford's M.O. for reaching that pinnacle...On The Edge Of Common Sense: Northern bronc riders have time to practice Since 1980, all but two of the World Champion Saddle Bronc riders have come from the Hi-Line; Montana, Alberta, North Dakota or South Dakota. The question is why? Theories abound: Bronky horses do better in blizzards, wind, ice and snow; cowboys who can ride bronky horses do better in blizzards, wind, ice and snow; judges are tougher in blizzards, wind, ice and snow; cowboys whose names end in son, sen, ibbs, or auer do better in blizzards, wind, ice and snow...Artsy to boot Among the boots the museum will feature are a red-and-white pair that belonged to cowboy singer/actor Gene Autrey and a pair of Kilgore Rangerette boots. The oldest pair on display, which are black with a green butterfly, are from 1925 and are an example of how boots looked back then, Nielsen says. There's also a beautiful pair of pink-and-brown boots with multicolored silk embroidery, a shark-skin pair that Justin made for the winner of the annual All-Around Cowboy title and a pair of John Justin Jr.'s TCU boots. "He just wore them to one game and ended up making pairs for every team in the [now defunct] Southwest Conference," Nielsen says. There's also a pair of cowboy-boot roller skates, because "anything you can do, you can do better wearing boots," John Justin Jr. once said...
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MAD COW NEWS
USDA Technical Briefing and Webcast On BSE with Dr. Ron DeHaven, Chief Veterinary Officer U.S. Department of Agriculture
Washington D.C.
Friday, January 9, 2004
MR. CURLETT: Hello. I'd like to welcome everybody to the BSE update for this Friday. My name is Ed Curlett.
Today we have Dr. Ron DeHaven, the chief veterinary officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He will make a statement, and then we will go to questions. Also on the line today we have Dr. Stephen Sundlof, of the Food and Drug Administration. He'll be available to take questions as needed.
To ask a question after the statement, hit the star key and number 1 on your phone, and that will get you in the queue. We ask that you ask one question, as there's a lot of people on the line, and we would like to get as many questions in as possible
With that, I will turn it over to Dr. DeHaven.
DR. DEHAVEN: Ed, thank you very much, and also I would like to extend my welcome and appreciation for everyone being on today's technical briefing.
Since our last briefing, we have some updates to our response effort as well as to our investigation.
First of all, Food Safety Inspection Service has submitted three rules and one notice for publication in the Federal Register next Monday. I'll list those in order. First, an interim final rule declaring that specified risk materials from animals over 30 months of age, and the small intestine of cattle of all ages, will be prohibited from entering the human food supply. Those specified risk materials include the skull, brain, trigeminal ganglia, eyes, vertebral column, spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia. Again, those would be from all cattle over 30 months of age and the small intestine from animals of all ages. Tonsils are already being excluded from going into the human food chain. That will become effective on Monday, when it is published in the Federal Register.
The second is an interim final rule expanding the prohibition on central nervous system tissue in Advanced Meat Recovery products.
The third is a final rule to prohibit air-injection stunning of cattle at slaughter.
And the fourth is the notice, which announces that FSIS inspectors will not mark ambulatory cattle that have been targeted for any BSE surveillance testing as "inspected and passed," until negative test results are obtained.
We are still working to develop the details of our surveillance program, and exactly how we will obtain samples from the high-risk population of animals, which certainly includes non-ambulatory animals. And, as you know, we have focused our efforts in getting those samples in the past at slaughter. So we are working on mechanisms to continue to have access to those animals at other locations, such as the rendering plants.
We will also look forward to any recommendations that may be forthcoming from the international review team that will be arriving later this month as it relates to recommendations they would have to revisions to our overall surveillance program.
Also, in light of the fact that we may now need to have a quick turnaround for samples in our surveillance system, we are going to begin accepting applications for BSE tests. Our Center for Veterinary Biologics has up until now been accepting and reviewing data from companies that have various rapid tests, but they have not formally been accepting applications for license or permit up until now. Currently, the only BSE test approved for use by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is the immunohistochemistry or IHC test. Internationally this is recognized as the gold standard, and is certainly the standard that is applied in the test that we have used at our National Veterinary Services Laboratories to confirm the BSE detection in December. This test, depending on the logistics of collecting and submitting the samples, as well as the three to five days that it takes to run the test, then result in about a two-week turnaround time from sample collection to final results.
With these new rapid screening tests that might be licensed by our Center for Veterinary Biologics, we will continue to do confirmatory testing of any BSE presumptive positive on any of those tests at our National Veterinary Services Laboratories, again using the gold standard IHC test.
Specific information about how companies can apply for a BSE diagnostic kit license will be posted on our USDA website momentarily.
I also have an operational update for you as it relates to our ongoing investigation in the state of Washington. USDA will soon begin to remove a limited number of cows from the index herd in Mabton, Washington. At this time we will most likely remove approximately 130 animals from this herd that consist of approximately 4,000 dairy animals. We are taking these animals, because we have determined through our ongoing epidemiological investigation that some of them were herd mates to the BSE-infected animal back in the birth herd in Alberta, Canada. This means that these animals could have potentially been exposed to the same feed source as the index or positive animal.
I would remind everyone, however, that even in the height of the BSE infections found in Europe, and most notably in the U.K., it was rare to have more than one or two animals that were affected in any single herd. But certainly applying our principle of abundance of caution, USDA believes that euthanizing these animals that may have been in the index positive animal's birth herd is an appropriate action to take at this time, and certainly consistent with our overall decision and response to this particular situation.
As our epidemiological investigation continues, it is certainly possible that we may need to depopulate other animals from this herd -- animals in the herd that's currently under state hold order in Mattawa, Washington, as well as other animals that may be placed as part of this overall investigation.
Just to reiterate where we are, as you will recall there were 81 animals that we know that came across the Canadian border into the United States on September 4th, 2001. Of those 81 animals, one was the positive cow; two are currently under hold order on the premises in Mattawa, Washington. We believe that seven of them went to another dairy, and we are working to determine if those animals are still there. Nine of them are located under hold order in the index herd, the herd from which the positive cow left immediately before going to slaughter. We do know that potentially some of the remaining animals in that group of 81 would still be on the index premises, but have not yet been able to identify them, or single them out, if you will, based on the records that we have.
Looking at the whole population of 4,000 animals, the process has been one of reviewing birth records of animals on the farm. And so from that group of over 4,000, we have been able to eliminate from the at-risk population of animals those that would have been born on this farm. We have also been able to eliminate from the at-risk population animals that may have entered the herd, but entered the herd at a time different from when we know this positive cow entered the herd. And so through this process of elimination we have narrowed the at-risk population down to about 258 animals that could have been part of this shipment of 81 animals.
So, of that 258 at-risk population, records would suggest that 110 of them have been pulled from the herd, and we are doing further investigation to trace those animals out. One hundred and twenty-nine of those at-risk population are still on the farm, and these are the ones that are being targeted for depopulation. There are 19 for which we have no record of them being culled from the herd, nor any other record to suggest that they are still on the farm. So we are again focusing a lot of our efforts to identify those other 19 animals.
One last thing before we move to a question and answer period is I just wanted to mention that we do have with us this week here in Washington, D.C. a Japanese technical team that is here on a fact-finding mission. They are gathering information from all of the relevant agencies, to include the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Food Safety Inspection Service, and FDA. And then next week they will be going on to the state of Washington to continue that fact-finding mission.
And next week here in Washington, D.C., we will be hosting another team, this one from Mexico, to again provide them with technical information as to where we are with regard to the overall investigation.
With that, let me pause and see what questions you may have. Operator, if we could, please, start with the first question?...
Followed by Q&A with reporters.
R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America
January 9, 2004 johnlockie@r-calfusa.com
R-CALF USA: U.S. Must Take Steps to Identify All Canadian Cattle in the U.S.
(Billings, MT) “The USDA’s confirmation that the cow with BSE found in the state of Washington on December 23 was imported from Canada reinforces R-CALF USA’s long-standing call to permanently identify all imported cattle and further establishes the need to begin identifying all Canadian cattle currently residing within our borders,” said R-CALF USA president Leo McDonnell.
McDonnell said U.S. cattle producers have suffered a serious financial blow as a direct result of our lax import policies. “Fed cattle prices have fallen 15 to 20 percent since December 23 because USDA did not immediately announce that the cow was imported from Canada,” he said. McDonnell explained that our export customers rely upon the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) to determine the risk status of countries relative to BSE, and the OIE maintains a separate list for countries that have found BSE only in imported animals. This is because a country’s health status does not change if BSE is only found in imports. “Had our export customers been informed that this cow was of Canadian origin, it is likely that they wouldn’t have overreacted by closing their markets to U.S. beef; and they most certainly wouldn’t have overreacted if we had country of origin labeling in place,” he said.
“U.S. cattle producers should not have to assume the very real risk associated with the future possibility that an imported Canadian cow might lose her Canadian ear tag and subsequently tests positive for BSE,” McDonnell commented. Despite the fact that the Canadian cattle industry is in direct competition with the U.S. cattle industry, McDonnell warns that there is a dangerous campaign underway to convince U.S. cattle producers that the two competing industries should be considered a single, integrated North American cattle industry. “This is nonsense,” said McDonnell, adding, “Our members are proud to be United States cattle producers and we raise the safest and best beef in the world and under the very best of conditions. It’s high time we begin differentiating both our product and our cattle for our customers.”
McDonnell said R-CALF USA’s research reveals that identifying Canadian cattle imported into the United States since 1997, the year the U.S. implemented its feed ban to protect the U.S. cattle herd from BSE, is doable. R-CALF USA compiled the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) data that shows Canada exported 8.1 million head of cattle to the U.S. since 1997. Over 75 percent of these Canadian cattle were imported for immediate slaughter in U.S. packing plants. An additional 19 percent of these Canadian cattle exports were feeder cattle. “These cattle were placed in feedlots and it can be presumed that they too have been slaughtered in U.S. plants,” said McDonnell. This means that despite the high numbers of cattle imported into the United States over the past 7 years, it is most likely that only about 6 percent of these imported cattle still reside in the U.S.
For example, R-CALF USA’s analysis shows that in 2001, the year the BSE infected cow was exported to the United States, Canadian exports of live cattle numbered 1.3 million. Over one million, or 78 percent of these cattle went directly to slaughter leaving only 285,000 head in U.S. dairies, feedlots, farms or ranches. However, nearly 200,000, or over 15 percent of the total number imported were feeder cattle destined for slaughter in U.S. plants within 3 to 8 months. This leaves less than 85,000 head of cattle that may still be residing in the U.S. from the 2001 imports. McDonnell said that over 75,000 of these cattle are dairy cattle and as the USDA said repeatedly during its BSE investigation, the dairy industry maintains very good records making the tracking of such animals relatively easy. “Only 9,500 were breeding-type beef cattle and the USDA can readily track these cattle through health inspection papers, sales transactions, and brand records,” McDonnell stated.
McDonnell said the U.S. and Canadian cattle industries are far from integrated. “At the very most, imported Canadian cattle since 1997 represent less than one-half of one percent of our 96.5 million head cattle herd in the United States, and that’s assuming that all the breeding dairy and beef cattle imported since 1997 are still alive,” said McDonnell. McDonnell said identifying these Canadian cattle could be expedited if the USDA were to offer an incentive for U.S. cattle producers to aid in the identification process. “U.S. Farmers and ranchers would be more than willing to help in the identification process if they were assured they would not face financial penalties by marking any imported cattle in their possession,” he said.
When asked about the trade flows of U.S. live cattle exports to Canada, McDonnell said the data will likely shock the U.S. live cattle industry. The United States has imported 8 times more Canadian live cattle than it exported to Canada since 1997, and Canada enjoyed over a 9 to 1 advantage based on value, with the U.S. importing $6 billion worth of Canadian cattle since 1997 but exporting less than $620 million,” he said. “This has been a one-way street for quite some time,” said McDonnell.
R-CALF USA has posted its charts on imports of Canadian cattle at www.r-calfusa.com
(30)
R-CALF USA, the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America is a national, non-profit cattle association representing cattle producers in the areas of trade and marketing. R-CALF USA has approximately 9,000 individual members in 46 states and 55 affiliated local and state cattle and farm organizations. For more information, visit www.r-calfusa.com or call 406-252-2516.
Cargill cutting beef jobs Cargill Inc. is cutting about 700 jobs at five beef-processing plants in Texas, Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado, citing lost exports of U.S. beef following the discovery of a case of mad-cow disease. Cargill's Excel Corp. unit said yesterday that it was laying off 100 to 150 people at each of the plants. The five plants each employed 2,200 to 2,500 people. "A number of countries have banned U.S. beef, and there are some products we will not now be processing for export. That has led to the layoffs," said Bill Rupp of Excel...Column: Coming to Terms With the Problem of Global Meat It has been instructive watching American agriculture respond to this minicrisis. The usual players have retreated to their usual corners. Some cattle growers have publicly praised the beef checkoff program, which collects a small percentage of the sales from every producer for advertising, because it creates the illusion of a unified voice in a time of trouble. Supporters of country-of-origin labeling, which would identify the source of every cut of meat, have promoted its potential virtues, while opponents argue that it would make no difference or be too expensive. The real necessity is to provide accurate, detailed tracking of every individual animal, though the United States Department of Agriculture is poorly equipped to make it happen anytime soon. The inherent logic of all these positions is simply to make the status quo safer, so global meat can go about its business uninterrupted. But what is needed to avert a major crisis is real change, from the bottom up. The global meat system is broken, as a machine and as a philosophy. In America, meatpacking has gone from being a widely distributed, widely owned web of local, independent businesses into a tightly controlled, cruelly concentrated industry whose assumptions are utterly industrial...U.S. must check all cattle for BSE as condition for lifting beef ban The government is willing to lift its ban on beef imports from the United States if Washington follows Japanese procedures and tests all cattle for mad cow disease before shipping the meat, officials said. Alarmed by the first U.S. case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, officials said Japan cannot afford to be complacent since the United States was the second-biggest supplier of beef to Japan after Australia. Officials in the ministries of agriculture and health agreed all cattle parts known to be at risk of BSE infection must be removed prior to shipping. In addition, they said all cattle must be inspected for mad cow disease before the beef is transported to Japan. The government likely will ask the private sector to pick up the tab for inspections, the sources said. Officials said a formal decision on what course to pursue would have to wait until a government investigation team returns from a study tour of the United States and Canada and submits its report...Teamsters urge ban on 'mad cow milk' The turmoil from the nation's first case of mad cow disease took yet another turn as a union representing locked-out Darigold workers called for a ban on milk products linked to the mad cow's farm. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters petitioned the federal government to immediately ban the distribution of milk associated with the case...U.S. Consumers Shrug Off Mad Cow Scare It will take more than a single Holstein with mad cow disease to keep consumers like Ralph Flores from eating their beloved beef. "It would take a major epidemic,'' Flores said as he bought beef sausage at Paulina Market, a North Side butcher shop where beef sales never faltered until a blast of winter weather hit the city this week. More than two weeks since the emergence of the first case of mad cow in this country, prompting a widespread ban on U.S. beef overseas, the beef industry's worst fears have not been realized. There's been no evidence the disease has spread, and Americans have stood steadfast to their steaks...Australia bids to fill beef shortfallJapanese officials were told Australia could fill the shortfall in beef supplies caused by America's mad cow disease scare. At a meeting with Japanese agriculture and trade officials, Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) said local producers could step in to provide more beef to the Japanese market. The US supplied about a third of Japan's beef, with Australia not far behind. Since the ban, prices for Australian chilled grass-fed beef have climbed 47 per cent. In nearby South Korea, which is Australia's third largest beef market, prices for Australian produce is up 20 per cent. Friday's meeting was a chance for the Japanese officials to learn if Australia, still suffering from the drought, would be able to cover the shortfall caused by the American beef ban. The Australian officials said there was scope to fill any shortfall, particularly if demand for beef in the US drops...Americans Not Worried by Meat Scares, Polls Show A Gallup survey commissioned by CNN and USA Today and released on Friday showed that only 16 percent of adults were worried about becoming victims of mad cow disease, while 17 percent said they had cut back or stopped eating meat. The Gallup poll of 1,000 adults found just 6 percent of Americans think the mad cow situation in the United States is a crisis. More than half said it was a minor problem. "There has been no change in consumer beef buying at the retail level since mad cow," said Jordan Trout, meat analyst with Topco Associates...Japanese officials advise against selling U.S. steaks imported before ban Japanese authorities have asked merchants not to sell 58 tons of U.S. T-bone steaks following the discovery of mad cow disease in the United States, an official said Friday. T-bone steaks are considered more likely than some other beef products to carry the proteins believed to cause mad cow disease, said Health Ministry official Makoto Kanie. Health officials are trying to track down how many of the steaks were imported before the ban and are still in stock. Records show at least 58 tons of U.S. T-bones were imported in 2003, but it's not known how many have been consumed, Kanie said. Authorities may decide to recall those still in stock, he added...Texas cattlemen cheered by auction prices first cattle auctions in Texas since the holiday break have encouraged ranchers and others worried about the impact of the mad cow scare on prices. A survey by the Independent Cattlemen's Association of Texas found cattle prices were down only about 6 to 10 percent from the record $1 per pound late last year before the mad cow case was confirmed in Washington state...After mad cow, U.S. farmers warily back animal ID America's traditionally independent farmers will drop their distrust of outside meddling to embrace a national livestock identification system as a safeguard against mad cow disease, leaders of the largest U.S. farm group say. The Bush administration included speedy adoption of animal IDs among its new protections, headlined by a ban on using sick or crippled animals in food, after the Dec. 23 discovery of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease. However, it remains unclear whether the administration wants livestock IDs to be voluntary or mandatory. A consortium of state, federal and livestock industry officials are drafting a voluntary animal identification plan. Its first step is to issue identification numbers to U.S. farms, ranches and feedlots beginning in July. Assignment of ID numbers to individual animals is slated to begin in February 2005, starting with cattle, sheep and hogs. The chief goal is the ability to identify within 48 hours of a disease outbreak the animals involved and where they were raised, so disease will not spread. A uniform ID would be more reliable than the welter of numbering plans that now vary from farm to farm...
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USDA Technical Briefing and Webcast On BSE with Dr. Ron DeHaven, Chief Veterinary Officer U.S. Department of Agriculture
Washington D.C.
Friday, January 9, 2004
MR. CURLETT: Hello. I'd like to welcome everybody to the BSE update for this Friday. My name is Ed Curlett.
Today we have Dr. Ron DeHaven, the chief veterinary officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He will make a statement, and then we will go to questions. Also on the line today we have Dr. Stephen Sundlof, of the Food and Drug Administration. He'll be available to take questions as needed.
To ask a question after the statement, hit the star key and number 1 on your phone, and that will get you in the queue. We ask that you ask one question, as there's a lot of people on the line, and we would like to get as many questions in as possible
With that, I will turn it over to Dr. DeHaven.
DR. DEHAVEN: Ed, thank you very much, and also I would like to extend my welcome and appreciation for everyone being on today's technical briefing.
Since our last briefing, we have some updates to our response effort as well as to our investigation.
First of all, Food Safety Inspection Service has submitted three rules and one notice for publication in the Federal Register next Monday. I'll list those in order. First, an interim final rule declaring that specified risk materials from animals over 30 months of age, and the small intestine of cattle of all ages, will be prohibited from entering the human food supply. Those specified risk materials include the skull, brain, trigeminal ganglia, eyes, vertebral column, spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia. Again, those would be from all cattle over 30 months of age and the small intestine from animals of all ages. Tonsils are already being excluded from going into the human food chain. That will become effective on Monday, when it is published in the Federal Register.
The second is an interim final rule expanding the prohibition on central nervous system tissue in Advanced Meat Recovery products.
The third is a final rule to prohibit air-injection stunning of cattle at slaughter.
And the fourth is the notice, which announces that FSIS inspectors will not mark ambulatory cattle that have been targeted for any BSE surveillance testing as "inspected and passed," until negative test results are obtained.
We are still working to develop the details of our surveillance program, and exactly how we will obtain samples from the high-risk population of animals, which certainly includes non-ambulatory animals. And, as you know, we have focused our efforts in getting those samples in the past at slaughter. So we are working on mechanisms to continue to have access to those animals at other locations, such as the rendering plants.
We will also look forward to any recommendations that may be forthcoming from the international review team that will be arriving later this month as it relates to recommendations they would have to revisions to our overall surveillance program.
Also, in light of the fact that we may now need to have a quick turnaround for samples in our surveillance system, we are going to begin accepting applications for BSE tests. Our Center for Veterinary Biologics has up until now been accepting and reviewing data from companies that have various rapid tests, but they have not formally been accepting applications for license or permit up until now. Currently, the only BSE test approved for use by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is the immunohistochemistry or IHC test. Internationally this is recognized as the gold standard, and is certainly the standard that is applied in the test that we have used at our National Veterinary Services Laboratories to confirm the BSE detection in December. This test, depending on the logistics of collecting and submitting the samples, as well as the three to five days that it takes to run the test, then result in about a two-week turnaround time from sample collection to final results.
With these new rapid screening tests that might be licensed by our Center for Veterinary Biologics, we will continue to do confirmatory testing of any BSE presumptive positive on any of those tests at our National Veterinary Services Laboratories, again using the gold standard IHC test.
Specific information about how companies can apply for a BSE diagnostic kit license will be posted on our USDA website momentarily.
I also have an operational update for you as it relates to our ongoing investigation in the state of Washington. USDA will soon begin to remove a limited number of cows from the index herd in Mabton, Washington. At this time we will most likely remove approximately 130 animals from this herd that consist of approximately 4,000 dairy animals. We are taking these animals, because we have determined through our ongoing epidemiological investigation that some of them were herd mates to the BSE-infected animal back in the birth herd in Alberta, Canada. This means that these animals could have potentially been exposed to the same feed source as the index or positive animal.
I would remind everyone, however, that even in the height of the BSE infections found in Europe, and most notably in the U.K., it was rare to have more than one or two animals that were affected in any single herd. But certainly applying our principle of abundance of caution, USDA believes that euthanizing these animals that may have been in the index positive animal's birth herd is an appropriate action to take at this time, and certainly consistent with our overall decision and response to this particular situation.
As our epidemiological investigation continues, it is certainly possible that we may need to depopulate other animals from this herd -- animals in the herd that's currently under state hold order in Mattawa, Washington, as well as other animals that may be placed as part of this overall investigation.
Just to reiterate where we are, as you will recall there were 81 animals that we know that came across the Canadian border into the United States on September 4th, 2001. Of those 81 animals, one was the positive cow; two are currently under hold order on the premises in Mattawa, Washington. We believe that seven of them went to another dairy, and we are working to determine if those animals are still there. Nine of them are located under hold order in the index herd, the herd from which the positive cow left immediately before going to slaughter. We do know that potentially some of the remaining animals in that group of 81 would still be on the index premises, but have not yet been able to identify them, or single them out, if you will, based on the records that we have.
Looking at the whole population of 4,000 animals, the process has been one of reviewing birth records of animals on the farm. And so from that group of over 4,000, we have been able to eliminate from the at-risk population of animals those that would have been born on this farm. We have also been able to eliminate from the at-risk population animals that may have entered the herd, but entered the herd at a time different from when we know this positive cow entered the herd. And so through this process of elimination we have narrowed the at-risk population down to about 258 animals that could have been part of this shipment of 81 animals.
So, of that 258 at-risk population, records would suggest that 110 of them have been pulled from the herd, and we are doing further investigation to trace those animals out. One hundred and twenty-nine of those at-risk population are still on the farm, and these are the ones that are being targeted for depopulation. There are 19 for which we have no record of them being culled from the herd, nor any other record to suggest that they are still on the farm. So we are again focusing a lot of our efforts to identify those other 19 animals.
One last thing before we move to a question and answer period is I just wanted to mention that we do have with us this week here in Washington, D.C. a Japanese technical team that is here on a fact-finding mission. They are gathering information from all of the relevant agencies, to include the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Food Safety Inspection Service, and FDA. And then next week they will be going on to the state of Washington to continue that fact-finding mission.
And next week here in Washington, D.C., we will be hosting another team, this one from Mexico, to again provide them with technical information as to where we are with regard to the overall investigation.
With that, let me pause and see what questions you may have. Operator, if we could, please, start with the first question?...
Followed by Q&A with reporters.
R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America
January 9, 2004 johnlockie@r-calfusa.com
R-CALF USA: U.S. Must Take Steps to Identify All Canadian Cattle in the U.S.
(Billings, MT) “The USDA’s confirmation that the cow with BSE found in the state of Washington on December 23 was imported from Canada reinforces R-CALF USA’s long-standing call to permanently identify all imported cattle and further establishes the need to begin identifying all Canadian cattle currently residing within our borders,” said R-CALF USA president Leo McDonnell.
McDonnell said U.S. cattle producers have suffered a serious financial blow as a direct result of our lax import policies. “Fed cattle prices have fallen 15 to 20 percent since December 23 because USDA did not immediately announce that the cow was imported from Canada,” he said. McDonnell explained that our export customers rely upon the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) to determine the risk status of countries relative to BSE, and the OIE maintains a separate list for countries that have found BSE only in imported animals. This is because a country’s health status does not change if BSE is only found in imports. “Had our export customers been informed that this cow was of Canadian origin, it is likely that they wouldn’t have overreacted by closing their markets to U.S. beef; and they most certainly wouldn’t have overreacted if we had country of origin labeling in place,” he said.
“U.S. cattle producers should not have to assume the very real risk associated with the future possibility that an imported Canadian cow might lose her Canadian ear tag and subsequently tests positive for BSE,” McDonnell commented. Despite the fact that the Canadian cattle industry is in direct competition with the U.S. cattle industry, McDonnell warns that there is a dangerous campaign underway to convince U.S. cattle producers that the two competing industries should be considered a single, integrated North American cattle industry. “This is nonsense,” said McDonnell, adding, “Our members are proud to be United States cattle producers and we raise the safest and best beef in the world and under the very best of conditions. It’s high time we begin differentiating both our product and our cattle for our customers.”
McDonnell said R-CALF USA’s research reveals that identifying Canadian cattle imported into the United States since 1997, the year the U.S. implemented its feed ban to protect the U.S. cattle herd from BSE, is doable. R-CALF USA compiled the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) data that shows Canada exported 8.1 million head of cattle to the U.S. since 1997. Over 75 percent of these Canadian cattle were imported for immediate slaughter in U.S. packing plants. An additional 19 percent of these Canadian cattle exports were feeder cattle. “These cattle were placed in feedlots and it can be presumed that they too have been slaughtered in U.S. plants,” said McDonnell. This means that despite the high numbers of cattle imported into the United States over the past 7 years, it is most likely that only about 6 percent of these imported cattle still reside in the U.S.
For example, R-CALF USA’s analysis shows that in 2001, the year the BSE infected cow was exported to the United States, Canadian exports of live cattle numbered 1.3 million. Over one million, or 78 percent of these cattle went directly to slaughter leaving only 285,000 head in U.S. dairies, feedlots, farms or ranches. However, nearly 200,000, or over 15 percent of the total number imported were feeder cattle destined for slaughter in U.S. plants within 3 to 8 months. This leaves less than 85,000 head of cattle that may still be residing in the U.S. from the 2001 imports. McDonnell said that over 75,000 of these cattle are dairy cattle and as the USDA said repeatedly during its BSE investigation, the dairy industry maintains very good records making the tracking of such animals relatively easy. “Only 9,500 were breeding-type beef cattle and the USDA can readily track these cattle through health inspection papers, sales transactions, and brand records,” McDonnell stated.
McDonnell said the U.S. and Canadian cattle industries are far from integrated. “At the very most, imported Canadian cattle since 1997 represent less than one-half of one percent of our 96.5 million head cattle herd in the United States, and that’s assuming that all the breeding dairy and beef cattle imported since 1997 are still alive,” said McDonnell. McDonnell said identifying these Canadian cattle could be expedited if the USDA were to offer an incentive for U.S. cattle producers to aid in the identification process. “U.S. Farmers and ranchers would be more than willing to help in the identification process if they were assured they would not face financial penalties by marking any imported cattle in their possession,” he said.
When asked about the trade flows of U.S. live cattle exports to Canada, McDonnell said the data will likely shock the U.S. live cattle industry. The United States has imported 8 times more Canadian live cattle than it exported to Canada since 1997, and Canada enjoyed over a 9 to 1 advantage based on value, with the U.S. importing $6 billion worth of Canadian cattle since 1997 but exporting less than $620 million,” he said. “This has been a one-way street for quite some time,” said McDonnell.
R-CALF USA has posted its charts on imports of Canadian cattle at www.r-calfusa.com
(30)
R-CALF USA, the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America is a national, non-profit cattle association representing cattle producers in the areas of trade and marketing. R-CALF USA has approximately 9,000 individual members in 46 states and 55 affiliated local and state cattle and farm organizations. For more information, visit www.r-calfusa.com or call 406-252-2516.
Cargill cutting beef jobs Cargill Inc. is cutting about 700 jobs at five beef-processing plants in Texas, Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado, citing lost exports of U.S. beef following the discovery of a case of mad-cow disease. Cargill's Excel Corp. unit said yesterday that it was laying off 100 to 150 people at each of the plants. The five plants each employed 2,200 to 2,500 people. "A number of countries have banned U.S. beef, and there are some products we will not now be processing for export. That has led to the layoffs," said Bill Rupp of Excel...Column: Coming to Terms With the Problem of Global Meat It has been instructive watching American agriculture respond to this minicrisis. The usual players have retreated to their usual corners. Some cattle growers have publicly praised the beef checkoff program, which collects a small percentage of the sales from every producer for advertising, because it creates the illusion of a unified voice in a time of trouble. Supporters of country-of-origin labeling, which would identify the source of every cut of meat, have promoted its potential virtues, while opponents argue that it would make no difference or be too expensive. The real necessity is to provide accurate, detailed tracking of every individual animal, though the United States Department of Agriculture is poorly equipped to make it happen anytime soon. The inherent logic of all these positions is simply to make the status quo safer, so global meat can go about its business uninterrupted. But what is needed to avert a major crisis is real change, from the bottom up. The global meat system is broken, as a machine and as a philosophy. In America, meatpacking has gone from being a widely distributed, widely owned web of local, independent businesses into a tightly controlled, cruelly concentrated industry whose assumptions are utterly industrial...U.S. must check all cattle for BSE as condition for lifting beef ban The government is willing to lift its ban on beef imports from the United States if Washington follows Japanese procedures and tests all cattle for mad cow disease before shipping the meat, officials said. Alarmed by the first U.S. case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, officials said Japan cannot afford to be complacent since the United States was the second-biggest supplier of beef to Japan after Australia. Officials in the ministries of agriculture and health agreed all cattle parts known to be at risk of BSE infection must be removed prior to shipping. In addition, they said all cattle must be inspected for mad cow disease before the beef is transported to Japan. The government likely will ask the private sector to pick up the tab for inspections, the sources said. Officials said a formal decision on what course to pursue would have to wait until a government investigation team returns from a study tour of the United States and Canada and submits its report...Teamsters urge ban on 'mad cow milk' The turmoil from the nation's first case of mad cow disease took yet another turn as a union representing locked-out Darigold workers called for a ban on milk products linked to the mad cow's farm. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters petitioned the federal government to immediately ban the distribution of milk associated with the case...U.S. Consumers Shrug Off Mad Cow Scare It will take more than a single Holstein with mad cow disease to keep consumers like Ralph Flores from eating their beloved beef. "It would take a major epidemic,'' Flores said as he bought beef sausage at Paulina Market, a North Side butcher shop where beef sales never faltered until a blast of winter weather hit the city this week. More than two weeks since the emergence of the first case of mad cow in this country, prompting a widespread ban on U.S. beef overseas, the beef industry's worst fears have not been realized. There's been no evidence the disease has spread, and Americans have stood steadfast to their steaks...Australia bids to fill beef shortfallJapanese officials were told Australia could fill the shortfall in beef supplies caused by America's mad cow disease scare. At a meeting with Japanese agriculture and trade officials, Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) said local producers could step in to provide more beef to the Japanese market. The US supplied about a third of Japan's beef, with Australia not far behind. Since the ban, prices for Australian chilled grass-fed beef have climbed 47 per cent. In nearby South Korea, which is Australia's third largest beef market, prices for Australian produce is up 20 per cent. Friday's meeting was a chance for the Japanese officials to learn if Australia, still suffering from the drought, would be able to cover the shortfall caused by the American beef ban. The Australian officials said there was scope to fill any shortfall, particularly if demand for beef in the US drops...Americans Not Worried by Meat Scares, Polls Show A Gallup survey commissioned by CNN and USA Today and released on Friday showed that only 16 percent of adults were worried about becoming victims of mad cow disease, while 17 percent said they had cut back or stopped eating meat. The Gallup poll of 1,000 adults found just 6 percent of Americans think the mad cow situation in the United States is a crisis. More than half said it was a minor problem. "There has been no change in consumer beef buying at the retail level since mad cow," said Jordan Trout, meat analyst with Topco Associates...Japanese officials advise against selling U.S. steaks imported before ban Japanese authorities have asked merchants not to sell 58 tons of U.S. T-bone steaks following the discovery of mad cow disease in the United States, an official said Friday. T-bone steaks are considered more likely than some other beef products to carry the proteins believed to cause mad cow disease, said Health Ministry official Makoto Kanie. Health officials are trying to track down how many of the steaks were imported before the ban and are still in stock. Records show at least 58 tons of U.S. T-bones were imported in 2003, but it's not known how many have been consumed, Kanie said. Authorities may decide to recall those still in stock, he added...Texas cattlemen cheered by auction prices first cattle auctions in Texas since the holiday break have encouraged ranchers and others worried about the impact of the mad cow scare on prices. A survey by the Independent Cattlemen's Association of Texas found cattle prices were down only about 6 to 10 percent from the record $1 per pound late last year before the mad cow case was confirmed in Washington state...After mad cow, U.S. farmers warily back animal ID America's traditionally independent farmers will drop their distrust of outside meddling to embrace a national livestock identification system as a safeguard against mad cow disease, leaders of the largest U.S. farm group say. The Bush administration included speedy adoption of animal IDs among its new protections, headlined by a ban on using sick or crippled animals in food, after the Dec. 23 discovery of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease. However, it remains unclear whether the administration wants livestock IDs to be voluntary or mandatory. A consortium of state, federal and livestock industry officials are drafting a voluntary animal identification plan. Its first step is to issue identification numbers to U.S. farms, ranches and feedlots beginning in July. Assignment of ID numbers to individual animals is slated to begin in February 2005, starting with cattle, sheep and hogs. The chief goal is the ability to identify within 48 hours of a disease outbreak the animals involved and where they were raised, so disease will not spread. A uniform ID would be more reliable than the welter of numbering plans that now vary from farm to farm...
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NEWS ROUNDUP
Lion Attacks O.C. Biker; Man Found Dead Nearby A bike rider was attacked by a mountain lion as she rode through a popular Orange County wilderness park Thursday, and the body of a man, who may have been killed by the same animal, was found nearby. If confirmed, the death would be the first killing of a human by a mountain lion in California since 1994. Hours later, sheriff's deputies shot to death a mountain lion spotted near where the man's body had been found. They said they were not certain they had killed the animal responsible for the attacks. Witnesses to the attack on the woman said the mountain lion clamped its jaws around her head and dragged her off the trail before she was rescued by other riders. "I have never seen anything like this — it was a tug of war between the mountain lion trying to drag her down the ravine by her face" and another cyclist "who had her by the legs," said Mike Castellano, 41, of Dana Point...Outgoing forester headed to D.C., Powell ends bid for elk foundation job Outgoing Northern Region Forester Brad Powell will work for the Forest Service in Washington, D.C., the agency said Thursday, and has declined a key position with the Missoula-based Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Powell, the Northern Region forester since 2001, had earlier turned down a Washington reassignment offered by Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth, officials say, saying he would retire after 32 years with the Forest Service and work for the elk foundation as the conservation group's senior vice president of lands and conservation. The Office of Inspector General had investigated allegations that Powell used government computers to access pornography, the Missoulian newspaper reported last month. Bosworth told the paper the investigation found nothing criminal, said Powell was not being demoted, praised his work spanning three decades but said he had "concerns out of the investigation."...Feds ponder how to curb rogue OHVs Calling off-highway vehicles one of the four "great threats" to ecosystems, the U.S. Forest Service is considering new rules that would clamp down on unregulated OHV use. A special planning team of Forest Service officials met in Salt Lake City on Wednesday to begin planning strategies to better manage the exploding popularity of OHVs, particularly the ubiquitous all-terrain vehicle. In the near future, the Forest Service is expected to announce proposed changes to federal rules to virtually prohibit so-called cross-country OHV travel, in which vehicles depart from designated routes. The initiative is being met with cautious optimism by environmentalists and OHV advocacy groups, which still are trying to learn more about it...Timber sale south of Livingston stopped by environmentalists The U.S. Forest Service's Northern Region office in Missoula has halted a proposed sale of 4.5 million board feet of timber in grizzly bear habitat south of here, environmentalists announced Wednesday. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition, the Park County Environmental Council, the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Native Ecosystems Council and two individuals all appealed the planned Windmill sale. "We're happy with the decision," said Jim Barrett, executive director of PCEC...Environmentalists seek to halt planned Jemez Mountain logging project A federal court has been asked to halt a proposal to salvage logs from 950 acres of burned Santa Fe National Forest in the Jemez Mountains. Two Santa Fe environmental groups—Forest Guardians and Santa Fe Forest Watch—filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to stop the project. The groups contend the U.S. Forest Service failed to properly evaluate the project in light of protected habitat around a pair of threatened Mexican spotted owls...USFS seeks alternatives to poisoning rainbow trout The U.S. Forest Service is looking at ways other than using poison to kill rainbow trout so native Paiute cutthroat trout can be restored in the southern part of Alpine County. The promise to create and analyze a list of alternatives less drastic than poison is in response to a successful legal challenge filed in August by the Center for Biological Diversity. The center and Nancy Erman, an aquatic ecology specialist who used to teach at the University of California at Davis, filed suit saying the project was in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act because of inadequate environmental analyses...Parcels ready for swap The Bureau of Land Management is poised to trade almost 6,500 acres of federal land for 970 acres of private property across from Lakeside marina on Hauser Lake. If the exchange goes through as expected, the federal agency will have swapped a total of about 8,000 acres of BLM land for the 2,000-acre Ward Ranch, making that formerly private property public. The BLM lands used in the exchange were scattered throughout about 10 counties and included about 100 parcels ranging in size from 1 to 920 acres. The total dollar value of the swap will be about $3 million, although the BLM only needs to come up with about $63,000 in cash to make up the difference in land values...Officials investigate deaths of six wolves The Michigan DNR is investigating the deaths of as many as six wolves killed recently in the Upper Peninsula. Several appear to have died from gunshot wounds. On Nov. 26, conservation officer Durance Paul was investigating a report of a radio-tracking collar that was emitting a mortality signal. Preliminary examination suggests that the animal was killed by gunshot. The female wolf was originally captured this past July in Mackinac County, and was found dead in Chippewa County. Tracking collars are equipped with mercury trigger switches that set off a mortality signal when there is no longer any activity of the collared animal. Even movement as slight as breathing will prevent the collar from emitting this signal...National panel meets in Colorado on environmental legislation Environmentalists expressed guarded optimism Thursday about a regional forum on efforts to modernize one of the country's landmark environmental laws. They said a task force looking at updating the National Environmental Policy Act wants to involve the public from the start when such activities as oil and gas drilling or ski-area expansions are analyzed for their potential impact on the environment or endangered species. The Colorado meeting, also scheduled for Friday, was the fourth in a series across the country to gather public comments on a report released last fall by the National Environmental Policy Act Task Force. The panel was formed by the White House Council on Environmental Quality in 2002 to study the law and includes federal employees and experts...Grijalva proposes new 84,500-acre wilderness On Saturday at 10 a.m., Congressman Raul Grijalva will release a proposal for a bill to preserve the Tumacacori Highlands as a federal wilderness area, totaling 84,500 acres. He has been working with members of the community, local elected officials and environmental groups to develop the plan, said his press spokeswoman, Natalie Luna...Drilling on top of Roan Plateau not necessary: Environmentalists cite BLM report Energy developers could access at least 90 percent of the natural gas reserves in the Roan Plateau planning area without drilling on public lands on top of the plateau, environmentalists say. They base that conclusion on an internal document prepared by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Called a reasonable foreseeable development document, or RFD, it outlines the amount of gas development that might be expected in the planning area northwest of Rifle if there were few limitations in place...U.S. will need Bush energy bill, panel declares America's insatiable demand for energy will require the development of vast new sources of natural gas, coal and oil and the construction of billions of dollars worth of pipelines, transmission lines and power plants, experts say. That will require new tax breaks and other incentives to encourage businesses to invest in new infrastructure and more liberal policies about extracting natural resources from government lands, including national forests and wilderness areas. And, at the bottom line, Congress needs to pass a controversial national energy bill proposed by the Bush administration. That was the message delivered by a panel of government officials and energy industry leaders Thursday at the annual Summit of the West conference sponsored by the Western Business Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce...Drilling on mesa riles up environmentalists Restrictions allowing natural gas drilling on Otero Mesa were proposed Monday by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, angering environmentalists who say the guidelines are too lax. The agency's proposed Resource Management Plan was released after more than four years of study and discussion. It covers oil and gas leasing and development in Otero and Sierra counties in Southern New Mexico -- about 1.2 million acres on the border of Texas and New Mexico northeast of El Paso. "There will be a number of groups that will be protesting the issue, and this will ultimately end up in the courts," said Stephen Capra, associate director of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and an opponent of the proposal...Federal Charge of $25,280 to Fulfil Records Request Angers Activist The U.S. Bureau of Land Management answers about 100 Freedom of Information Act requests a year in California, usually without charging fees for its services. So it came as a shock to Sierra Club representative Edie Harmon of San Diego to learn recently that it would cost her group $25,280 for the BLM to provide the information she had sought in seven FOIA inquiries about off-road vehicle activity in California desert land managed by the agency. The Sierra Club plans to appeal the bureau's denial of a fee waiver in Harmon's case, and incorporate it into a lawsuit filed in March against the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees the BLM. In that lawsuit, the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, the Wilderness Society and the Alaska Wilderness League accused the Interior Department of illegally denying FOIA requests by environmental groups...Brucellosis testing could cost Wyoming ranchers millions Mandatory testing of breeder cattle for brucellosis could cost Wyoming ranchers more than $1 million a year, based on estimates from livestock and state officials. "It could become fairly costly," Wyoming Agriculture Department Director John Etchepare said. "It definitely is going to increase their cost of doing business." The Wyoming Livestock Board on Tuesday approved emergency testing rules to address concerns from other states about the safety of Wyoming cattle. In early December, 31 cattle in a western Wyoming herd were found to have brucellosis...It's a ropin' good time: From toughest cowboy to most-prized sheep, stock show delights Every January when he was growing up, J.D. Crouse would hop into the family rig, wave goodbye to his Nebraska ranch and ride six or seven hours to Denver - to a calf-ropin', steer-sellin', extended family reunion of sorts. This year, you should do the same, whether you've hit the National Western Stock Show, Rodeo & Horse Show all 97 times or never seen a sheep. When the 98th stock show draws 375 vendors, 15,000 farm animals and an estimated 650,000 people, you should be there. And your experience should be as authentic as possible...Canine cowboys at work: Cattle dogs save ranchers time, money The tiny ball of black-and-white fur darted back and forth behind the half-dozen calves, deftly dodging kicking heels to herd the livestock first left, then right. Mickey, an 8-year-old border collie that belongs to Land of Oz Cattle Dogs, of Colwich, was in the Expocentre's exercise arena Thursday, demonstrating prowess taught to her by owner John Mannebach. "If you have patience with them, they're going to save you a lot of time," Mannebach said, as he helped a younger pup, 9-month-old Dude, load the cattle into a waiting trailer...Lone vaquero storyteller energizes Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering A lone vaquero storyteller stands among the nearly 50 cowboy poets and musicians congregating this weekend for the 15th Annual Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Angel Vigil does not mind his solitary status. The gathering affords him an audience he might not otherwise reach. "A lot of people who are there, including the other performers, are either very interested in or directly connected to the ranch and cattle culture in the United States - the cowboy culture," Vigil said. "So to be able to do my work with those audiences is very fulfilling to me." Vaqueros were the world's first cowboys. In Spain, vaqueros were akin to shepherds and goat herders but watched cattle. They became cowboys when they started using horses to do their work in Spanish colonies in the New World...
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Lion Attacks O.C. Biker; Man Found Dead Nearby A bike rider was attacked by a mountain lion as she rode through a popular Orange County wilderness park Thursday, and the body of a man, who may have been killed by the same animal, was found nearby. If confirmed, the death would be the first killing of a human by a mountain lion in California since 1994. Hours later, sheriff's deputies shot to death a mountain lion spotted near where the man's body had been found. They said they were not certain they had killed the animal responsible for the attacks. Witnesses to the attack on the woman said the mountain lion clamped its jaws around her head and dragged her off the trail before she was rescued by other riders. "I have never seen anything like this — it was a tug of war between the mountain lion trying to drag her down the ravine by her face" and another cyclist "who had her by the legs," said Mike Castellano, 41, of Dana Point...Outgoing forester headed to D.C., Powell ends bid for elk foundation job Outgoing Northern Region Forester Brad Powell will work for the Forest Service in Washington, D.C., the agency said Thursday, and has declined a key position with the Missoula-based Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Powell, the Northern Region forester since 2001, had earlier turned down a Washington reassignment offered by Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth, officials say, saying he would retire after 32 years with the Forest Service and work for the elk foundation as the conservation group's senior vice president of lands and conservation. The Office of Inspector General had investigated allegations that Powell used government computers to access pornography, the Missoulian newspaper reported last month. Bosworth told the paper the investigation found nothing criminal, said Powell was not being demoted, praised his work spanning three decades but said he had "concerns out of the investigation."...Feds ponder how to curb rogue OHVs Calling off-highway vehicles one of the four "great threats" to ecosystems, the U.S. Forest Service is considering new rules that would clamp down on unregulated OHV use. A special planning team of Forest Service officials met in Salt Lake City on Wednesday to begin planning strategies to better manage the exploding popularity of OHVs, particularly the ubiquitous all-terrain vehicle. In the near future, the Forest Service is expected to announce proposed changes to federal rules to virtually prohibit so-called cross-country OHV travel, in which vehicles depart from designated routes. The initiative is being met with cautious optimism by environmentalists and OHV advocacy groups, which still are trying to learn more about it...Timber sale south of Livingston stopped by environmentalists The U.S. Forest Service's Northern Region office in Missoula has halted a proposed sale of 4.5 million board feet of timber in grizzly bear habitat south of here, environmentalists announced Wednesday. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition, the Park County Environmental Council, the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Native Ecosystems Council and two individuals all appealed the planned Windmill sale. "We're happy with the decision," said Jim Barrett, executive director of PCEC...Environmentalists seek to halt planned Jemez Mountain logging project A federal court has been asked to halt a proposal to salvage logs from 950 acres of burned Santa Fe National Forest in the Jemez Mountains. Two Santa Fe environmental groups—Forest Guardians and Santa Fe Forest Watch—filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to stop the project. The groups contend the U.S. Forest Service failed to properly evaluate the project in light of protected habitat around a pair of threatened Mexican spotted owls...USFS seeks alternatives to poisoning rainbow trout The U.S. Forest Service is looking at ways other than using poison to kill rainbow trout so native Paiute cutthroat trout can be restored in the southern part of Alpine County. The promise to create and analyze a list of alternatives less drastic than poison is in response to a successful legal challenge filed in August by the Center for Biological Diversity. The center and Nancy Erman, an aquatic ecology specialist who used to teach at the University of California at Davis, filed suit saying the project was in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act because of inadequate environmental analyses...Parcels ready for swap The Bureau of Land Management is poised to trade almost 6,500 acres of federal land for 970 acres of private property across from Lakeside marina on Hauser Lake. If the exchange goes through as expected, the federal agency will have swapped a total of about 8,000 acres of BLM land for the 2,000-acre Ward Ranch, making that formerly private property public. The BLM lands used in the exchange were scattered throughout about 10 counties and included about 100 parcels ranging in size from 1 to 920 acres. The total dollar value of the swap will be about $3 million, although the BLM only needs to come up with about $63,000 in cash to make up the difference in land values...Officials investigate deaths of six wolves The Michigan DNR is investigating the deaths of as many as six wolves killed recently in the Upper Peninsula. Several appear to have died from gunshot wounds. On Nov. 26, conservation officer Durance Paul was investigating a report of a radio-tracking collar that was emitting a mortality signal. Preliminary examination suggests that the animal was killed by gunshot. The female wolf was originally captured this past July in Mackinac County, and was found dead in Chippewa County. Tracking collars are equipped with mercury trigger switches that set off a mortality signal when there is no longer any activity of the collared animal. Even movement as slight as breathing will prevent the collar from emitting this signal...National panel meets in Colorado on environmental legislation Environmentalists expressed guarded optimism Thursday about a regional forum on efforts to modernize one of the country's landmark environmental laws. They said a task force looking at updating the National Environmental Policy Act wants to involve the public from the start when such activities as oil and gas drilling or ski-area expansions are analyzed for their potential impact on the environment or endangered species. The Colorado meeting, also scheduled for Friday, was the fourth in a series across the country to gather public comments on a report released last fall by the National Environmental Policy Act Task Force. The panel was formed by the White House Council on Environmental Quality in 2002 to study the law and includes federal employees and experts...Grijalva proposes new 84,500-acre wilderness On Saturday at 10 a.m., Congressman Raul Grijalva will release a proposal for a bill to preserve the Tumacacori Highlands as a federal wilderness area, totaling 84,500 acres. He has been working with members of the community, local elected officials and environmental groups to develop the plan, said his press spokeswoman, Natalie Luna...Drilling on top of Roan Plateau not necessary: Environmentalists cite BLM report Energy developers could access at least 90 percent of the natural gas reserves in the Roan Plateau planning area without drilling on public lands on top of the plateau, environmentalists say. They base that conclusion on an internal document prepared by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Called a reasonable foreseeable development document, or RFD, it outlines the amount of gas development that might be expected in the planning area northwest of Rifle if there were few limitations in place...U.S. will need Bush energy bill, panel declares America's insatiable demand for energy will require the development of vast new sources of natural gas, coal and oil and the construction of billions of dollars worth of pipelines, transmission lines and power plants, experts say. That will require new tax breaks and other incentives to encourage businesses to invest in new infrastructure and more liberal policies about extracting natural resources from government lands, including national forests and wilderness areas. And, at the bottom line, Congress needs to pass a controversial national energy bill proposed by the Bush administration. That was the message delivered by a panel of government officials and energy industry leaders Thursday at the annual Summit of the West conference sponsored by the Western Business Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce...Drilling on mesa riles up environmentalists Restrictions allowing natural gas drilling on Otero Mesa were proposed Monday by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, angering environmentalists who say the guidelines are too lax. The agency's proposed Resource Management Plan was released after more than four years of study and discussion. It covers oil and gas leasing and development in Otero and Sierra counties in Southern New Mexico -- about 1.2 million acres on the border of Texas and New Mexico northeast of El Paso. "There will be a number of groups that will be protesting the issue, and this will ultimately end up in the courts," said Stephen Capra, associate director of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and an opponent of the proposal...Federal Charge of $25,280 to Fulfil Records Request Angers Activist The U.S. Bureau of Land Management answers about 100 Freedom of Information Act requests a year in California, usually without charging fees for its services. So it came as a shock to Sierra Club representative Edie Harmon of San Diego to learn recently that it would cost her group $25,280 for the BLM to provide the information she had sought in seven FOIA inquiries about off-road vehicle activity in California desert land managed by the agency. The Sierra Club plans to appeal the bureau's denial of a fee waiver in Harmon's case, and incorporate it into a lawsuit filed in March against the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees the BLM. In that lawsuit, the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, the Wilderness Society and the Alaska Wilderness League accused the Interior Department of illegally denying FOIA requests by environmental groups...Brucellosis testing could cost Wyoming ranchers millions Mandatory testing of breeder cattle for brucellosis could cost Wyoming ranchers more than $1 million a year, based on estimates from livestock and state officials. "It could become fairly costly," Wyoming Agriculture Department Director John Etchepare said. "It definitely is going to increase their cost of doing business." The Wyoming Livestock Board on Tuesday approved emergency testing rules to address concerns from other states about the safety of Wyoming cattle. In early December, 31 cattle in a western Wyoming herd were found to have brucellosis...It's a ropin' good time: From toughest cowboy to most-prized sheep, stock show delights Every January when he was growing up, J.D. Crouse would hop into the family rig, wave goodbye to his Nebraska ranch and ride six or seven hours to Denver - to a calf-ropin', steer-sellin', extended family reunion of sorts. This year, you should do the same, whether you've hit the National Western Stock Show, Rodeo & Horse Show all 97 times or never seen a sheep. When the 98th stock show draws 375 vendors, 15,000 farm animals and an estimated 650,000 people, you should be there. And your experience should be as authentic as possible...Canine cowboys at work: Cattle dogs save ranchers time, money The tiny ball of black-and-white fur darted back and forth behind the half-dozen calves, deftly dodging kicking heels to herd the livestock first left, then right. Mickey, an 8-year-old border collie that belongs to Land of Oz Cattle Dogs, of Colwich, was in the Expocentre's exercise arena Thursday, demonstrating prowess taught to her by owner John Mannebach. "If you have patience with them, they're going to save you a lot of time," Mannebach said, as he helped a younger pup, 9-month-old Dude, load the cattle into a waiting trailer...Lone vaquero storyteller energizes Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering A lone vaquero storyteller stands among the nearly 50 cowboy poets and musicians congregating this weekend for the 15th Annual Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Angel Vigil does not mind his solitary status. The gathering affords him an audience he might not otherwise reach. "A lot of people who are there, including the other performers, are either very interested in or directly connected to the ranch and cattle culture in the United States - the cowboy culture," Vigil said. "So to be able to do my work with those audiences is very fulfilling to me." Vaqueros were the world's first cowboys. In Spain, vaqueros were akin to shepherds and goat herders but watched cattle. They became cowboys when they started using horses to do their work in Spanish colonies in the New World...
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Thursday, January 08, 2004
MAD COW NEWS
USDA Issues New Regulations To Address BSE Related Documents
The following regulations will be published in the Federal Register, and go into effect, on January 12, 2004.
Docket No. 03-048N, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Surveillance Program (PDF)
Docket 03-025IF, Prohibition of the Use of Specified Risk Materials for Human Food and Requirements for the Disposition of Non-Ambulatory Disabled Cattle (PDF)
Docket No. 03-038IF, Meat Produced by Advanced Meat/Bone Separation Machinery and Meat Recovery (AMR) Systems
Docket No. 01-033IF, Prohibition of the Use of Certain Stunning Devices Used to Immobilize Cattle During Slaughter (PDF)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2004 —The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service today issued four new rules to implement announcements made last week by Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman to further enhance safeguards against Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE).
On Dec. 30, 2003, Secretary Veneman announced a number of policies that will further strengthen protections against BSE, including the immediate banning of non-ambulatory (downer) animals from the human food supply. Rules to address the remaining issues are on display at the Federal Register today and are the result of many months of development. These policies involve: requiring additional process controls for establishments using advanced meat recovery (AMR) systems; holding meat from cattle that have been tested for BSE until the test results are received and they are negative; and prohibiting the air-injection stunning of cattle.
The rules released today include:
Product Holding. USDA is publishing a notice announcing that FSIS inspectors are no longer marking cattle tested for BSE as “inspected and passed” until confirmation is received that the cattle have, in fact, tested negative for BSE. FSIS will be issuing a directive to inspection program personnel outlining this policy.
Specified Risk Material. With the filing of an interim final rule, FSIS is declaring that skull, brain, trigeminal ganglia, eyes, vertebral column, spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia of cattle 30 months of age or older and the small intestine of all cattle are specified risk materials, thus prohibiting their use in the human food supply. Tonsils from all cattle are already considered inedible and therefore do not enter the food supply. These enhancements are consistent with the actions taken by Canada after the discovery of BSE there in May. These prohibitions are effective immediately upon publication in the Federal Register.
In this rule, FSIS is requiring federally inspected establishments that slaughter cattle remove, segregate and dispose of these specified risk materials so that they cannot possibly enter the food chain. To facilitate the enforcement of this rule, FSIS has developed procedures for verifying the approximate age of cattle that are slaughtered in official establishments. State inspected plants must have equivalent procedures in place to prevent these specified risk materials from entering the food supply.
Comments on this interim final rule will be accepted for 90 days after the publication of the rule in the Federal Register. Comments should be directed to: FSIS Docket Clerk, Docket #03-025IF, Room 102, Cotton Annex, 300 12th and C Street, SW, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
Advanced Meat Recovery. AMR is a technology that removes muscle tissue from the bone of beef carcasses under high pressure without incorporating bone material. AMR product can be labeled as “meat.” FSIS has previously established and enforced regulations that prohibit spinal cord from being included in products labeled as “meat.”
This interim final rule expands that prohibition to include dorsal root ganglia, clusters of nerve cells connected to the spinal cord along the vertebral column, in addition to spinal cord tissue. In addition, because the vertebral column and skull in cattle 30 months and older will be considered inedible, they cannot be used for AMR.
Comments on this interim final rule will be accepted for 90 days after the publication of the rule in the Federal Register. Comments should be directed to: FSIS Docket Clerk, Docket #03-038IF, Room 102, Cotton Annex, 300 12th and C Street, SW, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
Air-Injection Stunning. To ensure that portions of the brain are not dislocated into the tissues of the carcass as a consequence of humanely stunning cattle during the slaughter process, FSIS is issuing an interim final rule to ban the practice of air-injection stunning.
Comments on this interim final rule will be accepted for 90 days after the publication of the rule in the Federal Register. Comments should be directed to: FSIS Docket Clerk, Docket #01-033DF, Room 102, Cotton Annex, 300 12th and C Street, SW, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
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NOTE: Access news releases and other information at the FSIS web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov.
For Further Information, Contact:
FSIS Congressional and Public Affairs Staff
Phone: (202) 720-9113
Fax: (202) 690-0460
Cattle Farmers Say They Used Legal Feed The Canadian farm couple who raised the Holstein at the center of the U.S. mad cow scare insisted Thursday that everything they fed it was legal. In a news conference televised across Canada, now-retired farmers Wayne and Shirley Forsberg said they were shocked when DNA tests showed the infected cow was part of a herd they sold in 2001. The news has shaken confidence in North American beef. The Forsbergs said their records show the infected cow was born at their farm in 1997 and raised there. "We fed legal feed in an approved manner," Wayne Forsberg said from the couple's home in Nisku, about 16 miles south of Edmonton. The couple would not identify the company that made the feed...Pro-vegetarian group PETA launches alternative mad-cow website at Beef.com Type in Beef.com rather than Beef.org and Internet surfers seeking the latest on mad cow disease might think they've entered alternative cyberspace. The pro-vegetarian People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals launched its Beef.com website Wednesday, happily noting the similarity to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association online address. The Denver-based trade group's site at Beef.org promotes the wholesomeness of American beef products and insists the mad cow case reported in Washington state last month is a single isolated incident. But mistakenly type in Beef.com and up pops a picture of a foaming-at-the-mouth cow and the warning, "It's mad to eat meat."...Japanese Officials, U.S. to Meet on Beef Agriculture and health officials from Japan will meet Friday with U.S. counterparts to discuss safety procedures for American beef after the mad cow scare. The Japanese group expects to visit Washington state and Canada next week before deciding whether to lift a ban on imports of beef from the United States...Germany Finds BSE Test Lapses German authorities say attempts to save money may have been the reason for lapses in mandatory testing of beef for bovine spongiform encephalopathy last year, a consumer protection official said Thursday. A comparison of the number of slaughtered cattle and of tests for BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease, showed meat from more than 500 animals -- considerably fewer than the 17,000 initially reported may have reached consumers, said Alexander Mueller, deputy minister for consumer protection and agriculture. "There was an attempt to save money by not conducting BSE tests on animals older than 24 months" as required by law, Mueller told Bayerische Rundfunk radio...CDC: Watch out for human mad cow cases Federal health officials Thursday urged doctors to be on the lookout for suspect cases of mad cow disease in humans. The concern stems from the first reported case of mad cow disease in the United States in Washington state last month. Humans can contract a fatal, brain-wasting condition known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease from eating meat contaminated with the agent that causes mad cow disease. "The emergence of (mad cow disease) in the United States reinforces the need for physicians to be aware of the clinical features of vCJD in all patients, regardless of age," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wrote in the Jan. 9 issue of its journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report...U.S. will expand mad cow testing The U.S. Department of Agriculture probably will expand testing for mad cow disease to convince Japan, the largest buyer of U.S. beef, that the meat is safe. Plans to almost double mad cow tests to 38,000 this year may be augmented and some healthy-looking cattle older than 30 months may be examined, said Barb Powers, director of Colorado State University's Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Fort Collins. Currently only sick-looking cattle are tested. The $175 billion-a-year U.S. beef industry probably won't test all cattle, as Japan has demanded, because tests aren't sensitive enough to detect the disease in animals under 30 months, which represent 80 percent of those slaughtered, Powers said...Yoshinoya puts chicken on menu as beef runs out It looks increasingly likely that gyudon (beef bowl) restaurants may not be able to serve their signature dish as early as February if U.S. beef imports remain banned following that country's first case of mad cow disease. Gyudon restaurant chain operators plan to serve new dishes such as chicken and curry bowls to keep sales from falling, but it remains to be seen whether the new menus will find favor with customers. Restaurant chain operators are concerned that their revenues may take a beating...Column: As U.S. Pleads Mad-Cow Case, Past Practices Are a Handicap Days after the U.S. reported its first-ever case of mad-cow disease last month, American trade representatives rushed to Tokyo to try to persuade what had been the biggest foreign buyer of U.S. beef to lift its emergency import ban. But the trade delegation had a little-noticed handicap: The U.S. hasn't lifted a ban it placed on Japanese beef after the disease was first reported there more than two years ago. That prohibition has stayed put even though the Japanese have instituted the world's most extensive mad-cow testing program. Indeed, the U.S. during the past 14 years has been one of the nations quickest to slam shut its borders at the first sign of the fatal brain-wasting cattle disease -- a policy that puts the Bush administration in the awkward position of trying to persuade trading partners not to do what Washington has done in the past...Column: Mad Cows and Englishmen Considering the attention it has received from the media, one could easily receive the impression that Mad Cow Disease is a plague of inestimable dimension. Vegetarian activist groups such as People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals and The Center For Science in the Public Interest wasted no time in fanning the flames of fear. The appearance of one infected cow in Washington State (said bovine in fact being a Canadian immigrant) led them to trumpet the fearful consequences of consuming corn-fed Bossie. Which, of course, is an utter fabrication designed to further the odd agenda of those who spend their days campaigning against the ingestion of anything possessing a face. I'm not sure what is wrong with the radical vegetarians and animal activists. I don't know if they suffered childhood trauma, are mentally ill or simply failed so miserably at life amongst the humans that they view themselves as kindred souls with chickens, hogs and Herefords...Rep. Miller's sweeping mad cow plan East Bay Rep. George Miller, saying Wednesday that federal efforts to make the nation's beef supply safer had fallen short in the wake of the country's first case of mad cow disease, proposed that all 35 million to 40 million steers and dairy cows slaughtered annually should be tested for the disease. The beef industry said that Miller's sweeping proposal, which matches the strict inspection practices in countries where bovine spongiform encephalopathy has struck more widely, is unnecessary. Industry representatives said such a program, which could cost at least $1 billion, wouldn't effectively find animals with the slow-developing disease because most cattle are slaughtered long before they show any sign of it. Miller's plan was endorsed by food safety campaigners who say only testing all the slaughtered animals can guarantee a safe supply of beef. Like Miller, they fear the USDA hasn't taken enough steps to prevent the spread of mad cow, which has been linked to a brain-destroying disease in humans called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease...Importers Won't Take Shipments Of U.S. Beef: Japan, South Korea Unyielding on Ban All but a small fraction of 46,200 tons of U.S. beef at sea will be turned away from foreign ports, leaving the beef industry stuck with perishable products that must either make the two-week journey back home or be thrown away. David B. Hegwood, the Department of Agriculture's trade counsel, said Japanese and South Korean officials would not budge on their moratorium on U.S. beef imports, even for beef already en route when the first U.S. case of mad cow disease was detected last month. Some 2,200 container loads of beef, valued at $300 million, have been in limbo in the Pacific Ocean since the Dec. 23 discovery... Column: No Cow Left Behind For the first time in history the United States is faced with a confirmed case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow disease within its borders, but according to Northeastern University professor of chemistry Ira Krull there are many more undocumented cases just waiting to be discovered. "The American public should be concerned. At this moment, there is contaminated beef sitting in grocery stores and personal freezers across the country," said Krull. Krull, a strong advocate for mad cow disease testing of all slaughtered cows intended for market, suggests the U.S. follow the lead of countries such as England and Japan. England, in response to their mad cow disease epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s, instates mandatory testing of all slaughtered cows intended for market, keep detailed records of all cows within their borders, and banned the use of all ruminant feed. Currently the U.S. and Canada lag on all accounts, says Krull...Sellers pleasantly surprised at Great Falls auction The stands were crowded, but quiet at the Western Livestock Auction in Great Falls Wednesday morning, as ranchers gathered to watch the area's first cattle sale since news broke two weeks ago of a mad cow disease case in Washington state. Sellers were pleasantly surprised. Prices for cull cows, the bulk of Wednesday's sales, were more than 50 cents per hundredweight, roughly what they brought Dec. 17 in the last Great Falls auction before mad cow hit the news. But the Great Falls auction was something of a warm-up, Standley added. Most of the animals sold were "cull cows" -- old or surplus animals bound for the hamburger market. The real test will be Saturday, when the Diamond Ring Ranch of Miles City auctions off 40,000 head of feeder calves...
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USDA Issues New Regulations To Address BSE Related Documents
The following regulations will be published in the Federal Register, and go into effect, on January 12, 2004.
Docket No. 03-048N, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Surveillance Program (PDF)
Docket 03-025IF, Prohibition of the Use of Specified Risk Materials for Human Food and Requirements for the Disposition of Non-Ambulatory Disabled Cattle (PDF)
Docket No. 03-038IF, Meat Produced by Advanced Meat/Bone Separation Machinery and Meat Recovery (AMR) Systems
Docket No. 01-033IF, Prohibition of the Use of Certain Stunning Devices Used to Immobilize Cattle During Slaughter (PDF)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2004 —The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service today issued four new rules to implement announcements made last week by Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman to further enhance safeguards against Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE).
On Dec. 30, 2003, Secretary Veneman announced a number of policies that will further strengthen protections against BSE, including the immediate banning of non-ambulatory (downer) animals from the human food supply. Rules to address the remaining issues are on display at the Federal Register today and are the result of many months of development. These policies involve: requiring additional process controls for establishments using advanced meat recovery (AMR) systems; holding meat from cattle that have been tested for BSE until the test results are received and they are negative; and prohibiting the air-injection stunning of cattle.
The rules released today include:
Product Holding. USDA is publishing a notice announcing that FSIS inspectors are no longer marking cattle tested for BSE as “inspected and passed” until confirmation is received that the cattle have, in fact, tested negative for BSE. FSIS will be issuing a directive to inspection program personnel outlining this policy.
Specified Risk Material. With the filing of an interim final rule, FSIS is declaring that skull, brain, trigeminal ganglia, eyes, vertebral column, spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia of cattle 30 months of age or older and the small intestine of all cattle are specified risk materials, thus prohibiting their use in the human food supply. Tonsils from all cattle are already considered inedible and therefore do not enter the food supply. These enhancements are consistent with the actions taken by Canada after the discovery of BSE there in May. These prohibitions are effective immediately upon publication in the Federal Register.
In this rule, FSIS is requiring federally inspected establishments that slaughter cattle remove, segregate and dispose of these specified risk materials so that they cannot possibly enter the food chain. To facilitate the enforcement of this rule, FSIS has developed procedures for verifying the approximate age of cattle that are slaughtered in official establishments. State inspected plants must have equivalent procedures in place to prevent these specified risk materials from entering the food supply.
Comments on this interim final rule will be accepted for 90 days after the publication of the rule in the Federal Register. Comments should be directed to: FSIS Docket Clerk, Docket #03-025IF, Room 102, Cotton Annex, 300 12th and C Street, SW, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
Advanced Meat Recovery. AMR is a technology that removes muscle tissue from the bone of beef carcasses under high pressure without incorporating bone material. AMR product can be labeled as “meat.” FSIS has previously established and enforced regulations that prohibit spinal cord from being included in products labeled as “meat.”
This interim final rule expands that prohibition to include dorsal root ganglia, clusters of nerve cells connected to the spinal cord along the vertebral column, in addition to spinal cord tissue. In addition, because the vertebral column and skull in cattle 30 months and older will be considered inedible, they cannot be used for AMR.
Comments on this interim final rule will be accepted for 90 days after the publication of the rule in the Federal Register. Comments should be directed to: FSIS Docket Clerk, Docket #03-038IF, Room 102, Cotton Annex, 300 12th and C Street, SW, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
Air-Injection Stunning. To ensure that portions of the brain are not dislocated into the tissues of the carcass as a consequence of humanely stunning cattle during the slaughter process, FSIS is issuing an interim final rule to ban the practice of air-injection stunning.
Comments on this interim final rule will be accepted for 90 days after the publication of the rule in the Federal Register. Comments should be directed to: FSIS Docket Clerk, Docket #01-033DF, Room 102, Cotton Annex, 300 12th and C Street, SW, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
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NOTE: Access news releases and other information at the FSIS web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov.
For Further Information, Contact:
FSIS Congressional and Public Affairs Staff
Phone: (202) 720-9113
Fax: (202) 690-0460
Cattle Farmers Say They Used Legal Feed The Canadian farm couple who raised the Holstein at the center of the U.S. mad cow scare insisted Thursday that everything they fed it was legal. In a news conference televised across Canada, now-retired farmers Wayne and Shirley Forsberg said they were shocked when DNA tests showed the infected cow was part of a herd they sold in 2001. The news has shaken confidence in North American beef. The Forsbergs said their records show the infected cow was born at their farm in 1997 and raised there. "We fed legal feed in an approved manner," Wayne Forsberg said from the couple's home in Nisku, about 16 miles south of Edmonton. The couple would not identify the company that made the feed...Pro-vegetarian group PETA launches alternative mad-cow website at Beef.com Type in Beef.com rather than Beef.org and Internet surfers seeking the latest on mad cow disease might think they've entered alternative cyberspace. The pro-vegetarian People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals launched its Beef.com website Wednesday, happily noting the similarity to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association online address. The Denver-based trade group's site at Beef.org promotes the wholesomeness of American beef products and insists the mad cow case reported in Washington state last month is a single isolated incident. But mistakenly type in Beef.com and up pops a picture of a foaming-at-the-mouth cow and the warning, "It's mad to eat meat."...Japanese Officials, U.S. to Meet on Beef Agriculture and health officials from Japan will meet Friday with U.S. counterparts to discuss safety procedures for American beef after the mad cow scare. The Japanese group expects to visit Washington state and Canada next week before deciding whether to lift a ban on imports of beef from the United States...Germany Finds BSE Test Lapses German authorities say attempts to save money may have been the reason for lapses in mandatory testing of beef for bovine spongiform encephalopathy last year, a consumer protection official said Thursday. A comparison of the number of slaughtered cattle and of tests for BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease, showed meat from more than 500 animals -- considerably fewer than the 17,000 initially reported may have reached consumers, said Alexander Mueller, deputy minister for consumer protection and agriculture. "There was an attempt to save money by not conducting BSE tests on animals older than 24 months" as required by law, Mueller told Bayerische Rundfunk radio...CDC: Watch out for human mad cow cases Federal health officials Thursday urged doctors to be on the lookout for suspect cases of mad cow disease in humans. The concern stems from the first reported case of mad cow disease in the United States in Washington state last month. Humans can contract a fatal, brain-wasting condition known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease from eating meat contaminated with the agent that causes mad cow disease. "The emergence of (mad cow disease) in the United States reinforces the need for physicians to be aware of the clinical features of vCJD in all patients, regardless of age," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wrote in the Jan. 9 issue of its journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report...U.S. will expand mad cow testing The U.S. Department of Agriculture probably will expand testing for mad cow disease to convince Japan, the largest buyer of U.S. beef, that the meat is safe. Plans to almost double mad cow tests to 38,000 this year may be augmented and some healthy-looking cattle older than 30 months may be examined, said Barb Powers, director of Colorado State University's Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Fort Collins. Currently only sick-looking cattle are tested. The $175 billion-a-year U.S. beef industry probably won't test all cattle, as Japan has demanded, because tests aren't sensitive enough to detect the disease in animals under 30 months, which represent 80 percent of those slaughtered, Powers said...Yoshinoya puts chicken on menu as beef runs out It looks increasingly likely that gyudon (beef bowl) restaurants may not be able to serve their signature dish as early as February if U.S. beef imports remain banned following that country's first case of mad cow disease. Gyudon restaurant chain operators plan to serve new dishes such as chicken and curry bowls to keep sales from falling, but it remains to be seen whether the new menus will find favor with customers. Restaurant chain operators are concerned that their revenues may take a beating...Column: As U.S. Pleads Mad-Cow Case, Past Practices Are a Handicap Days after the U.S. reported its first-ever case of mad-cow disease last month, American trade representatives rushed to Tokyo to try to persuade what had been the biggest foreign buyer of U.S. beef to lift its emergency import ban. But the trade delegation had a little-noticed handicap: The U.S. hasn't lifted a ban it placed on Japanese beef after the disease was first reported there more than two years ago. That prohibition has stayed put even though the Japanese have instituted the world's most extensive mad-cow testing program. Indeed, the U.S. during the past 14 years has been one of the nations quickest to slam shut its borders at the first sign of the fatal brain-wasting cattle disease -- a policy that puts the Bush administration in the awkward position of trying to persuade trading partners not to do what Washington has done in the past...Column: Mad Cows and Englishmen Considering the attention it has received from the media, one could easily receive the impression that Mad Cow Disease is a plague of inestimable dimension. Vegetarian activist groups such as People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals and The Center For Science in the Public Interest wasted no time in fanning the flames of fear. The appearance of one infected cow in Washington State (said bovine in fact being a Canadian immigrant) led them to trumpet the fearful consequences of consuming corn-fed Bossie. Which, of course, is an utter fabrication designed to further the odd agenda of those who spend their days campaigning against the ingestion of anything possessing a face. I'm not sure what is wrong with the radical vegetarians and animal activists. I don't know if they suffered childhood trauma, are mentally ill or simply failed so miserably at life amongst the humans that they view themselves as kindred souls with chickens, hogs and Herefords...Rep. Miller's sweeping mad cow plan East Bay Rep. George Miller, saying Wednesday that federal efforts to make the nation's beef supply safer had fallen short in the wake of the country's first case of mad cow disease, proposed that all 35 million to 40 million steers and dairy cows slaughtered annually should be tested for the disease. The beef industry said that Miller's sweeping proposal, which matches the strict inspection practices in countries where bovine spongiform encephalopathy has struck more widely, is unnecessary. Industry representatives said such a program, which could cost at least $1 billion, wouldn't effectively find animals with the slow-developing disease because most cattle are slaughtered long before they show any sign of it. Miller's plan was endorsed by food safety campaigners who say only testing all the slaughtered animals can guarantee a safe supply of beef. Like Miller, they fear the USDA hasn't taken enough steps to prevent the spread of mad cow, which has been linked to a brain-destroying disease in humans called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease...Importers Won't Take Shipments Of U.S. Beef: Japan, South Korea Unyielding on Ban All but a small fraction of 46,200 tons of U.S. beef at sea will be turned away from foreign ports, leaving the beef industry stuck with perishable products that must either make the two-week journey back home or be thrown away. David B. Hegwood, the Department of Agriculture's trade counsel, said Japanese and South Korean officials would not budge on their moratorium on U.S. beef imports, even for beef already en route when the first U.S. case of mad cow disease was detected last month. Some 2,200 container loads of beef, valued at $300 million, have been in limbo in the Pacific Ocean since the Dec. 23 discovery... Column: No Cow Left Behind For the first time in history the United States is faced with a confirmed case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow disease within its borders, but according to Northeastern University professor of chemistry Ira Krull there are many more undocumented cases just waiting to be discovered. "The American public should be concerned. At this moment, there is contaminated beef sitting in grocery stores and personal freezers across the country," said Krull. Krull, a strong advocate for mad cow disease testing of all slaughtered cows intended for market, suggests the U.S. follow the lead of countries such as England and Japan. England, in response to their mad cow disease epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s, instates mandatory testing of all slaughtered cows intended for market, keep detailed records of all cows within their borders, and banned the use of all ruminant feed. Currently the U.S. and Canada lag on all accounts, says Krull...Sellers pleasantly surprised at Great Falls auction The stands were crowded, but quiet at the Western Livestock Auction in Great Falls Wednesday morning, as ranchers gathered to watch the area's first cattle sale since news broke two weeks ago of a mad cow disease case in Washington state. Sellers were pleasantly surprised. Prices for cull cows, the bulk of Wednesday's sales, were more than 50 cents per hundredweight, roughly what they brought Dec. 17 in the last Great Falls auction before mad cow hit the news. But the Great Falls auction was something of a warm-up, Standley added. Most of the animals sold were "cull cows" -- old or surplus animals bound for the hamburger market. The real test will be Saturday, when the Diamond Ring Ranch of Miles City auctions off 40,000 head of feeder calves...
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Wednesday, January 07, 2004
NEWS ROUNDUP
Decision thwarts ranching advocates Ranching advocates winced after a federal judge chose to uphold a 1996 livestock removal order affecting the Gila National Forest and the Apache National Forest. A Dec. 23 press release from the Center for Biological Diversity announced that the Diamond Bar and Laney cattle companies will have to remove hundreds of cattle from two former national forest grazing allotments within 30 days of the Dec. 22 injunction or face severe federal penalties. The Diamond Bar allotment occupies 146,470 acres and the Laney allotment occupies 27,926 acres. Both allotments are located in Catron County, N.M. This precedent-setting decision sides with the U.S. Forest Service's opinion that grazing rights must be obtained by applying for a permit with the Forest Service. The Laneys tried to claim that by owning the private property rights, they did not need a permit to graze cattle on the land. The decision by the judge means the argument used by the Laneys was ineffective and that ranchers who are grazing without a permit will not be able to successfully use it to their defense in the future...New Potential Threat for Peregrine Falcons The impressive Peregrine falcon, which fought its way off the U.S. endangered species list less than five years ago, may soon be facing a different kind of threat. Findings published in the current issue of the journal Environmental Science and Technology suggest that the creature's eggs may be susceptible to contamination from a popular flame retardant chemical, which scientists previously thought did not pose a threat to wildlife...Feds offer $7.1 million for private conservation The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a $7.1 million pie for private lands conservation, and landowners and their partners can seek a slice of the funding through March 8. The federal government this week put out the call for proposals for funding for "on-the-ground" conservation efforts that benefit imperiled species. In its second year, the Private Stewardship Grants Program last May funded 113 grants worth $9.4 million to individuals and groups to take on conservation projects for endangered, threatened and other at-risk species on private lands in 43 states...House of Sand and Strictures It is axiomatic that if you find a beautiful spot and build on it, you risk making the site less beautiful. That is especially true in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, where views are long, water is scarce and buildings can be seen for miles. Only 13 percent of Pima County, which encompasses Tucson, is open for development, according to John Strobeck, owner of the Bright Future Consulting Company, which analyzes the home building market in Tucson. The rest is government land: Indian reservations, parks and national forests. Development is further restricted by Federal Emergency Management Agency regulations demanding proof that any new home have adequate water for the next 100 years. Building sites must also be surveyed for plants like pineapple cactus and saguaro, and during construction, those plants must be either maintained or replanted. And then there is drought and risk of fire. Nevertheless, 7,000 homes are built each year in Pima County...HSUS Hollywood Office Releases Annual 'Foe Paw' Report '20/20's' John Stossel, 'Jimmy Kimmel Live,' 'The Simpsons,' and 'Fear Factor' are given the thumbs down for their negative animal messages in the 2003 "FOE PAW" REPORT, the annual top ten dishonor role compiled by The Humane Society Of The United States (HSUS) Hollywood Office, part of the nation's largest animal-protection organization. The HSUS Hollywood Office monitors the news and entertainment media for its coverage of animal issues and, as presenter of the annual Genesis Awards, also honors the media for the very best in pro-animal coverage...Tony Curtis to unveil his artistic sheep As the first of quite a few celebrities painting bighorn sheep to save the endangered species, film actor Tony Curtis will present his artistic vision at 3 p.m. today at The Lodge at Rancho Mirage. The artist, Academy Award nominee and star of such films as "Some Like It Hot," painted the fiberglass replica that will be displayed and auctioned for charity. His bright acrylic canvases have been compared to Matisse...Search for Mexican gray wolf continues Two wolf experts, Don Lonsway and Mike Haen, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services Division were expected to arrive at Binder Park Zoo on Tuesday night to aid in the search of the missing Mexican gray wolf. The trained wolf biologists and trappers will aid zoo employees already scanning the area with their additional equipment and expertise of wild wolves. It's unclear what specific techniques they may use... Wolves kill Wamsutter cattle According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Wildlife Services has confirmed that wolves killed several beef cattle in the Wamsutter area. It appears that one or two wolves were involved in the killing and Wildlife Services animal damage control specialists have been authorized to remove up to two wolves from the area, which is not far from the Colorado border. Rancher Charlie Juare said when he began gathering cattle on the checkerboard area of the Red Desert north of Wamsutter right after Christmas, two extremely crippled cows were found, as well as other stiff and sore cattle. Injuries to the cattle include having their tails chewed off near the backbone and severely infected wounds to their front legs at the elbow. All of the affected cattle are yearling bred heifers weighing about 900 pounds at this time of year. One of the cows couldn't get up and subsequently died. Federal wildlife officials skinned her carcass and discovered the trauma associated with wolf predation. A second cow was killed as well, he said...2 more endangered wolves found dead Two more endangered Mexican gray wolves have been found dead bringing the total to 11 deaths in New Mexico and Arizona since March. A female wolf from the Hondah Pack was found dead on the White Mountain Apache Reservation on Christmas Eve. An alpha male of the Cienega Pack was found on the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest in Arizona on Dec. 21. Both deaths are being investigated, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman Elizabeth Slown said...Federal Coal-Mining Policy Comes Under Fire Internal government documents show that officials from a variety of agencies unsuccessfully criticized the Bush administration's effort to let coal miners continue the practice of "mountaintop removal" mining -- the leveling of mountain peaks to extract coal -- in Appalachia. At issue is a draft environmental impact statement analyzing the effects of the widely practiced technique on streams, wildlife and forests and proposing three approaches for regulation. Although the administration said all three approaches would improve environmental protections, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the administration's alternatives to regulate mountaintop removal mining "cannot be interpreted as ensuring any improved environmental protection," according to a document obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request...Elk numbers plummet; wildlife managers respond by regulating hunters Elk numbers continue to plummet in the northern Yellowstone elk herd, according to a report released late Tuesday. The herd is now the smallest it's been since the 1970s. A Dec. 18 flight by state and federal biologists found 8,355 elk despite "relatively good survey conditions," which means good weather and enough snow to make elk visible from the air. That's a drop of at least 880 elk, or 9.5 percent, from last year's count of 9,215, when conditions were poor and biologists said they probably missed a lot of elk. The herd has dropped by an average of 6 percent a year since 1994, when the herd had at least 19,359 elk. That timespan coincides with the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1995... In Selling Nature's Treasures, Dozens Buy Trouble Yesterday, officials with the National Park Service and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries announced the sting operation based at the Elkton store. It was all part of a multiyear, multi-state investigation into the illegal harvest or sale of American ginseng and black bear organs, much of it for exportation to Asia. More than 100 people from several states could face charges resulting from the investigation, which tracked the illicit plants with a recently developed arsenal of special dyes and silicon chips. More than 40 people have been been charged in sealed indictments. Two were in custody...BLM orders more study of coal-bed methane drilling plan Agreeing in part with concerns raised by a conservation group, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Wednesday ordered more environmental analysis on 18 planned coal-bed methane wells southwest of Gillette. Marathon Oil Corp., through its subsidiary Pennaco Energy, has not yet begun drilling the wells and the remanding of the environmental study does not revoke or suspend drilling permits the BLM granted in September, according to Phil Perlewitz, acting deputy state director for minerals and lands. No timetable is set for the additional study. "I would anticipate it would be done as soon as possible," Perlewitz said...Western Shoshone tribes divided over land dispute with government Two elderly Indian sisters haul hay, mend fences and round up cattle at their ranch in this remote Nevada valley. Between chores, they spearhead one of the most controversial land battles in the West. It's a conflict that has pitted Western Shoshone Indians against the federal government for decades and deeply divided Western Shoshone tribes along the way. At its center are Mary and Carrie Dann, obstinate and blunt women whose deeply lined faces and callused hands speak of a life of hard work on this arid, high desert. Many people consider the sisters modern Indian heroes. Others consider them fanatics out of touch with reality...Pair 'duel' over badlands Ten months after Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson challenged his New Mexico counterpart to settle a land dispute with a duel, they took up their guns. Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson (left) and New Mexico counterpart Patrick H. Lyons get set to 'duel' south of Austin. Patterson's challenge last year led to Wednesday's photo op. Sort of. Patterson and New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Patrick H. Lyons traded pleasantries instead of gunfire Wednesday as they posed with .44-caliber flintlock dueling pistols during a trip to an exotic game ranch. The 145-year-old land dispute involves 603,485 acres in West Texas that New Mexico lawmakers said they lost because of a flawed survey. The strip of land is three miles wide and 320 miles long, according to the New Mexico State Land Office, which called it land "that technically belongs to New Mexico." It includes the Texas towns of Texline, Farwell, Bledsoe and Bronco, the Texas General Land Office said. (Take a look at the photo and you will see which state raises real cowboys)...Column: Mainstreaming Green The environmental movement has spent three years playing defense against a president they call the most anti-environment in history. Now they want payback, and hope to pull off a notoriously tough task: making green issues a big deal in a national race. Already, the environment has become an issue in the Democratic contest, though not always in the way environmentalists would hope. Sen. John Kerry's (D-Mass.) campaign recently circulated literature that misleadingly claims Howard Dean compiled a poor environmental record as Vermont governor. But looking beyond the primaries, there are signs that green issues could play an important role this year, when the environmental differences between the eventual nominee and Bush will be massive compared to any between the Democrats themselves. Enviros say their 2004 campaign will be bigger and, more importantly, better than past cycles, and strategists believe the White House's dismantling of environmental protections leave Bush vulnerable to attack...Bush planning to add another Utahn to EPA The Environmental Protection Agency is in position to pluck another Utahn -- this time, former Gov. Mike Leavitt's chief of staff. President George Bush on Wednesday announced he intends to nominate Charlie Johnson, 67, to work as chief financial officer of the EPA. If confirmed by the Senate, Johnson, president of Huntsman Cancer Foundation and member of the Utah Board of Regents, will again join forces with Leavitt, who now heads the agency...County joins desert posse in get-tough desert dust operation The county joined nine Coachella Valley cities in adopting a law to dramatically reduce desert dust by 2006. Riverside County's participation in the region's stringent Fugitive Dust Control Ordinance was crucial because it means builders and developers can't escape dust control requirements by moving projects outside local city boundaries. "It is the most serious air quality problem in the desert," Supervisor Roy Wilson said of the tiny dust particles known as PM10 - meaning particulate matter is less than 10 microns in diameter. Coachella Valley skies have exceeded federal limits on PM10 since 1999. The Environmental Protection Agency has given the valley until 2006 to clear the skies...SRP, UA plot history of Arizona droughts to gauge threat now Salt River Project and the University of Arizona will study droughts dating back nearly 1,500 years in an effort to gauge how serious a threat the current drought is to the region's long-term water supply. Researchers in UA's Tree Ring Laboratory will reconstruct annual runoff and streamflows on the Salt, Verde and upper Colorado rivers and some of their tributaries. Those rivers provide much of the Valley's drinking water. Findings from the joint study could help SRP and other water agencies better plan for droughts, offering hints about how long dry spells can last on the major rivers and how often drought occurs on two major river systems at the same time... Earthquakes rattle Jackson area Four earthquakes shook the Jackson, Wyo., area early Wednesday morning, including a magnitude 5.0 earthquake that was the largest ever recorded in Teton County. The 5.0 quake struck at 12:51 a.m. and shook for about six seconds, according to Lance Cook with the Wyoming State Geological Survey. The quakes were centered near lower Slide Lake just outside Kelly, Wyo., which is northeast of Jackson. After the first shake, a 3.7 earthquake was recorded at 1:27 a.m., followed by a 4.1 earthquake at 1:44 a.m. and a 4.0 earthquake at 2:23 a.m. The quakes happened in the area of the Gros Ventre Fault, which lies beneath the Gros Ventre mountain range. The area, which typically experiences several quakes a year, was the site of a 3.5 earthquake on Dec. 30...Mexican charreada Gerardo "Jerry" Diaz has vowed to keep the tradition of charro alive through acts woven into the Mexican extravaganza he will present this weekend at the National Western Stock Show. The event will feature a new spin on a historic event: the charreada, featuring the skillful horsemanship of charros, Mexican gentlemen known for horsemanship, roping and preserving the ethics of family life...Some cuss words aren't really cuss words I suspect the commandment about not taking the Lord's name in vain has kept a lot of good people out of heaven, especially those who own livestock or who work with worn-out farm machinery. I doubt the Lord himself could load hogs or operate a hay baler without losing his temper. Through history we read of the teamster who could singe the hair on his mule's ears with profanity and the prevaricator who could cuss like a sailor. I can still taste the lye soap Grandma Trew used to wash my mouth after I uttered my first cuss word in her presence. Though her remedy was more effective than a month of sermons, it would be judged as cruel and unusual punishment by today's standards and bring about a lawsuit. That could be the reason Grandpa Trew's worst words were "my goodness."...
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Decision thwarts ranching advocates Ranching advocates winced after a federal judge chose to uphold a 1996 livestock removal order affecting the Gila National Forest and the Apache National Forest. A Dec. 23 press release from the Center for Biological Diversity announced that the Diamond Bar and Laney cattle companies will have to remove hundreds of cattle from two former national forest grazing allotments within 30 days of the Dec. 22 injunction or face severe federal penalties. The Diamond Bar allotment occupies 146,470 acres and the Laney allotment occupies 27,926 acres. Both allotments are located in Catron County, N.M. This precedent-setting decision sides with the U.S. Forest Service's opinion that grazing rights must be obtained by applying for a permit with the Forest Service. The Laneys tried to claim that by owning the private property rights, they did not need a permit to graze cattle on the land. The decision by the judge means the argument used by the Laneys was ineffective and that ranchers who are grazing without a permit will not be able to successfully use it to their defense in the future...New Potential Threat for Peregrine Falcons The impressive Peregrine falcon, which fought its way off the U.S. endangered species list less than five years ago, may soon be facing a different kind of threat. Findings published in the current issue of the journal Environmental Science and Technology suggest that the creature's eggs may be susceptible to contamination from a popular flame retardant chemical, which scientists previously thought did not pose a threat to wildlife...Feds offer $7.1 million for private conservation The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a $7.1 million pie for private lands conservation, and landowners and their partners can seek a slice of the funding through March 8. The federal government this week put out the call for proposals for funding for "on-the-ground" conservation efforts that benefit imperiled species. In its second year, the Private Stewardship Grants Program last May funded 113 grants worth $9.4 million to individuals and groups to take on conservation projects for endangered, threatened and other at-risk species on private lands in 43 states...House of Sand and Strictures It is axiomatic that if you find a beautiful spot and build on it, you risk making the site less beautiful. That is especially true in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, where views are long, water is scarce and buildings can be seen for miles. Only 13 percent of Pima County, which encompasses Tucson, is open for development, according to John Strobeck, owner of the Bright Future Consulting Company, which analyzes the home building market in Tucson. The rest is government land: Indian reservations, parks and national forests. Development is further restricted by Federal Emergency Management Agency regulations demanding proof that any new home have adequate water for the next 100 years. Building sites must also be surveyed for plants like pineapple cactus and saguaro, and during construction, those plants must be either maintained or replanted. And then there is drought and risk of fire. Nevertheless, 7,000 homes are built each year in Pima County...HSUS Hollywood Office Releases Annual 'Foe Paw' Report '20/20's' John Stossel, 'Jimmy Kimmel Live,' 'The Simpsons,' and 'Fear Factor' are given the thumbs down for their negative animal messages in the 2003 "FOE PAW" REPORT, the annual top ten dishonor role compiled by The Humane Society Of The United States (HSUS) Hollywood Office, part of the nation's largest animal-protection organization. The HSUS Hollywood Office monitors the news and entertainment media for its coverage of animal issues and, as presenter of the annual Genesis Awards, also honors the media for the very best in pro-animal coverage...Tony Curtis to unveil his artistic sheep As the first of quite a few celebrities painting bighorn sheep to save the endangered species, film actor Tony Curtis will present his artistic vision at 3 p.m. today at The Lodge at Rancho Mirage. The artist, Academy Award nominee and star of such films as "Some Like It Hot," painted the fiberglass replica that will be displayed and auctioned for charity. His bright acrylic canvases have been compared to Matisse...Search for Mexican gray wolf continues Two wolf experts, Don Lonsway and Mike Haen, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services Division were expected to arrive at Binder Park Zoo on Tuesday night to aid in the search of the missing Mexican gray wolf. The trained wolf biologists and trappers will aid zoo employees already scanning the area with their additional equipment and expertise of wild wolves. It's unclear what specific techniques they may use... Wolves kill Wamsutter cattle According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Wildlife Services has confirmed that wolves killed several beef cattle in the Wamsutter area. It appears that one or two wolves were involved in the killing and Wildlife Services animal damage control specialists have been authorized to remove up to two wolves from the area, which is not far from the Colorado border. Rancher Charlie Juare said when he began gathering cattle on the checkerboard area of the Red Desert north of Wamsutter right after Christmas, two extremely crippled cows were found, as well as other stiff and sore cattle. Injuries to the cattle include having their tails chewed off near the backbone and severely infected wounds to their front legs at the elbow. All of the affected cattle are yearling bred heifers weighing about 900 pounds at this time of year. One of the cows couldn't get up and subsequently died. Federal wildlife officials skinned her carcass and discovered the trauma associated with wolf predation. A second cow was killed as well, he said...2 more endangered wolves found dead Two more endangered Mexican gray wolves have been found dead bringing the total to 11 deaths in New Mexico and Arizona since March. A female wolf from the Hondah Pack was found dead on the White Mountain Apache Reservation on Christmas Eve. An alpha male of the Cienega Pack was found on the Apache Sitgreaves National Forest in Arizona on Dec. 21. Both deaths are being investigated, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman Elizabeth Slown said...Federal Coal-Mining Policy Comes Under Fire Internal government documents show that officials from a variety of agencies unsuccessfully criticized the Bush administration's effort to let coal miners continue the practice of "mountaintop removal" mining -- the leveling of mountain peaks to extract coal -- in Appalachia. At issue is a draft environmental impact statement analyzing the effects of the widely practiced technique on streams, wildlife and forests and proposing three approaches for regulation. Although the administration said all three approaches would improve environmental protections, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the administration's alternatives to regulate mountaintop removal mining "cannot be interpreted as ensuring any improved environmental protection," according to a document obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request...Elk numbers plummet; wildlife managers respond by regulating hunters Elk numbers continue to plummet in the northern Yellowstone elk herd, according to a report released late Tuesday. The herd is now the smallest it's been since the 1970s. A Dec. 18 flight by state and federal biologists found 8,355 elk despite "relatively good survey conditions," which means good weather and enough snow to make elk visible from the air. That's a drop of at least 880 elk, or 9.5 percent, from last year's count of 9,215, when conditions were poor and biologists said they probably missed a lot of elk. The herd has dropped by an average of 6 percent a year since 1994, when the herd had at least 19,359 elk. That timespan coincides with the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1995... In Selling Nature's Treasures, Dozens Buy Trouble Yesterday, officials with the National Park Service and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries announced the sting operation based at the Elkton store. It was all part of a multiyear, multi-state investigation into the illegal harvest or sale of American ginseng and black bear organs, much of it for exportation to Asia. More than 100 people from several states could face charges resulting from the investigation, which tracked the illicit plants with a recently developed arsenal of special dyes and silicon chips. More than 40 people have been been charged in sealed indictments. Two were in custody...BLM orders more study of coal-bed methane drilling plan Agreeing in part with concerns raised by a conservation group, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Wednesday ordered more environmental analysis on 18 planned coal-bed methane wells southwest of Gillette. Marathon Oil Corp., through its subsidiary Pennaco Energy, has not yet begun drilling the wells and the remanding of the environmental study does not revoke or suspend drilling permits the BLM granted in September, according to Phil Perlewitz, acting deputy state director for minerals and lands. No timetable is set for the additional study. "I would anticipate it would be done as soon as possible," Perlewitz said...Western Shoshone tribes divided over land dispute with government Two elderly Indian sisters haul hay, mend fences and round up cattle at their ranch in this remote Nevada valley. Between chores, they spearhead one of the most controversial land battles in the West. It's a conflict that has pitted Western Shoshone Indians against the federal government for decades and deeply divided Western Shoshone tribes along the way. At its center are Mary and Carrie Dann, obstinate and blunt women whose deeply lined faces and callused hands speak of a life of hard work on this arid, high desert. Many people consider the sisters modern Indian heroes. Others consider them fanatics out of touch with reality...Pair 'duel' over badlands Ten months after Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson challenged his New Mexico counterpart to settle a land dispute with a duel, they took up their guns. Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson (left) and New Mexico counterpart Patrick H. Lyons get set to 'duel' south of Austin. Patterson's challenge last year led to Wednesday's photo op. Sort of. Patterson and New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Patrick H. Lyons traded pleasantries instead of gunfire Wednesday as they posed with .44-caliber flintlock dueling pistols during a trip to an exotic game ranch. The 145-year-old land dispute involves 603,485 acres in West Texas that New Mexico lawmakers said they lost because of a flawed survey. The strip of land is three miles wide and 320 miles long, according to the New Mexico State Land Office, which called it land "that technically belongs to New Mexico." It includes the Texas towns of Texline, Farwell, Bledsoe and Bronco, the Texas General Land Office said. (Take a look at the photo and you will see which state raises real cowboys)...Column: Mainstreaming Green The environmental movement has spent three years playing defense against a president they call the most anti-environment in history. Now they want payback, and hope to pull off a notoriously tough task: making green issues a big deal in a national race. Already, the environment has become an issue in the Democratic contest, though not always in the way environmentalists would hope. Sen. John Kerry's (D-Mass.) campaign recently circulated literature that misleadingly claims Howard Dean compiled a poor environmental record as Vermont governor. But looking beyond the primaries, there are signs that green issues could play an important role this year, when the environmental differences between the eventual nominee and Bush will be massive compared to any between the Democrats themselves. Enviros say their 2004 campaign will be bigger and, more importantly, better than past cycles, and strategists believe the White House's dismantling of environmental protections leave Bush vulnerable to attack...Bush planning to add another Utahn to EPA The Environmental Protection Agency is in position to pluck another Utahn -- this time, former Gov. Mike Leavitt's chief of staff. President George Bush on Wednesday announced he intends to nominate Charlie Johnson, 67, to work as chief financial officer of the EPA. If confirmed by the Senate, Johnson, president of Huntsman Cancer Foundation and member of the Utah Board of Regents, will again join forces with Leavitt, who now heads the agency...County joins desert posse in get-tough desert dust operation The county joined nine Coachella Valley cities in adopting a law to dramatically reduce desert dust by 2006. Riverside County's participation in the region's stringent Fugitive Dust Control Ordinance was crucial because it means builders and developers can't escape dust control requirements by moving projects outside local city boundaries. "It is the most serious air quality problem in the desert," Supervisor Roy Wilson said of the tiny dust particles known as PM10 - meaning particulate matter is less than 10 microns in diameter. Coachella Valley skies have exceeded federal limits on PM10 since 1999. The Environmental Protection Agency has given the valley until 2006 to clear the skies...SRP, UA plot history of Arizona droughts to gauge threat now Salt River Project and the University of Arizona will study droughts dating back nearly 1,500 years in an effort to gauge how serious a threat the current drought is to the region's long-term water supply. Researchers in UA's Tree Ring Laboratory will reconstruct annual runoff and streamflows on the Salt, Verde and upper Colorado rivers and some of their tributaries. Those rivers provide much of the Valley's drinking water. Findings from the joint study could help SRP and other water agencies better plan for droughts, offering hints about how long dry spells can last on the major rivers and how often drought occurs on two major river systems at the same time... Earthquakes rattle Jackson area Four earthquakes shook the Jackson, Wyo., area early Wednesday morning, including a magnitude 5.0 earthquake that was the largest ever recorded in Teton County. The 5.0 quake struck at 12:51 a.m. and shook for about six seconds, according to Lance Cook with the Wyoming State Geological Survey. The quakes were centered near lower Slide Lake just outside Kelly, Wyo., which is northeast of Jackson. After the first shake, a 3.7 earthquake was recorded at 1:27 a.m., followed by a 4.1 earthquake at 1:44 a.m. and a 4.0 earthquake at 2:23 a.m. The quakes happened in the area of the Gros Ventre Fault, which lies beneath the Gros Ventre mountain range. The area, which typically experiences several quakes a year, was the site of a 3.5 earthquake on Dec. 30...Mexican charreada Gerardo "Jerry" Diaz has vowed to keep the tradition of charro alive through acts woven into the Mexican extravaganza he will present this weekend at the National Western Stock Show. The event will feature a new spin on a historic event: the charreada, featuring the skillful horsemanship of charros, Mexican gentlemen known for horsemanship, roping and preserving the ethics of family life...Some cuss words aren't really cuss words I suspect the commandment about not taking the Lord's name in vain has kept a lot of good people out of heaven, especially those who own livestock or who work with worn-out farm machinery. I doubt the Lord himself could load hogs or operate a hay baler without losing his temper. Through history we read of the teamster who could singe the hair on his mule's ears with profanity and the prevaricator who could cuss like a sailor. I can still taste the lye soap Grandma Trew used to wash my mouth after I uttered my first cuss word in her presence. Though her remedy was more effective than a month of sermons, it would be judged as cruel and unusual punishment by today's standards and bring about a lawsuit. That could be the reason Grandpa Trew's worst words were "my goodness."...
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Nevada Live Stock Association
9732 State Route 445, #305
Sparks, NV 89436
775.424.0570
For Immediate Release
January 7, 2003
Testimony Favors Court Order Before Cattle Impoundment
The Nevada Live Stock Association (NLSA) once again defended "due process" to be afforded those in the cattle industry threatened with impoundment actions by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). "Personal property in cattle is the subject matter of the state not the federal government or Bureau of Land Management (BLM)," said NLSA Lawyer Mike Van Zandt. The hearing occurred December 22, 2003 in the Second Judicial District Court, Reno, Nevada. Judge Janet Berry presided over the court motions and testimony.
As filed, "The purpose of the hearing is to determine the validity of action on the part of the department (Department of Agriculture) in determining whether the BLM is in legal possession of impounded cattle and issuing Brand Inspection Clearance Certificates to the BLM for impounded cattle." (Case No. CV03-06171).
Unforeseen admissions occurred during the testimony phase of the hearing. Under cross-examination from NLSA attorney Van Zandt both Department of Agriculture Director Don Henderson and head brand inspector Jim Connelley admitted that it had been the "firm policy" of the department not to allow impoundment and sale of cattle by any person without a court order. Henderson and Connelley in testimony alleged that after consultation with Deputy Attorney General and her subsequent issuance of an unofficial opinion letter regarding BLM livestock impoundment they had changed their "firm policy". Gina Session, at the time was a Deputy to Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa and now serves under Attorney General Brian Sandoval.
Connelley testified that, "I still think it is abhorrent to not have a court order." In addition, from the witness stand he pointed at his own attorney, Gina Session, and said, "It was you that told us to do it this way."
Don Henderson, also under cross-examination, testified that the Brand Department changed their "firm policy" upon the instruction of Frankie Sue Del Papa, through Gina Session.
Essentially, the testimony revealed a doubt between the Department of Agriculture and Gina Session on the issue of the validity of the BLM not having to produce a court order for documentation of legal possession. From the testimony, it appeared that the brand department before Frankie Sue Del Papa and Session's interference had been relying upon their interpretation of the Nevada Revised Statutes and over 100 years of brand law. The Department's "firm policy" was based upon the brand being prima facie evidence of ownership in a dispute. Anyone disputing the brand had to prove otherwise, before legal possession could take effect.
"Our sources have told us that contracts were issued to federal rustlers to confiscate 3,000 head of livestock which could easily be accomplished under Session's unofficial opinion. This policy exposes the State to an extraordinary liability, while it allows the federal government to play fast and loose with rancher's property," said Ramona Morrison, NLSA Secretary.
Van Zandt established crucial evidence during argument and testimony that the Brand Inspection Clearance Certificates issued at the Colvin cattle impoundment for the BLM were issued because the BLM was a "very special person" who did not need a court order like everyone else.
"The owner (Ben Colvin) of record appeared in the left hand corner where it is supposed to, and the branded cattle were listed with Ben Colvin's brand, and yet, a third party signs as the owner or authorized agent. So, I do agree it is abhorrent," said Jackie Holmgren after the hearing was concluded. "If this kind of brand inspection is now to be considered lawful, after Judicial Confirmation, heaven help us all," said Jackie Holmgren.
NLSA Brand Chairman David Holmgren consulted with Dave Pooser a Vice President at Nevada State Bank, Reno, Nevada on the issue. Mr. Pooser said, "The problem is that any regulated entity has to rely upon law in an orderly society. It potentially gives the BLM or government agencies a superior lien that then would inhibit the banks ability to lend."
David and Jackie Holmgren, submitted affidavits to the court, for the NLSA and were representatives for the Association at the hearing. David Holmgren is Chairman of the NLSA Brand Committee and Jackie Holmgren is on the Executive Board. NLSA Chairman Helen Chenoweth-Hage, several directors, and other officers of the Association attended the hearing.
Gina Session, Deputy Attorney General was counsel for Director Don Henderson and head brand inspector Jim Connelley of the Nevada Department of Agriculture. Mr. Connelley is named in a grand jury investigation pending in Esmeralda County over the impoundment and sale of Goldfield, Nevada rancher Ben Colvin's cattle in 2001. Colvin is a NLSA director from Esmeralda County.
Brian Sandoval Attorney General for Nevada attended the hearing. BLM solicitors were in the audience and consulted with Gina Session several times during the hearing.
Chairman Helen Chenoweth-Hage commented that, "This is a keg of worms that needs resolving on the lawful presumption that due process must be afforded. Judge Berry said, 'Judges do not make law.' I whole-heartedly agree. The ex-Attorney Generals' staff doesn't either."
Session based her entire argument of the BLM being in legal possession upon case law that involved only public land. Van Zandt told the Judge Berry that, "These are not public lands."
A Mr. Lister, from Pioche, Nevada, also submitted a motion to dismiss at the hearing. He noted to Judge Berry that, "It is only Cowboy logic" that a court order is needed before private property can change ownership.
Judge Berry has asked all parties to submit post trial briefs and she will issue her Judicial Confirmation sometime in early spring 2004.
Contacts: Ramona Morrison (775) 424-0570
Jackie Holmgren (406) 321-1215
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9732 State Route 445, #305
Sparks, NV 89436
775.424.0570
For Immediate Release
January 7, 2003
Testimony Favors Court Order Before Cattle Impoundment
The Nevada Live Stock Association (NLSA) once again defended "due process" to be afforded those in the cattle industry threatened with impoundment actions by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). "Personal property in cattle is the subject matter of the state not the federal government or Bureau of Land Management (BLM)," said NLSA Lawyer Mike Van Zandt. The hearing occurred December 22, 2003 in the Second Judicial District Court, Reno, Nevada. Judge Janet Berry presided over the court motions and testimony.
As filed, "The purpose of the hearing is to determine the validity of action on the part of the department (Department of Agriculture) in determining whether the BLM is in legal possession of impounded cattle and issuing Brand Inspection Clearance Certificates to the BLM for impounded cattle." (Case No. CV03-06171).
Unforeseen admissions occurred during the testimony phase of the hearing. Under cross-examination from NLSA attorney Van Zandt both Department of Agriculture Director Don Henderson and head brand inspector Jim Connelley admitted that it had been the "firm policy" of the department not to allow impoundment and sale of cattle by any person without a court order. Henderson and Connelley in testimony alleged that after consultation with Deputy Attorney General and her subsequent issuance of an unofficial opinion letter regarding BLM livestock impoundment they had changed their "firm policy". Gina Session, at the time was a Deputy to Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa and now serves under Attorney General Brian Sandoval.
Connelley testified that, "I still think it is abhorrent to not have a court order." In addition, from the witness stand he pointed at his own attorney, Gina Session, and said, "It was you that told us to do it this way."
Don Henderson, also under cross-examination, testified that the Brand Department changed their "firm policy" upon the instruction of Frankie Sue Del Papa, through Gina Session.
Essentially, the testimony revealed a doubt between the Department of Agriculture and Gina Session on the issue of the validity of the BLM not having to produce a court order for documentation of legal possession. From the testimony, it appeared that the brand department before Frankie Sue Del Papa and Session's interference had been relying upon their interpretation of the Nevada Revised Statutes and over 100 years of brand law. The Department's "firm policy" was based upon the brand being prima facie evidence of ownership in a dispute. Anyone disputing the brand had to prove otherwise, before legal possession could take effect.
"Our sources have told us that contracts were issued to federal rustlers to confiscate 3,000 head of livestock which could easily be accomplished under Session's unofficial opinion. This policy exposes the State to an extraordinary liability, while it allows the federal government to play fast and loose with rancher's property," said Ramona Morrison, NLSA Secretary.
Van Zandt established crucial evidence during argument and testimony that the Brand Inspection Clearance Certificates issued at the Colvin cattle impoundment for the BLM were issued because the BLM was a "very special person" who did not need a court order like everyone else.
"The owner (Ben Colvin) of record appeared in the left hand corner where it is supposed to, and the branded cattle were listed with Ben Colvin's brand, and yet, a third party signs as the owner or authorized agent. So, I do agree it is abhorrent," said Jackie Holmgren after the hearing was concluded. "If this kind of brand inspection is now to be considered lawful, after Judicial Confirmation, heaven help us all," said Jackie Holmgren.
NLSA Brand Chairman David Holmgren consulted with Dave Pooser a Vice President at Nevada State Bank, Reno, Nevada on the issue. Mr. Pooser said, "The problem is that any regulated entity has to rely upon law in an orderly society. It potentially gives the BLM or government agencies a superior lien that then would inhibit the banks ability to lend."
David and Jackie Holmgren, submitted affidavits to the court, for the NLSA and were representatives for the Association at the hearing. David Holmgren is Chairman of the NLSA Brand Committee and Jackie Holmgren is on the Executive Board. NLSA Chairman Helen Chenoweth-Hage, several directors, and other officers of the Association attended the hearing.
Gina Session, Deputy Attorney General was counsel for Director Don Henderson and head brand inspector Jim Connelley of the Nevada Department of Agriculture. Mr. Connelley is named in a grand jury investigation pending in Esmeralda County over the impoundment and sale of Goldfield, Nevada rancher Ben Colvin's cattle in 2001. Colvin is a NLSA director from Esmeralda County.
Brian Sandoval Attorney General for Nevada attended the hearing. BLM solicitors were in the audience and consulted with Gina Session several times during the hearing.
Chairman Helen Chenoweth-Hage commented that, "This is a keg of worms that needs resolving on the lawful presumption that due process must be afforded. Judge Berry said, 'Judges do not make law.' I whole-heartedly agree. The ex-Attorney Generals' staff doesn't either."
Session based her entire argument of the BLM being in legal possession upon case law that involved only public land. Van Zandt told the Judge Berry that, "These are not public lands."
A Mr. Lister, from Pioche, Nevada, also submitted a motion to dismiss at the hearing. He noted to Judge Berry that, "It is only Cowboy logic" that a court order is needed before private property can change ownership.
Judge Berry has asked all parties to submit post trial briefs and she will issue her Judicial Confirmation sometime in early spring 2004.
Contacts: Ramona Morrison (775) 424-0570
Jackie Holmgren (406) 321-1215
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MAD COW NEWS
NCBA to Hold Satellite Town Hall Meeting on BSE Response
01/06/2004
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) will hold a Satellite Town Hall Meeting, Jan. 8 from 7-8 p.m. Mountain Time, to answer producer questions and discuss NCBA's response to the discovery of a single Canadian-born cow in the U.S. with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
NCBA Chief Executive Officer Terry Stokes, Vice President of Government Affairs Chandler Keys and Executive Director of Regulatory Affairs Gary Weber, PhD, will provide the latest information on the BSE case, discuss USDA regulatory issues and address efforts to resume U.S. beef exports. Additionally, the senior staff will discuss NCBA's BSE crisis response plan, which is implemented with NCBA member dues and with beef checkoff dollars on behalf of the Cattlemen's Beef Board and state beef councils.
The 60-minute Satellite Town Hall Meeting will broadcast live on RFD-TV. Cattlemen from around the nation can call into a telephone number provided on-screen to ask questions of and provide input to the NCBA staff.
The live broadcast can be viewed on the RFD-TV agricultural channel available on:
DISH TV Channel 9409
DirecTV Channel 379 (Multi-Sat System Required)
MediaCom Cable Providers, Check Local Listings
NCTC Cable Providers, Check Local Listings
C-band coordinates, T5-20, 41 Mghz., Horizontal, 6.2-6.8 audio
A tape of the show will be rebroadcast three times on the RFD-TV channel at six hour intervals, following the initial broadcast. The program will also be broadcast on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 3 p.m. Mountain Time.
BSE has protectionist legislators, industry jumping on Buy U.S. bandwagon Recall Canadian livestock. Stop importing their beef products. Slap Born in the U.S.A. stickers on meat packages in grocery stores. A wave of protectionism hit the United States on Wednesday, a day after genetic tests confirmed that a Washington state cow that tested positive for mad cow disease had been born on an Alberta farm. U.S. Agriculture Department officials have been careful to call the continent's second mad cow case a North American problem. And even-handed stories about the cow's origin were played inside major American newspapers. But some took advantage of the news to promote long-held agendas that stress buying American and blaming Canada for the latest assault on the industry. Leo McDonnell, president of the Rancher and Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, said recalling all Canadian livestock and shutting down beef imports again would allow Americans to regain their $3.6-billion US export market by next week. "We're looking at some heavy losses," said McDonnell. "And it's not even a cow from the U.S. I mean, you know, (the disease) is not native to the United States." He was backed by Tom Daschle, the Senate minority leader, and other politicians from Midwest beef states. "Obviously we need to get as much information about the safety of products from Canada as we can," said Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat. "The only way we can do that effectively is to stop the product from coming into this country."...Calves Killed to Prevent Mad Cow Disease A winter storm Wednesday delayed federal officials' plans to bury 449 calves killed to prevent the spread of mad cow disease. State officials, meanwhile, said disposing of the carcasses at a landfill was safe. It may be "a day or two" before trucks are able to remove the carcasses, which officials had planned to bury at a regional landfill in southern Washington, said Robert Nelson, a state Agriculture Department spokesman. A worker at the landfill, about 60 miles south of Yakima, said it was closed Wednesday after receiving about a foot of snow...Leading Democratic Senator Calls For Immediate Country-of-Origin Meat Labeling The U.S. Senate's top Democrat is calling on the U.S. food industry to immediately begin labeling meat with its country-of-origin. South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle's comments come after the first case of mad cow disease in the United States was traced to Canada. Under a bill passed by the House of Representatives and awaiting Senate approval later this month, beef would be required to be labeled with its country of origin. The measure would apply to other perishable commodities, including fruits, vegetables, fish, lamb and pork, but not chicken. The House bill would delay the measure's implementation by two years. The chamber's Republican majority argued the labeling would be too costly for the meat industry...Japan says must move slowly on lifting US beef ban Japan consumer confidence could be eroded if a ban on U.S. beef, due to mad cow concerns, is lifted too soon, Japanese Trade Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Wednesday. Following a meeting with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, Nakagawa, whose remarks were translated into English, said moving too quickly "could result in loss of confidence" among Japanese consumers. He added that it is best to "move forward step by step" on eventually ending Tokyo's ban on American beef...U.S. Faces Pressure on Beef Safety While the Bush administration tries to thaw a freeze on beef exports because of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease, consumer and farm groups said on Wednesday that Americans deserve to know the source of their lunchtime hamburgers and dinner steaks. They joined Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle in calling for an immediate federal order to put country-of-origin labels on meat. The labels are scheduled to be mandatory by Sept. 29 but House Republicans have sought to delay them because of the cost to the U.S. meat industry. Farm activists and consumer groups said food-origin labels were a speedier way to bolster food safety than a national animal identification system. The Bush administration opposes labeling and says it will speed up creation of the ID system. U.S. meat industry sources said another option being discussed would require U.S. slaughter plants to test only cattle over the age of 30 months for mad cow disease and only if the meat was intended for Japan...Opening the border is taking longer than thought at first Ontario Cattlemen's Association president Ron Wooddisse says it's unlikely the discovery of a BSE-infected cow in Washington state last month will delay the opening of the U.S. border to live Canadian cattle under 30 months old. "My projection is that the border will open up in two to four months," Wooddisse said in an interview with Voice of the Farmer. That prognostication hasn't changed since a second cow infected with BSE was discovered south of the border, he said, stressing that it was never realistic to believe the Americans would miraculously reopen the border as soon as the calendar turned over to 2004. "We all knew it would take longer," he said...Decision on beef ban will wait for fact-finding team Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Wednesday the government will not rush to decide whether to lift a ban on U.S. beef imports following confirmation that an American cow infected with mad cow disease was born in Alberta, Canada. "We have to look into the matter in detail before making a judgment (over the import ban). We will wait for a report from a fact-finding team, which leaves for the United States on Thursday," Fukuda said. Earlier Wednesday, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said Wednesday it will dispatch a fact-finding team to the U.S. and Canada to gather information about the first case of mad cow disease in the U.S...Cattle prices rally Cattle prices jumped Wednesday after a report out of Japan hinted the top U.S. beef market may lift its import ban on U.S. beef if tests prove the meat does not have mad cow disease. CME live cattle for delivery in February closed up the daily trading limit of 1.50 cents a pound at 75.400 cents. The contract had closed at 90.675 cents on Dec. 23, before the mad cow discovery was announced. On Wednesday, the Nikkei news agency reported that Japan's agriculture ministry was reviewing a plan that could allow imports of U.S. beef if it was inspected by private firms. "That gives us a sliver of hope where Japan can possibly justify lifting the ban," said Jim Clarkson, livestock analyst with A & A Trading Inc in Chicago. The cattle market was also buoyed by confirmation on Tuesday that the infected cow in Washington state had been imported from Canada...FDA chief says America's beef supply is safe The Texas-raised head of the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that his agency's procedures worked as expected in handling the first case of mad cow disease in the United States. Dr. Mark McClellan, FDA commissioner, said all of the parts of the cow infected with the brain-wasting disease that the FDA regulates have been accounted for. The animal, born in western Canada in 1997, was slaughtered in Washington state last month. "Because we have these vigilant systems in place, that gives us a high degree of confidence in our beef supply," said McClellan, who was in San Antonio to speak to scientists gathered for the first meeting of the Texas Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine. FDA's oversight relevant to mad cow disease includes the use of cattle parts in animal feed and the rendering of non-edible tissue for use in drugs, cosmetics and other products...Ottawa rules out ban on use of slaughterhouse waste in cattle feed Federal officials have ruled out a ban on feeding slaughterhouse waste to cattle even though some government scientists say such a ban is the only way to be sure of stopping mad cow disease. Brian Evans, chief veterinarian for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said a ban would not be based on science and would be impossible to enforce. Britain and other European countries have maintained such a ban for years and it has been under study in Canada. But a panel of foreign experts advised against the idea, said Evans...Mad Cow, Iron Levels Knock Out Potential Blood Donors The American Red Cross is in dire need for blood donations, but there are some new restrictions that may impact whether you can give blood. The mad cow disease that raced through countries across the Atlantic has created new directives for potential donors here in the United States. According to the Greater Chesapeake and Potomac chapter of the American Red Cross, people cannot donate if, since January 1, 1980, you have: Spent a total time that adds up to 3 months in the United Kingdom. Spent a total time that adds up to 6 months or more in any country in the United Kingdom, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Turkey, or Oman. Received a blood transfusion in any of these regions...Florida Ranchers Relieved As Cattle Prices Hold Steady Wider BSE Testing May Woo Buyers The United States will have to institute wider-spread testing of cattle for bovine spongiform encephalopathy before key importers will open their borders to U.S. beef again, a key U.S. meat industry official said Tuesday. Richard Fritz, the vice president for trade development for the Denver- based U.S. Meat Export Federation, told DTN it is unclear how much testing the United States will have to do to satisfy trading partners, but that it will have to be on a larger scale than the 20,000 cows that were tested annually before the case of mad cow disease was discovered...Food: Beefing it up like the president After all, President Bush is still eating beef. On Jan. 2, though having been on a successful hunt for quail at Falfurrias, Texas, he declared, "As a matter of fact, I ate beef today, and will continue to eat beef." Scott McClellan, a White House spokesman, announced that despite the mad cow scare, the U.S. food supply was safe and public risk from the discovery of the disease was low. For this particular Brit, those positive proclamations rang too many apprehensive bells. In May 1990, the British minister of Agriculture in John Major's Conservative government appeared on television enthusiastically encouraging his 4-year-old daughter Cordelia to bite greedily into a hamburger. British beef, he claimed merrily, was "completely safe." Just five years later, in another May, the first recorded victim of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease died. Like most of the other 119 British victims as of December 2002, Stephen Churchill was pitifully young -- 19. In December 1995, the year of his death, Prime Minister John Major declaimed, "There is no scientific evidence that BSE can be transmitted to humans or that eating beef causes it in humans."...Japanese team in Brisbane for beef talks A Japanese Ministry of Agriculture delegation arrives in Brisbane today to talk to local producers about redirecting US-bound exports to Japan. Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) spokesman Peter Barnard says the delegation will meet with officials from export companies Teys Brothers and Australian Meat Holdings before heading to Sydney for further talks. "The product beef that the United States was sending to Japan and Korea will now be marketed in the domestic market in the United States, so there's likely to be an easing of demand for Australian beef in the United States, while at the same time there's increase for Australian beef in Japan and Korea," Dr Barnard said. Dr Barnard says local companies will put forward a strong argument for expanding into the Japanese market...Secrecy of beef recalls blasted Federal regulators have more power to order and publicize the recall of a batch of canned corn or auto parts than they do a load of tainted beef or poultry -- a gap consumer groups call outrageous. USDA rules barred local officials from naming five Vietnamese restaurants in Alameda County suspected of serving beef bones from the Washington slaughterhouse where a single cow was found to have mad cow disease last month. Meanwhile, the final destination of 10,000 pounds of beef from the 19 other cows slaughtered with the diseased Holstein on Dec. 9 remains a secret under U.S. Department of Agriculture rules. By contrast, products with less than 2 percent meat, poul-try or pork face different recall guidelines, overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which include the publication of batch numbers, quantities and the tainted items' distribution network...Facts vs. Fears: Mad Cow Reality BRIT HUME, HOST: The Agriculture Department (search) said today that that cow, out in Washington State that was diagnosed with Mad Cow disease (search) last month, came from Canada. The department also said it will slaughter another 450 cattle from that quarantined herd in which the sick one was found. At least 37 countries have now banned the import of U.S. beef. But is any of this really necessary? For answers, we turn to David Ropeick, of the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, who is co-author for "Risk, A Practical Guide For Deciding What`s Really Safe And Dangerous In The World Around Us." He joins us from our Boston Bureau. Welcome to you, sir...Researchers Seek to Clone 'Mad Cow Disease' Resistant Cattle Strain With about $300,000 in funding from the National Institutes of Health, scientists in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) at Virginia Tech are trying to clone cattle that are genetically incapable of developing "Mad Cow Disease." As federal and state government officials grapple with strategies to limit the economic and health risks associated with the troublesome discovery of the nation's first case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) -- or Mad Cow Disease -- Drs. Will Eyestone and Bill Huckle are conducting important research with the little understood molecules believed to cause the deadly brain-wasting disease... Accurate BSE test of live animals is goal of Ohio research Ohio State University researcher Srinand Sreevatsan not only believes early detection is the best way to fight mad cow disease. He's also creating tools to make it possible. "There is a desperate need for a fast and reliable test for the diagnosis of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) in live animals," said Sreevatsan, a scientist with the Food Animal Health Research Program (FAHRP) on the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center's (OARDC) Wooster campus. "Early detection could lead to efficient surveillance systems that may avert or control this group of diseases."...Mad cow has state's ranchers wary of selling cattle About 1,200 animals were sold Monday at Centennial Livestock Auction in Fort Collins. The operation that draws from Colorado, Wyoming and Utah normally runs through 8,000 to 9,000 cattle a day this time of year, auction owner Wayne Kruse said. "Some of the guys who sold were pretty nervous about this (mad cow) thing," Kruse said. "We had a lot of cattle consigned, but some converted to next Monday and some decided to wait until later in the year." The sale was one of the region's first after the holidays and after the announcement Dec. 23 of the country's first case of mad cow disease. At the Winter Livestock Auction in La Junta, general manager John Campbell said about 400 to 500 cattle would be sold Tuesday. The normal total at the southeastern Colorado auction ranges from 4,000 to 5,000. The Ranchland Livestock Auction in Wray on Colorado's eastern plains canceled a sale Jan. 2 because no cattle were offered for sale...Ottawa earmarks funds for anti-BSE measures The federal government is introducing increased surveillance and tracking to further reduce the risk of mad cow disease, Federal Agriculture Minister Bob Speller said Tuesday. Speller has obtained funding for a package of anti-BSE measures which are already underway. He did not give a dollar amount or specify how many animals would be tested. Brian Evans, chief veterinarian at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said the goal is to be able to detect a one-in-a-million case of mad cow... Tyson cuts beef production due to lower demand US meat processor Tyson Foods is reducing operating hours at its US beef plants due to lower demand for US beef following the discovery of a case of BSE, or mad cow disease. "We plan to keep the plants at reduced hours while we evaluate the effect of the discovery of mad-cow," Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson was quoted by the Associated Press as saying. Tyson, which operates 11 beef processing plants in the US and one in Canada, exported US$1.7bn worth of beef last year to countries including Japan and South Korea, reported AP...KGH removes beef from menu Beef isn't what's for dinner -- or lunch and breakfast -- at Kennewick General Hospital's Ivy Cafe. The menu posted for January offers plenty of chicken, pork, fish and turkey, but nothing that would come from a butchered steer, calf or cow. Even though the hospital's food supplier guarantees that its beef products have no connection to cattle stock affected by mad cow disease, the beefless menu is a courtesy for people who don't have a choice not to eat beef, said Christy Evanson, the hospital's director of food and nutrition...Meat packers to be scrutinized Federal officials will be keeping an eye on meat packers to make sure they don't use mad cow disease as an excuse to pay ranchers less for their cattle than what the animals are worth, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., said Monday. Burns asked U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman last week to "scrutinize livestock transactions" to ensure ranchers get a fair price for their cattle. J. P. Donovan, a Burns spokesman, said Monday that Veneman has personally promised the senator that her agency would look into cattle transactions...Mad-cow rules could affect Hispanic meals Meat safety regulations aimed at reducing the risk of mad cow disease may have their biggest impact on some Hispanics, whose culinary favorites may include tacos filled with brain and small intestines, soup with spinal cord bits and, at holiday times, a cow's head. The rules, imposed after the Dec. 23 disclosure of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease, prohibit the sale of skull, brain, eyes, vertebral column and spinal cord from cattle older than 30 months...Beef pulled from school menus Fears that mad cow disease could spread to children have prompted some school officials to take beef off school lunch menus. The Jefferson County School District, the largest in Colorado, is taking a handful of beef and beef byproducts out of its school cafeterias until it can confirm they are safe to eat. A food contractor in Aspen has also stopped serving beef indefinitely to elementary and middle school students over fears of a mad-cow outbreak. "I know the government says beef is safe, but I don't believe the government has much credibility right now," said Anne Owsley, owner of The Lunchroom Co. in Aspen... In N.J., a link to mad cow? Although U.S. health officials say no one has gotten mad cow disease from American beef, a Cinnaminson woman says seven people died of a closely related disease after eating at the Garden State Race Track in Cherry Hill. The seven apparently died of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a fatal brain-wasting malady, according to a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Janet Skarbek, an accountant, discovered the cases after an acquaintance died of the illness in 2000. She contacted the CDC. Now, it is asking her questions. The human version of mad cow disease is a very similar condition known as new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The differences between the two can be definitively detected only by examining brain tissue in an autopsy. Health experts are skeptical of the contentions of Skarbek. If a link were established between the deaths and the victims' diets, it would be the first time beef has been linked to sporadic CJD, they say...U of I team working on food-tracing system University of Illinois scientists may develop technology used to trace cattle and hogs back to the farms on which they were raised. It's focused on creating, maintaining and tracing food products through the U.S. food distribution system. A team of researchers plans to develop technology to trace meat from a single cow or soybeans from an individual field all the way to the grocery shelf. Dahl's piece of the research project centers on a small, implanted device for livestock that's about the size of a single grain of sand. It draws power from radio waves that examine the device for data. About 25,000 of the implants suspended in a small bottle of water are barely visible. That means they're too small to be taken out and switched to another animal...Wash. cattlemen 'tickled' at prices after mad cow Fewer cattle made it to the auction block at the Toppenish Livestock Commission, but the prices they drew made cattlemen smile for the first time since word broke that mad cow disease had been detected in the state. Only about 100 cows were sold Monday, with the market high 61 cents a pound for an 1,850-pound cow. That was down only 2 cents from the 63-cents-a-pound high for slaughter cows in late December, said John Top, co-owner of the Yakima Valley-based auction...
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NCBA to Hold Satellite Town Hall Meeting on BSE Response
01/06/2004
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) will hold a Satellite Town Hall Meeting, Jan. 8 from 7-8 p.m. Mountain Time, to answer producer questions and discuss NCBA's response to the discovery of a single Canadian-born cow in the U.S. with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
NCBA Chief Executive Officer Terry Stokes, Vice President of Government Affairs Chandler Keys and Executive Director of Regulatory Affairs Gary Weber, PhD, will provide the latest information on the BSE case, discuss USDA regulatory issues and address efforts to resume U.S. beef exports. Additionally, the senior staff will discuss NCBA's BSE crisis response plan, which is implemented with NCBA member dues and with beef checkoff dollars on behalf of the Cattlemen's Beef Board and state beef councils.
The 60-minute Satellite Town Hall Meeting will broadcast live on RFD-TV. Cattlemen from around the nation can call into a telephone number provided on-screen to ask questions of and provide input to the NCBA staff.
The live broadcast can be viewed on the RFD-TV agricultural channel available on:
DISH TV Channel 9409
DirecTV Channel 379 (Multi-Sat System Required)
MediaCom Cable Providers, Check Local Listings
NCTC Cable Providers, Check Local Listings
C-band coordinates, T5-20, 41 Mghz., Horizontal, 6.2-6.8 audio
A tape of the show will be rebroadcast three times on the RFD-TV channel at six hour intervals, following the initial broadcast. The program will also be broadcast on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 3 p.m. Mountain Time.
BSE has protectionist legislators, industry jumping on Buy U.S. bandwagon Recall Canadian livestock. Stop importing their beef products. Slap Born in the U.S.A. stickers on meat packages in grocery stores. A wave of protectionism hit the United States on Wednesday, a day after genetic tests confirmed that a Washington state cow that tested positive for mad cow disease had been born on an Alberta farm. U.S. Agriculture Department officials have been careful to call the continent's second mad cow case a North American problem. And even-handed stories about the cow's origin were played inside major American newspapers. But some took advantage of the news to promote long-held agendas that stress buying American and blaming Canada for the latest assault on the industry. Leo McDonnell, president of the Rancher and Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, said recalling all Canadian livestock and shutting down beef imports again would allow Americans to regain their $3.6-billion US export market by next week. "We're looking at some heavy losses," said McDonnell. "And it's not even a cow from the U.S. I mean, you know, (the disease) is not native to the United States." He was backed by Tom Daschle, the Senate minority leader, and other politicians from Midwest beef states. "Obviously we need to get as much information about the safety of products from Canada as we can," said Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat. "The only way we can do that effectively is to stop the product from coming into this country."...Calves Killed to Prevent Mad Cow Disease A winter storm Wednesday delayed federal officials' plans to bury 449 calves killed to prevent the spread of mad cow disease. State officials, meanwhile, said disposing of the carcasses at a landfill was safe. It may be "a day or two" before trucks are able to remove the carcasses, which officials had planned to bury at a regional landfill in southern Washington, said Robert Nelson, a state Agriculture Department spokesman. A worker at the landfill, about 60 miles south of Yakima, said it was closed Wednesday after receiving about a foot of snow...Leading Democratic Senator Calls For Immediate Country-of-Origin Meat Labeling The U.S. Senate's top Democrat is calling on the U.S. food industry to immediately begin labeling meat with its country-of-origin. South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle's comments come after the first case of mad cow disease in the United States was traced to Canada. Under a bill passed by the House of Representatives and awaiting Senate approval later this month, beef would be required to be labeled with its country of origin. The measure would apply to other perishable commodities, including fruits, vegetables, fish, lamb and pork, but not chicken. The House bill would delay the measure's implementation by two years. The chamber's Republican majority argued the labeling would be too costly for the meat industry...Japan says must move slowly on lifting US beef ban Japan consumer confidence could be eroded if a ban on U.S. beef, due to mad cow concerns, is lifted too soon, Japanese Trade Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Wednesday. Following a meeting with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, Nakagawa, whose remarks were translated into English, said moving too quickly "could result in loss of confidence" among Japanese consumers. He added that it is best to "move forward step by step" on eventually ending Tokyo's ban on American beef...U.S. Faces Pressure on Beef Safety While the Bush administration tries to thaw a freeze on beef exports because of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease, consumer and farm groups said on Wednesday that Americans deserve to know the source of their lunchtime hamburgers and dinner steaks. They joined Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle in calling for an immediate federal order to put country-of-origin labels on meat. The labels are scheduled to be mandatory by Sept. 29 but House Republicans have sought to delay them because of the cost to the U.S. meat industry. Farm activists and consumer groups said food-origin labels were a speedier way to bolster food safety than a national animal identification system. The Bush administration opposes labeling and says it will speed up creation of the ID system. U.S. meat industry sources said another option being discussed would require U.S. slaughter plants to test only cattle over the age of 30 months for mad cow disease and only if the meat was intended for Japan...Opening the border is taking longer than thought at first Ontario Cattlemen's Association president Ron Wooddisse says it's unlikely the discovery of a BSE-infected cow in Washington state last month will delay the opening of the U.S. border to live Canadian cattle under 30 months old. "My projection is that the border will open up in two to four months," Wooddisse said in an interview with Voice of the Farmer. That prognostication hasn't changed since a second cow infected with BSE was discovered south of the border, he said, stressing that it was never realistic to believe the Americans would miraculously reopen the border as soon as the calendar turned over to 2004. "We all knew it would take longer," he said...Decision on beef ban will wait for fact-finding team Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said Wednesday the government will not rush to decide whether to lift a ban on U.S. beef imports following confirmation that an American cow infected with mad cow disease was born in Alberta, Canada. "We have to look into the matter in detail before making a judgment (over the import ban). We will wait for a report from a fact-finding team, which leaves for the United States on Thursday," Fukuda said. Earlier Wednesday, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said Wednesday it will dispatch a fact-finding team to the U.S. and Canada to gather information about the first case of mad cow disease in the U.S...Cattle prices rally Cattle prices jumped Wednesday after a report out of Japan hinted the top U.S. beef market may lift its import ban on U.S. beef if tests prove the meat does not have mad cow disease. CME live cattle for delivery in February closed up the daily trading limit of 1.50 cents a pound at 75.400 cents. The contract had closed at 90.675 cents on Dec. 23, before the mad cow discovery was announced. On Wednesday, the Nikkei news agency reported that Japan's agriculture ministry was reviewing a plan that could allow imports of U.S. beef if it was inspected by private firms. "That gives us a sliver of hope where Japan can possibly justify lifting the ban," said Jim Clarkson, livestock analyst with A & A Trading Inc in Chicago. The cattle market was also buoyed by confirmation on Tuesday that the infected cow in Washington state had been imported from Canada...FDA chief says America's beef supply is safe The Texas-raised head of the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that his agency's procedures worked as expected in handling the first case of mad cow disease in the United States. Dr. Mark McClellan, FDA commissioner, said all of the parts of the cow infected with the brain-wasting disease that the FDA regulates have been accounted for. The animal, born in western Canada in 1997, was slaughtered in Washington state last month. "Because we have these vigilant systems in place, that gives us a high degree of confidence in our beef supply," said McClellan, who was in San Antonio to speak to scientists gathered for the first meeting of the Texas Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine. FDA's oversight relevant to mad cow disease includes the use of cattle parts in animal feed and the rendering of non-edible tissue for use in drugs, cosmetics and other products...Ottawa rules out ban on use of slaughterhouse waste in cattle feed Federal officials have ruled out a ban on feeding slaughterhouse waste to cattle even though some government scientists say such a ban is the only way to be sure of stopping mad cow disease. Brian Evans, chief veterinarian for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said a ban would not be based on science and would be impossible to enforce. Britain and other European countries have maintained such a ban for years and it has been under study in Canada. But a panel of foreign experts advised against the idea, said Evans...Mad Cow, Iron Levels Knock Out Potential Blood Donors The American Red Cross is in dire need for blood donations, but there are some new restrictions that may impact whether you can give blood. The mad cow disease that raced through countries across the Atlantic has created new directives for potential donors here in the United States. According to the Greater Chesapeake and Potomac chapter of the American Red Cross, people cannot donate if, since January 1, 1980, you have: Spent a total time that adds up to 3 months in the United Kingdom. Spent a total time that adds up to 6 months or more in any country in the United Kingdom, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Turkey, or Oman. Received a blood transfusion in any of these regions...Florida Ranchers Relieved As Cattle Prices Hold Steady Wider BSE Testing May Woo Buyers The United States will have to institute wider-spread testing of cattle for bovine spongiform encephalopathy before key importers will open their borders to U.S. beef again, a key U.S. meat industry official said Tuesday. Richard Fritz, the vice president for trade development for the Denver- based U.S. Meat Export Federation, told DTN it is unclear how much testing the United States will have to do to satisfy trading partners, but that it will have to be on a larger scale than the 20,000 cows that were tested annually before the case of mad cow disease was discovered...Food: Beefing it up like the president After all, President Bush is still eating beef. On Jan. 2, though having been on a successful hunt for quail at Falfurrias, Texas, he declared, "As a matter of fact, I ate beef today, and will continue to eat beef." Scott McClellan, a White House spokesman, announced that despite the mad cow scare, the U.S. food supply was safe and public risk from the discovery of the disease was low. For this particular Brit, those positive proclamations rang too many apprehensive bells. In May 1990, the British minister of Agriculture in John Major's Conservative government appeared on television enthusiastically encouraging his 4-year-old daughter Cordelia to bite greedily into a hamburger. British beef, he claimed merrily, was "completely safe." Just five years later, in another May, the first recorded victim of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease died. Like most of the other 119 British victims as of December 2002, Stephen Churchill was pitifully young -- 19. In December 1995, the year of his death, Prime Minister John Major declaimed, "There is no scientific evidence that BSE can be transmitted to humans or that eating beef causes it in humans."...Japanese team in Brisbane for beef talks A Japanese Ministry of Agriculture delegation arrives in Brisbane today to talk to local producers about redirecting US-bound exports to Japan. Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) spokesman Peter Barnard says the delegation will meet with officials from export companies Teys Brothers and Australian Meat Holdings before heading to Sydney for further talks. "The product beef that the United States was sending to Japan and Korea will now be marketed in the domestic market in the United States, so there's likely to be an easing of demand for Australian beef in the United States, while at the same time there's increase for Australian beef in Japan and Korea," Dr Barnard said. Dr Barnard says local companies will put forward a strong argument for expanding into the Japanese market...Secrecy of beef recalls blasted Federal regulators have more power to order and publicize the recall of a batch of canned corn or auto parts than they do a load of tainted beef or poultry -- a gap consumer groups call outrageous. USDA rules barred local officials from naming five Vietnamese restaurants in Alameda County suspected of serving beef bones from the Washington slaughterhouse where a single cow was found to have mad cow disease last month. Meanwhile, the final destination of 10,000 pounds of beef from the 19 other cows slaughtered with the diseased Holstein on Dec. 9 remains a secret under U.S. Department of Agriculture rules. By contrast, products with less than 2 percent meat, poul-try or pork face different recall guidelines, overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which include the publication of batch numbers, quantities and the tainted items' distribution network...Facts vs. Fears: Mad Cow Reality BRIT HUME, HOST: The Agriculture Department (search) said today that that cow, out in Washington State that was diagnosed with Mad Cow disease (search) last month, came from Canada. The department also said it will slaughter another 450 cattle from that quarantined herd in which the sick one was found. At least 37 countries have now banned the import of U.S. beef. But is any of this really necessary? For answers, we turn to David Ropeick, of the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, who is co-author for "Risk, A Practical Guide For Deciding What`s Really Safe And Dangerous In The World Around Us." He joins us from our Boston Bureau. Welcome to you, sir...Researchers Seek to Clone 'Mad Cow Disease' Resistant Cattle Strain With about $300,000 in funding from the National Institutes of Health, scientists in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) at Virginia Tech are trying to clone cattle that are genetically incapable of developing "Mad Cow Disease." As federal and state government officials grapple with strategies to limit the economic and health risks associated with the troublesome discovery of the nation's first case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) -- or Mad Cow Disease -- Drs. Will Eyestone and Bill Huckle are conducting important research with the little understood molecules believed to cause the deadly brain-wasting disease... Accurate BSE test of live animals is goal of Ohio research Ohio State University researcher Srinand Sreevatsan not only believes early detection is the best way to fight mad cow disease. He's also creating tools to make it possible. "There is a desperate need for a fast and reliable test for the diagnosis of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) in live animals," said Sreevatsan, a scientist with the Food Animal Health Research Program (FAHRP) on the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center's (OARDC) Wooster campus. "Early detection could lead to efficient surveillance systems that may avert or control this group of diseases."...Mad cow has state's ranchers wary of selling cattle About 1,200 animals were sold Monday at Centennial Livestock Auction in Fort Collins. The operation that draws from Colorado, Wyoming and Utah normally runs through 8,000 to 9,000 cattle a day this time of year, auction owner Wayne Kruse said. "Some of the guys who sold were pretty nervous about this (mad cow) thing," Kruse said. "We had a lot of cattle consigned, but some converted to next Monday and some decided to wait until later in the year." The sale was one of the region's first after the holidays and after the announcement Dec. 23 of the country's first case of mad cow disease. At the Winter Livestock Auction in La Junta, general manager John Campbell said about 400 to 500 cattle would be sold Tuesday. The normal total at the southeastern Colorado auction ranges from 4,000 to 5,000. The Ranchland Livestock Auction in Wray on Colorado's eastern plains canceled a sale Jan. 2 because no cattle were offered for sale...Ottawa earmarks funds for anti-BSE measures The federal government is introducing increased surveillance and tracking to further reduce the risk of mad cow disease, Federal Agriculture Minister Bob Speller said Tuesday. Speller has obtained funding for a package of anti-BSE measures which are already underway. He did not give a dollar amount or specify how many animals would be tested. Brian Evans, chief veterinarian at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said the goal is to be able to detect a one-in-a-million case of mad cow... Tyson cuts beef production due to lower demand US meat processor Tyson Foods is reducing operating hours at its US beef plants due to lower demand for US beef following the discovery of a case of BSE, or mad cow disease. "We plan to keep the plants at reduced hours while we evaluate the effect of the discovery of mad-cow," Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson was quoted by the Associated Press as saying. Tyson, which operates 11 beef processing plants in the US and one in Canada, exported US$1.7bn worth of beef last year to countries including Japan and South Korea, reported AP...KGH removes beef from menu Beef isn't what's for dinner -- or lunch and breakfast -- at Kennewick General Hospital's Ivy Cafe. The menu posted for January offers plenty of chicken, pork, fish and turkey, but nothing that would come from a butchered steer, calf or cow. Even though the hospital's food supplier guarantees that its beef products have no connection to cattle stock affected by mad cow disease, the beefless menu is a courtesy for people who don't have a choice not to eat beef, said Christy Evanson, the hospital's director of food and nutrition...Meat packers to be scrutinized Federal officials will be keeping an eye on meat packers to make sure they don't use mad cow disease as an excuse to pay ranchers less for their cattle than what the animals are worth, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., said Monday. Burns asked U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman last week to "scrutinize livestock transactions" to ensure ranchers get a fair price for their cattle. J. P. Donovan, a Burns spokesman, said Monday that Veneman has personally promised the senator that her agency would look into cattle transactions...Mad-cow rules could affect Hispanic meals Meat safety regulations aimed at reducing the risk of mad cow disease may have their biggest impact on some Hispanics, whose culinary favorites may include tacos filled with brain and small intestines, soup with spinal cord bits and, at holiday times, a cow's head. The rules, imposed after the Dec. 23 disclosure of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease, prohibit the sale of skull, brain, eyes, vertebral column and spinal cord from cattle older than 30 months...Beef pulled from school menus Fears that mad cow disease could spread to children have prompted some school officials to take beef off school lunch menus. The Jefferson County School District, the largest in Colorado, is taking a handful of beef and beef byproducts out of its school cafeterias until it can confirm they are safe to eat. A food contractor in Aspen has also stopped serving beef indefinitely to elementary and middle school students over fears of a mad-cow outbreak. "I know the government says beef is safe, but I don't believe the government has much credibility right now," said Anne Owsley, owner of The Lunchroom Co. in Aspen... In N.J., a link to mad cow? Although U.S. health officials say no one has gotten mad cow disease from American beef, a Cinnaminson woman says seven people died of a closely related disease after eating at the Garden State Race Track in Cherry Hill. The seven apparently died of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a fatal brain-wasting malady, according to a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Janet Skarbek, an accountant, discovered the cases after an acquaintance died of the illness in 2000. She contacted the CDC. Now, it is asking her questions. The human version of mad cow disease is a very similar condition known as new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The differences between the two can be definitively detected only by examining brain tissue in an autopsy. Health experts are skeptical of the contentions of Skarbek. If a link were established between the deaths and the victims' diets, it would be the first time beef has been linked to sporadic CJD, they say...U of I team working on food-tracing system University of Illinois scientists may develop technology used to trace cattle and hogs back to the farms on which they were raised. It's focused on creating, maintaining and tracing food products through the U.S. food distribution system. A team of researchers plans to develop technology to trace meat from a single cow or soybeans from an individual field all the way to the grocery shelf. Dahl's piece of the research project centers on a small, implanted device for livestock that's about the size of a single grain of sand. It draws power from radio waves that examine the device for data. About 25,000 of the implants suspended in a small bottle of water are barely visible. That means they're too small to be taken out and switched to another animal...Wash. cattlemen 'tickled' at prices after mad cow Fewer cattle made it to the auction block at the Toppenish Livestock Commission, but the prices they drew made cattlemen smile for the first time since word broke that mad cow disease had been detected in the state. Only about 100 cows were sold Monday, with the market high 61 cents a pound for an 1,850-pound cow. That was down only 2 cents from the 63-cents-a-pound high for slaughter cows in late December, said John Top, co-owner of the Yakima Valley-based auction...
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Tuesday, January 06, 2004
OMB issues guidance on "green" competitive sourcing plans The Office of Management and Budget has asked federal agencies to craft plans for letting contractors bid on federal jobs from now through 2008. The multiyear plans will help it decide which agencies deserve a "green" rating, or top marks in competitive sourcing, said OMB Deputy Director for Management Clay Johnson in a Dec. 22, 2003 memorandum announcing the planning exercise. He added that OMB would evaluate plans based on how well they support an agency's mission. "OMB will assess a plan's effectiveness in a manner that accounts for the agency's unique mission and workforce needs as well as the agency's demonstrated ability to conduct reviews and competitions in a reasonable and responsible banner," Johnson wrote in the memorandum, which was distributed to the President's Management Council. The plans could serve as a window into how agencies would comply with the competitive sourcing initiative in a second term of the Bush administration, if the president is re-elected. Until now, most agencies have worked to implement OMB-approved plans to earn a "yellow" rating, which signals mixed results...Forest advisory board supports aggressive plan The Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board voted Monday to support a 10-year accelerated option for insect and fuels treatment that would help reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and restore forest health. State Representative and Advisory Board Vice Chairman John Teupel of Spearfish made the motion in favor of a 10-year option that would see the U.S. Forest Service treat an average of 39,000 acres annually to reduce the threat on areas in the high hazard category. Though some of his fellow advisory board members argued that the more aggressive seven-year option for fuels treatment might reduce wildfire danger more quickly, Teupel favored the 10-year plan as "aggressive but executable."...Military, Local Officials Coordinate Firefighting Efforts Local Navy and Marine flight crews took a big first step Monday toward becoming certified to fight civilian brush fires. After last October's disastrous firestorm, forestry officials are eager to recruit aerial reinforcements from the military. Officials said that it's going to take a lot of intense training, planning and logistical work to coordinate their firefighting efforts -- but that they can do so. On Monday, pilots and flight crews from the California Department of Forestry met with counterparts from Naval Station North Island, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and the California National Guard to map out the process of coordinating radio frequencies and air-operation protocols, as well as the sticky topic of chain of command. Authorities also want to have the military pilots certified to fight civilian fires, an effort that has been cleared by the Pentagon...Resorts sprouted after Sun Valley With the opening of Sun Valley as the nation's premier winter resort, it was only a matter of time before Idahoans began looking to other mountaintops as a way to cash in on the fun. Popular folklore says Averell Harriman considered Mount Bonneville - the highest point in the Portneuf Range - for his Sun Valley resort, but decided it was too difficult to get to. No matter. In 1947, 11 years after Sun Valley opened, several Pocatello daredevils formed the Alpette Ski Club and pooled their resources to buy a New Sweden rope tow, which they placed on Scout Mountain...Both sides claim win in minnow decision A decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit to vacate its earlier decision in the endangered species Rio Grande silvery minnow case is being declared a victory by both sides of the issue. Representatives of the state and agricultural community called the decision by the 10th Circuit a victory. Environ-mentalists said it gets the appeals court out of the picture but does not undo their earlier victory in federal district court in Albuquerque. The court ruled that an appeal of the Court of Appeals' June decision regarding diversion of water to maintain a habitat for the silvery minnow was made moot by events occurring after the entry of the injunction order, which expired on Dec. 31. The appeals court had agreed during the summer with Chief U.S. District Judge James A. Parker of Albuquerque. Each court held that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation can take water from middle Rio Grande irrigators and others who contract for imported water through the San Juan-Chama Project if it's needed to sustain the minnow. The State of New Mexico, the federal government, the City of Albuquerque and irrigation districts had asked the appeals court to reconsider its decision. "The injunctive order from which this appeal was taken no longer provides the court with a live controversy to review," the 10th Circuit judges wrote, which were released on Monday...Endangered wolf escapes from Battle Creek zoo An endangered Mexican gray wolf remained on the loose Tuesday after escaping from Binder Park Zoo. Three wolves escaped from their enclosure through a small hole they stretched in their exhibit fence early Saturday morning. Two wolves quickly were recaptured, but one climbed the zoo's 9-foot perimeter fence and got away. "This is not a situation that is taken lightly at Binder Park Zoo," Geise said. "We are very concerned for the safety of this animal, and we are taking every possible measure to see that it is returned safely." The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service owns the wolf and two service biologists who specialize in wolves are aiding in the search, Geise said... Petition to list "eastern" sage grouse rejected The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has rejected a petition to list "eastern" sage grouse under the Endangered Species Act, saying there's no evidence they are a unique subspecies of other sage grouse found in the West. But the agency said it will continue a preliminary review of other pending petitions involving the species as a whole. A finding on those petitions, including one filed last month by 20 conservation organizations, is expected by the end of March, the agency said...Column: Puzzling times Land acquisitions in our local communities are not necessarily real estate transactions between two willing parties but are sometimes classified as controls and "takings." They come in many forms other than a deeded sale of property. If we were to put a jigsaw puzzle together with each piece representing a "controlling program," we could see how close the puzzle is to being complete... Editorial: Species act has support Signed into law Dec. 28, 1973, the law is designed to provide a safety net for fish, wildlife and plant species on the brink of extinction. It is arguably the most comprehensive conservation measure ever crafted. The act makes it illegal to kill, harm or harass listed species. And it allows for protection of critical habitat for listed species. Several signature species, including the American bald eagle, the peregrine falcon and the southern California sea otter, have rebounded from perilously low numbers through protection afforded by the act. The Endangered Species Act has strong public support. In a Lou Harris & Associates poll commissioned by The Olympian several years ago, 71 percent of the adults surveyed called the act somewhat to very effective in protecting plants and animals from extinction. And two-thirds of those polled wanted Congress to reauthorize the act... Groups seek end to Park Service's 'Blanket Approval' Policy Four conservation groups have cited the National Park Service for authorizing wholesale Wilderness Act violations by its own staff at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains. Sequoia and Kings Canyon contains more than 700,000 acres of congressionally designated wilderness in some of the wildest country in California. The Wilderness Act prohibits such things as motor vehicles and aircraft landing in wilderness. The prohibitions apply not only to the public who visit wilderness, but also the federal agencies that administer it. The Act allows federal agencies some latitude to engage in practices prohibited by the Wilderness Act but only when the practices are absolutely needed for administering the wilderness... Report says bear attack occurred during the day The bear that killed Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard attacked them at their campsite at midday, not at night as was widely believed, according to a National Park Service report. The report, released Dec. 29 by a technical board of investigation for Katmai National Park, says the attack began at 1:58 p.m. Oct. 5. The time is based on a date stamp found in a digital video camera the couple turned on just before the attack. The digital video contains the sounds of the attack but no pictures, apparently because the lens cap was on...Religious debate rages at National Parks With pages of eye-catching photographs of the Grand Canyon and the blue waters of the Colorado River, the hardback "Grand Canyon: A Different View" is a medium seller at the national park's bookstore. But the book's use of a biblical time scale to claim that the Grand Canyon is only a few thousand years old has thrust the park into the debate over religious materials at public sites. Some critics say examples from the Grand Canyon to the Lincoln Memorial show the National Park Service has caved to pressure from conservative and fundamentalist Christian groups, accommodating their requests to post or alter materials. But National Park Service officials deny the accusation, saying they seek legal advice before acting. Parks also may sell or post materials considered inspirational, such as poetry and photographs, as long as they don't make scientific claims, the agency said...BLM releases report on Otero Mesa The controversial fate of southern Otero County's Otero Mesa is a step closer to being decided with the Bureau of Land Management's release of a proposed Resource Management Plan. The plan, also known as the EIS (Environmental Impact Statement), outlines decisions that will guide the management of almost two million acres of federal public lands and mineral estate administered by the Las Cruces BLM field office. "What this document shows is a proposed plan how we would administer oil and gas leasing," said Tom Phillips, BLM land use planner in the Las Cruces office. "This is our proposed plan. The final EIS. This is at the end of five years of development." There will be a 30-day protest period, Phillips said. Protestants have to send their documents to the BLM director in Washington...Column: Hydrogen's Dirty DetailsThe day after George W. Bush's 2003 State of the Union address, the president of the National Mining Association, Jack Gerard, wrote him a letter applauding Bush's plan for a pollution-free future powered by fuel cells, the battery-like devices that use hydrogen to release energy. "Coal - reliable, abundant, affordable and domestic," wrote Gerard, "will be the source for much of this hydrogen-powered fuel." Gerard is right: The so-called hydrogen economy will be a boon for the mining industry. The clean-energy future that many environmentalists have dreamed of has been turned over to the coal industry and a notoriously dirty Siberian mining company run by Russian oligarch Vladimir Potanin. A deal personally smoothed over by Bush has given Norilsk Nickel, one of the world's worst polluters, a toehold on American soil - and a major stake in the hydrogen economy. The new mining frenzy is emerging as yet another piece of Bush's "black hydrogen agenda," according to the Green Hydrogen Coalition, whose members include the Sierra Club, Public Citizen, and Jeremy Rifkin, a leading proponent of hydrogen fuel cells...BLM may shave coal lease Federal land managers want to cut 123.6 million tons from a lease by application (LBA) for federal coal in the southern Powder River Basin. The West Antelope LBA Tract is one of five under consideration in the Bureau of Land Management's South Powder River Basin Coal final Environmental Impact Statement, which was released for a 30-day public comment period on Christmas Eve. Under the BLM's proposed alternatives, the agency would make available five new leases for a total of 1.5 billion tons of federally-owned coal in a competitive lease process. Antelope Coal Co., a subsidiary of Kennecott Energy, had applied for one new lease tract containing about 3,542 acres and 294 million tons of coal to extend the life of its Antelope coal mine straddling the Campbell and Converse county line in northeast Wyoming...State to oppose prairie dog listing State officials will soon ask the federal government to drop the black-tailed prairie dog as a candidate for the threatened species list. Pennington County ranchers say the state should do more - and fast. George Vandel, the top biologist for the state Game, Fish & Parks Department, told the Pennington County Commission and a large group of area ranchers Tuesday that GF&P Secretary John Cooper and state Agriculture Secretary Larry Gabriel will make the formal request to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Vandel said the state's request will contain preliminary data from a survey indicating the state has more than 200,000 acres inhabited by prairie dogs, including 170,000 acres of nontribal land. The survey is nearly complete...Colorado set to post record in 2004 for oil, gas well permits A record 2,500 permits to drill oil and gas wells in the state are expected to be issued this year, furthering the Rockies' claim as a hot spot for energy producers. The 2004 forecast by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, based on a poll of 600 companies actively operating in the state, is substantially higher than the previous record of 2,378 permits set in 1980. "There has been a sustained drilling boom for three years in a row, but we believe 2004 will be an all-time record," said oil and gas commission Director Rich Griebling...Following busy year, Wyoming tries to cope with coalbed growing pains In the last four years, the Bureau of Land Management office here has expanded three times. The staff has jumped from 25 employees to 76. The Forest Service, which shared the office with the BLM for years, has been squeezed out. "We've beefed up knowing that the onslaught is coming," said Beels, project manager for oil and gas in the BLM's Buffalo office. The signs are obvious in places like the Lower Prairie Dog Creek drainage, just outside Sheridan. Older pickup trucks steered by ranchers are giving way to new pickups driven by gas company officials and tractor trailors hauling pipes and equipment. The rolling ranchland is still a bucolic setting, but increasingly is home to giant compressors, underground pipes, new roads and scores of squat beige boxes that house coalbed methane wells...Heated discussion marks first post-fire meeting Skepticism and disagreement marked the beginning of an experimental "consensus" process for planning post-fire management projects in the Flathead's North Fork Valley. The Flathead National Forest launched the process Monday at the Kalispell Center WestCoast Hotel, with 83 out of 110 registered participants showing up. The crowd included some of the most vocal environmental and multiple-use activists in the Flathead Valley, creating a charged atmosphere for the start of a process that will continue with a series of meetings over the next 10 days...Energy firms paying tab for GOP trip A dozen or more congressional Republicans will gather at a resort in balmy Phoenix this week to hear the legislative wish lists of Western coal, power and mining companies - and raise money from them. The four-day conference begins today with a $1,500-per-person round of golf and private dinner, dubbed "Mulligans and Margaritas." The money raised from industry officials will be divided among the re-election campaigns of the lawmakers, most of whom serve on committees that oversee the mining and energy industries... An Environmental Memoir It is strange to recall, given his spectacular misdeeds in office, that Richard Nixon was among the 20th century's most progressive political leaders on matters of the environment. During his presidency, Nixon set in motion policies that cleaned waterways, removed grit and fumes from the air, saved big chunks of critical habitat and hundreds of plant and animal species, reduced and in some cases banned the use of deadly pesticides and created several interlocking federal agencies to protect the environment and the public domain. "That environmental agenda," Washington insider Russell Train writes in his memoir, "Politics, Pollution, and Pandas," "was so wide-ranging, and yet so comprehensive, as to be without precedent in the history of the United States."... Former Colo. Arsenal Gets a Cleanup site once branded as the most polluted square mile in America, where sarin gas and other weapons of mass destruction were manufactured for decades, has been declared free of chemical weapons. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal, 10 miles north of Denver, once represented 60 percent of the nation's chemical weapons production capacity, but is now on its way to becoming a federal wildlife preserve. The federal Superfund site has undergone a $2.2 billion cleanup aimed at transforming it into a wildlife preserve...Dixon dairy faces federal suit over 1.3 million gallon spill A Dixon dairy that spilled more than 1 million gallons of manure-tainted water into streams leading to the Sacramento River faces a federal lawsuit for violating the Clean Water Act, environmentalists said Tuesday. The Sierra Club notified Heritage Dairy owner Peter Albers last week that it intends to sue him in U.S. District Court for a November spill that began when a pump failed in a manure storage lagoon. Federal environmental lawsuits require 60 days notice before they can be filed. The Sierra Club has targeted large livestock operations as a national priority in its campaign to prevent pollution, but it's the first Clean Water Act lawsuit the club has threatened to bring in California...Western States Submit the Nation's First Plans to Reduce Haze over National Parks and Wilderness Areas Five Western states and the City of Albuquerque have completed the nation's first air quality plans designed to reduce haze over federally protected Class I areas, such as national parks and wilderness areas. The states of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, and Wyoming -- all members of the Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP) -- each submitted their plans to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in December. These states are among the 13 WRAP states that are working together with Western tribes, federal agencies, industry, and environmental groups to conduct research and develop policies to reduce haze in the West. A key element of each state plan is an innovative strategy to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions from major industrial sources such as coal-fired power plants, smelters, and refineries. The plans institute a regional cap on sulfur dioxide emissions in the five states. The cap limits the tons of sulfur dioxide that can be emitted annually by industrial sources in the five state region. If industrial emissions remain below the cap, no further regulation takes effect. If the cap is exceeded, an emissions trading program is triggered to ensure the environmental goal is achieved. Under the emissions trading program, sources are given an annual emissions allowance and must limit their emissions to that level or purchase additional allowances from another source with excess allowances. Other important elements of the plans are strategies to reduce smoke from prescribed fires and strategies to increase the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency...San Joaquin County farmers to battle California laws on agriculture discharge Farmers, agricultural water providers, environmentalists and the public in general will be allowed to voice their opinions Wednesday on new rules requiring farmers to monitor pesticides and other items discharged from their land to California waterways. Six appeals representing farmers and one appeal by a coalition of environmentalists have been filed with the California Water Resources Control Board, a division of the California Environmental Protection Agency...Seize the opportunity It's not exactly a full-scale victory for Rio Grande water users and rights owners, but the federal appeals court decision to vacate its earlier ruling on water for the silvery minnow allows them to catch their breath. In what was more a technical decision than a ruling, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals said its June decision that would allow the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to divert San Juan-Chama water from Rio Grande irrigators to habitat for the minnow was moot because the lower court preliminary injunction it upheld had expired. The decision sends the case back to federal district court in Albuquerque for a new hearing before Judge James A. Parker, who issued the preliminary injunction that the state had appealed to the 10th Circuit. In rehearing the case, Parker will have to deal with a new federal law sponsored by U.S. Sens. Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman, both of New Mexico, that passed Congress in November and was signed by President Bush. That law prohibits the federal government from taking San Juan-Chama water for the minnow... Wyoming Livestock Board approves emergency brucellosis testing The Wyoming Livestock Board on Tuesday unanimously approved emergency rules requiring testing of cattle for brucellosis. Testing for the disease, which causes cattle, bison and elk to abort and can lead to chronic flu-like symptoms in humans, is optional in Wyoming. Mandatory testing could affect tens of thousands of cattle, industry experts said. The board adopted the rules to allay concerns from other states about the safety of Wyoming's cattle in wake of the finding of brucellosis in a herd in Sublette County... Calgary's big money proposal: Potential $1 million payout turns heads During the NFR in Las Vegas, officials from the Calgary Stampede announced that their event will pay out more than $1 million for this year. And the money will bring some major changes to the Calgary Stampede and create new questions for the PRCA. Prior to 2004, 10 competitors qualified for Sunday's Stampede Showdown rounds. The top four would advance to the finals with the champion earning a winner-take-all $50,000 bonus. The money in the bonus round did not count toward the world standings. This summer, the Calgary Stampede is changing the format, increasing its payouts and how competitors qualify...Paying attention But today, I wasn't able to concentrate on much of anything. Not with her on my mind. You'd have to see her to know why my thoughts ran like a stampede of steers through five holes in a fenceline. She was as pretty a cowgirl as my eyes ever had the pleasure to witness and, best of all, she liked cowboys. More important, she liked this cowboy, at least enough to say "yes" when my bumbling mouth stuttered a request for a date to the Stock Show. Now all she had to do was arrive and I'd be the happiest man holding up a hat this side of the Atlantic. It was a week ago I asked her, stumbling over the words, and I'd been a nervous wreck since...
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MAD COW NEWS
DNA Tests Verfiy U.S. Mad Cow From Canada
Genetic testing confirms that the cow diagnosed with the first U.S. case of mad cow disease was born in Canada, agriculture officials said Tuesday.
The test results will allow investigators to intensify their search for the source of infection, most likely from contaminated feed, in Alberta, where the Holstein was born in 1997.
Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman announced the mad cow diagnosis on Dec. 23, the first time the disease has been found in the United States since its discovery in Great Britain in the mid-1980s.
The DNA tests on the cow, on one of its offspring and on the semen from the cow's sire, as well as records that show the cow came from a dairy farm in Alberta, make "us confident in the accuracy of this traceback," said Dr. Ron DeHaven, the Agriculture Department's chief veterinarian.
Brian Evans, a Canadian agriculture official, said independent testing from a Canadian lab agreed.
Canadian officials had announced last May that a cow in Alberta had been diagnosed with the disease.
While no links have been found between the two cases, investigators now will focus on looking for common sources of feed, Evans said.
He added, "We have not got sufficient evidence to make any feed link between the two farms."...
USDA technical briefing and Webcast On BSE with Canadian and U.S. Officials including Dr. Ron DeHaven, Chief Veterinary Officer, USDA and Dr. Brian Evans, Chief Veterinary Officer, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Washington, D.C.
Tuesday, January 6, 2004
MR. CURLETT: Hello. I'd like to welcome everybody to today's BSE situation update. I apologize for the late start today. Today we have with us Dr. Brian Evans, the chief veterinary officer for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. And we have Dr. Ron DeHaven, the chief veterinary officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They will both make statements today, and then we will take some questions. We ask that you limit your questions to one, as we have a lot of people on the line, and that you state your name and affiliation prior to asking your question. And with that, I will turn it over to Dr. DeHaven. Thank you.
DR. DEHAVEN: Ed, thank you very much, and thanks to all of you for joining us, particularly on such short notice.
Today we are updating on recent events that have occurred since the briefing that we held yesterday by phone. We now have DNA evidence that allows us to verify with a high degree of certainty that the BSE positive cow found in the state of Washington originated from a dairy farm in Alberta, Canada. This DNA evidence is based on a comparison of DNA from the brain of the positive cow with the DNA from the semen of her sire, as determined by records on the farm in Alberta.
Additional DNA test results involved the yearling heifer calf on the index farm, which was born from this positive cow. Breeding records on that calf confirm that she was born from the positive cow, bearing the same tag number found on the positive cow at slaughter, which is also the same tag number found on the record on the dairy farm in Alberta, Canada.
This new DNA information, coupled with the documentation that we have obtained from our colleagues in Canada, from the owner of the dairy farm in Mabton, Washington, and through import records makes us confident in the accuracy of this trace-back.
Clearly other elements of the investigation will continue, and will continue on both sides of the border, and may provide additional information.
I'd like to point out that from the very beginning of this investigation the cooperative efforts on both sides of the border have been tremendous. Indeed, we are sharing colleagues, with Canadian personnel actively involved in our epidemiological investigation in the United States, as well as their U.S. counterparts actively involved in the investigation and activities on the Canadian side of the border.
So I want to thank our Canadian colleagues for their professionalism, for their thoroughness, and for their assistance in this investigation.
And now I'd like to pass the microphone to my friend and colleague, Dr. Brian Evans, the chief veterinary officer with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Brian?
DR. EVANS: Thanks very much, Ron. As Dr. DeHaven has clearly indicated in his opening address, the DNA results conducted in Canada, and being reported today as well, fully complement and reflect those returned from the U.S. laboratory.
As indicated as well, in reaching the determination being announced today, it is very important that we all recognize the fact that the DNA results themselves are but one step in a broader fabric of elements that are being fully considered as we continue to pursue all of the avenues of the investigation.
The cooperation at the field level and at the laboratory level continues to be exemplary from our perspective, and it reflects the commitment that we both share to protecting public animal health and food safety in the broader North American context.
The finding today is but one step, as Ron has indicated, down a road, which we will continue to pursue in parallel on the Canadian and U.S. sides. The important next steps that we will collaborate on, as he has indicated -- we will look at areas like how this animal has become infected, and therefore feed investigations will be intimate to that determination.
Equally, joint decisions relative to ongoing tracing of associated animals and appropriate depopulation and testing strategies, will be a second key component of the investigation, which we will continue to work through.
And finally, at the end of the day, as we try to bring conclusion to all the avenues of the investigation, we are equally committed to continue to work together in any other manner that would be dictated by the findings of the investigation, so that again other factors are fully taken into account to ensure that there is no outstanding issue, no rock unturned, to ensure at the end of the day, no matter who assesses the integrity of the investigation, that it will withstand any scrutiny brought to bear, and will reflect collectively again our interests to continue to protect public and animal health.
DR. DEHAVEN: With that, operator, I think we could go to questions. Operator, if you could, we would like to have a short question-and-answer period, please...
Consumers group wants carcass testing to stop spread of mad cow Consumers Union says the government's proposals to stop the spread of mad cow disease are inadequate. Senior research associate Dr. Michael Hansen says one of the most effective ways to stop mad cow is to test every carcass for traces of the disease. Hansen says Europe and Japan have been doing this for some time and have prevented diseased animals from getting into the food chain...Rabbis say kosher beef may be safer against mad cow disease Orthodox Jewish rabbis say kosher regulations on beef already include precautions that the government is using to guard against mad cow disease. One rabbi says kosher slaughtering bans animals that cannot stand on their own and forbids stunning cattle with air injections before slaughter -- a technique that might dislocate brain tissue, which is a carrier of mad cow disease. He says the kosher practice of removing cattle's sciatic nerves may also help protect against mad cow disease... Fear, frustration, pessimism greet DNA mad cow confirmation in Alberta It's just as well that Alberta rancher Ron Beniuk was sitting down when he heard Tuesday the DNA confirmation that an American cow diagnosed with mad cow disease originated in Alberta. "I'm sitting down, 'cause I can't get no lower," said Beniuk, who has 175 cows near Lac La Biche north of Edmonton. Beniuk fears that confirmation will only lead to more Alberta-raised cows being found with bovine spongiform encephalopathy. "There are cows that were fed the same feed and everything that are still in the system," he said. "When they get butchered they're going to find some more BSE. That cow wasn't fed that bone meal by herself." The fear and the uncertainty is getting to him...Enzyme Fully Degrades Mad Cow Disease Prion Research by North Carolina State University scientists, in conjunction with scientists from the Netherlands and BioResource International, an NC State spin-off biotechnology company, has shown that, under proper conditions, an enzyme can fully degrade the prion - or protein particle - believed to be responsible for mad cow disease and other related animal and human diseases. These transmissible prions - believed to be the cause of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the technical name for mad cow disease, as well as the human and sheep versions, called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and scrapie, respectively - are highly resistant to degradation, says Dr. Jason Shih, professor of biotechnology and poultry science at NC State. But the new research, which tested the effects of a bacterial enzyme keratinase on brain tissues from cows with BSE and sheep with scrapie, showed that, when the tissue was pretreated and in the presence of a detergent, the enzyme fully degraded the prion, rendering it undetectable...Deaths rise in Britain from variant of mad cow The number of people in Britain who died from a brain disease related to mad cow increased in 2003 for the first time in four years, the Health Department has announced. Eighteen people died in 2003 from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the agency said Monday, up from 17 in 2002. The disease, known as vCJD, is thought to stem from eating infected beef and attacks the human brain in much the same way as mad cow attacks the bovine brain. To date, 139 people in Britain have died from "definite or probable" cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the agency said, and another six are still living with it. Statistically, the increase could be just "random noise," said Dr. Simon Cousens, who tracks the disease at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Still, there is no uniform opinion on whether death from exposure to mad cow disease is falling in Britain, Cousens said...Governor proclaims 'American Beef Week' Gov. Kathleen Sebelius had a suggestion Monday for dinner: "Go buy a burger. Eat a steak." Sebelius' lighthearted message was a serious suggestion that consumers continue to eat beef despite the discovery last month of a cow infected with mad cow disease in Washington state. The governor made the remark as she signed a proclamation marking "American Beef Week." Sebelius said governors of Colorado, Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas all signed similar proclamations to reassure consumers the nation's beef supply remains safe. Those states are among 10 that are responsible for about 75 percent of the beef market in the United States, Sebelius said. "We all recognize that it's not only significant for our economies, but it's a key part of the diet of Americans," she said. "Hopefully, Kansas and American consumers will continue to buy and eat beef."...Cattle Prices Sink, Japan to Retain Ban Cattle prices fell sharply in Chicago on Tuesday after officials with top importer Japan said they will keep their ban on U.S. beef imports, two weeks after the discovery of the first case of mad cow disease in the United States. On Tuesday, live cattle for February delivery at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange closed down 1.40 cents a pound at 73.900 cents. That benchmark contract had closed at 90.675 cents on Dec. 23, before the mad cow discovery was announced...Mexican officials to visit U.S. for mad cow talks Mexican officials will visit Washington next week to see what steps the United States is taking to prevent the spread of mad cow disease following the identification of one case last month, officials said on Tuesday. "We extended an invitation to a technical team from the Mexican agriculture ministry to visit the United States, they accepted our invitation and they will be arriving in Washington on Monday," J.B. Penn, an undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, told reporters in Mexico City. U.S. agriculture officials pushed Mexico, a major consumer of meat from its northern neighbor, to lift the ban on beef imports at talks in the Mexican capital on Tuesday...Experts Seek Analysis of Human Mad Cow Scientists have yet to document a single U.S. case of someone getting the human version of mad cow disease from contaminated beef. Then again, they might not be looking hard enough. Some experts say scientists should be looking more closely at cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease - a brain-destroying disorder that kills hundreds of Americans each year - to see whether some of these deaths were, in fact, caused by beef from cattle infected with mad cow disease. "Could there be one (missed) case in there? Maybe," said Lawrence Schonberger, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention epidemiologist who has studied CJD for more than a decade. "In this game, we never say something's impossible."...Amending the US beef business Americans today are learning far more than they ever wanted to know about the process of turning cows into thousands of products that even a hard-core vegan would have trouble avoiding - cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, fire-extinguisher foam, lubricants, the glue that holds plywood together. Not to mention the steaks, roasts, hamburger, and other meat items that human carnivores regularly devour. The process is necessarily violent and mechanical, involving slicing, grinding, and high-pressure blasting and compression. It's much safer than it was years ago - both for slaughterhouse and meat- processing workers, as well as for consumers. But it has also run the risk of mixing the potentially disease-causing parts of the cow (brain, spinal cord, and parts of the intestine) into the muscle meat and other food products - including sausage - that many Americans eat every day. Meat from the infected Holstein was mixed in with 20,000 pounds from other cows before being shipped to market. Some doctors now suspect that people diagnosed with Alzheimer's may in fact have the human version of the neurological disease, which incubates years before appearing in the form of mental and physical degeneration. No one knows for sure if there is any possible link to animals with bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE (the scientific name for mad-cow disease), however. That's because until now the inspection system for cattle headed for the slaughterhouse has been relatively minimal...Aussie Beef Prices Soar Fears of an outbreak of mad cow disease in the United States have sent the price of wholesale Australian beef in Japan surging by as much as 40%, according to a report Tuesday. The price of benchmark frozen Australian beef has jumped to Y950 yen a kilogram in Tokyo -- up Y270 yen (US$2.54), or 40 percent, since Dec. 23 -- just before the government slapped an import ban on U.S. beef, the business daily Nikkei Shimbun reported. According to figures from the Japan Meat Trading Center, wholesale U.S. beef prices have plummeted, while the prices of Australian cuts have steadily increased since the Dec. 24 ban, which was imposed after the discovery of the first American case of mad cow disease...Mexico to Weigh Importing Some U.S. Beef Mexico, one of the biggest markets for American beef, will consider allowing imports of some cuts of meat as exceptions to a ban imposed after the United States' first case of mad cow disease was discovered, officials said Tuesday. But Agriculture Secretary Javier Usabiaga said a decision to make those exceptions could take months and would only occur after Mexico was satisfied that U.S. controls were adequate. Mexico also wants to send its own experts to the United States to examine the controls. Cuba also is negotiating new purchases of American cattle, confident that concerns over mad cow disease will be quickly allayed and the animals shipped will be healthy, said Pedro Alvarez, head of Cuba's food import company. Cuba earlier considered postponing some purchases of American cattle because of mad cow concerns...
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DNA Tests Verfiy U.S. Mad Cow From Canada
Genetic testing confirms that the cow diagnosed with the first U.S. case of mad cow disease was born in Canada, agriculture officials said Tuesday.
The test results will allow investigators to intensify their search for the source of infection, most likely from contaminated feed, in Alberta, where the Holstein was born in 1997.
Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman announced the mad cow diagnosis on Dec. 23, the first time the disease has been found in the United States since its discovery in Great Britain in the mid-1980s.
The DNA tests on the cow, on one of its offspring and on the semen from the cow's sire, as well as records that show the cow came from a dairy farm in Alberta, make "us confident in the accuracy of this traceback," said Dr. Ron DeHaven, the Agriculture Department's chief veterinarian.
Brian Evans, a Canadian agriculture official, said independent testing from a Canadian lab agreed.
Canadian officials had announced last May that a cow in Alberta had been diagnosed with the disease.
While no links have been found between the two cases, investigators now will focus on looking for common sources of feed, Evans said.
He added, "We have not got sufficient evidence to make any feed link between the two farms."...
USDA technical briefing and Webcast On BSE with Canadian and U.S. Officials including Dr. Ron DeHaven, Chief Veterinary Officer, USDA and Dr. Brian Evans, Chief Veterinary Officer, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Washington, D.C.
Tuesday, January 6, 2004
MR. CURLETT: Hello. I'd like to welcome everybody to today's BSE situation update. I apologize for the late start today. Today we have with us Dr. Brian Evans, the chief veterinary officer for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. And we have Dr. Ron DeHaven, the chief veterinary officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They will both make statements today, and then we will take some questions. We ask that you limit your questions to one, as we have a lot of people on the line, and that you state your name and affiliation prior to asking your question. And with that, I will turn it over to Dr. DeHaven. Thank you.
DR. DEHAVEN: Ed, thank you very much, and thanks to all of you for joining us, particularly on such short notice.
Today we are updating on recent events that have occurred since the briefing that we held yesterday by phone. We now have DNA evidence that allows us to verify with a high degree of certainty that the BSE positive cow found in the state of Washington originated from a dairy farm in Alberta, Canada. This DNA evidence is based on a comparison of DNA from the brain of the positive cow with the DNA from the semen of her sire, as determined by records on the farm in Alberta.
Additional DNA test results involved the yearling heifer calf on the index farm, which was born from this positive cow. Breeding records on that calf confirm that she was born from the positive cow, bearing the same tag number found on the positive cow at slaughter, which is also the same tag number found on the record on the dairy farm in Alberta, Canada.
This new DNA information, coupled with the documentation that we have obtained from our colleagues in Canada, from the owner of the dairy farm in Mabton, Washington, and through import records makes us confident in the accuracy of this trace-back.
Clearly other elements of the investigation will continue, and will continue on both sides of the border, and may provide additional information.
I'd like to point out that from the very beginning of this investigation the cooperative efforts on both sides of the border have been tremendous. Indeed, we are sharing colleagues, with Canadian personnel actively involved in our epidemiological investigation in the United States, as well as their U.S. counterparts actively involved in the investigation and activities on the Canadian side of the border.
So I want to thank our Canadian colleagues for their professionalism, for their thoroughness, and for their assistance in this investigation.
And now I'd like to pass the microphone to my friend and colleague, Dr. Brian Evans, the chief veterinary officer with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Brian?
DR. EVANS: Thanks very much, Ron. As Dr. DeHaven has clearly indicated in his opening address, the DNA results conducted in Canada, and being reported today as well, fully complement and reflect those returned from the U.S. laboratory.
As indicated as well, in reaching the determination being announced today, it is very important that we all recognize the fact that the DNA results themselves are but one step in a broader fabric of elements that are being fully considered as we continue to pursue all of the avenues of the investigation.
The cooperation at the field level and at the laboratory level continues to be exemplary from our perspective, and it reflects the commitment that we both share to protecting public animal health and food safety in the broader North American context.
The finding today is but one step, as Ron has indicated, down a road, which we will continue to pursue in parallel on the Canadian and U.S. sides. The important next steps that we will collaborate on, as he has indicated -- we will look at areas like how this animal has become infected, and therefore feed investigations will be intimate to that determination.
Equally, joint decisions relative to ongoing tracing of associated animals and appropriate depopulation and testing strategies, will be a second key component of the investigation, which we will continue to work through.
And finally, at the end of the day, as we try to bring conclusion to all the avenues of the investigation, we are equally committed to continue to work together in any other manner that would be dictated by the findings of the investigation, so that again other factors are fully taken into account to ensure that there is no outstanding issue, no rock unturned, to ensure at the end of the day, no matter who assesses the integrity of the investigation, that it will withstand any scrutiny brought to bear, and will reflect collectively again our interests to continue to protect public and animal health.
DR. DEHAVEN: With that, operator, I think we could go to questions. Operator, if you could, we would like to have a short question-and-answer period, please...
Consumers group wants carcass testing to stop spread of mad cow Consumers Union says the government's proposals to stop the spread of mad cow disease are inadequate. Senior research associate Dr. Michael Hansen says one of the most effective ways to stop mad cow is to test every carcass for traces of the disease. Hansen says Europe and Japan have been doing this for some time and have prevented diseased animals from getting into the food chain...Rabbis say kosher beef may be safer against mad cow disease Orthodox Jewish rabbis say kosher regulations on beef already include precautions that the government is using to guard against mad cow disease. One rabbi says kosher slaughtering bans animals that cannot stand on their own and forbids stunning cattle with air injections before slaughter -- a technique that might dislocate brain tissue, which is a carrier of mad cow disease. He says the kosher practice of removing cattle's sciatic nerves may also help protect against mad cow disease... Fear, frustration, pessimism greet DNA mad cow confirmation in Alberta It's just as well that Alberta rancher Ron Beniuk was sitting down when he heard Tuesday the DNA confirmation that an American cow diagnosed with mad cow disease originated in Alberta. "I'm sitting down, 'cause I can't get no lower," said Beniuk, who has 175 cows near Lac La Biche north of Edmonton. Beniuk fears that confirmation will only lead to more Alberta-raised cows being found with bovine spongiform encephalopathy. "There are cows that were fed the same feed and everything that are still in the system," he said. "When they get butchered they're going to find some more BSE. That cow wasn't fed that bone meal by herself." The fear and the uncertainty is getting to him...Enzyme Fully Degrades Mad Cow Disease Prion Research by North Carolina State University scientists, in conjunction with scientists from the Netherlands and BioResource International, an NC State spin-off biotechnology company, has shown that, under proper conditions, an enzyme can fully degrade the prion - or protein particle - believed to be responsible for mad cow disease and other related animal and human diseases. These transmissible prions - believed to be the cause of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the technical name for mad cow disease, as well as the human and sheep versions, called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and scrapie, respectively - are highly resistant to degradation, says Dr. Jason Shih, professor of biotechnology and poultry science at NC State. But the new research, which tested the effects of a bacterial enzyme keratinase on brain tissues from cows with BSE and sheep with scrapie, showed that, when the tissue was pretreated and in the presence of a detergent, the enzyme fully degraded the prion, rendering it undetectable...Deaths rise in Britain from variant of mad cow The number of people in Britain who died from a brain disease related to mad cow increased in 2003 for the first time in four years, the Health Department has announced. Eighteen people died in 2003 from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the agency said Monday, up from 17 in 2002. The disease, known as vCJD, is thought to stem from eating infected beef and attacks the human brain in much the same way as mad cow attacks the bovine brain. To date, 139 people in Britain have died from "definite or probable" cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the agency said, and another six are still living with it. Statistically, the increase could be just "random noise," said Dr. Simon Cousens, who tracks the disease at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Still, there is no uniform opinion on whether death from exposure to mad cow disease is falling in Britain, Cousens said...Governor proclaims 'American Beef Week' Gov. Kathleen Sebelius had a suggestion Monday for dinner: "Go buy a burger. Eat a steak." Sebelius' lighthearted message was a serious suggestion that consumers continue to eat beef despite the discovery last month of a cow infected with mad cow disease in Washington state. The governor made the remark as she signed a proclamation marking "American Beef Week." Sebelius said governors of Colorado, Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas all signed similar proclamations to reassure consumers the nation's beef supply remains safe. Those states are among 10 that are responsible for about 75 percent of the beef market in the United States, Sebelius said. "We all recognize that it's not only significant for our economies, but it's a key part of the diet of Americans," she said. "Hopefully, Kansas and American consumers will continue to buy and eat beef."...Cattle Prices Sink, Japan to Retain Ban Cattle prices fell sharply in Chicago on Tuesday after officials with top importer Japan said they will keep their ban on U.S. beef imports, two weeks after the discovery of the first case of mad cow disease in the United States. On Tuesday, live cattle for February delivery at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange closed down 1.40 cents a pound at 73.900 cents. That benchmark contract had closed at 90.675 cents on Dec. 23, before the mad cow discovery was announced...Mexican officials to visit U.S. for mad cow talks Mexican officials will visit Washington next week to see what steps the United States is taking to prevent the spread of mad cow disease following the identification of one case last month, officials said on Tuesday. "We extended an invitation to a technical team from the Mexican agriculture ministry to visit the United States, they accepted our invitation and they will be arriving in Washington on Monday," J.B. Penn, an undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, told reporters in Mexico City. U.S. agriculture officials pushed Mexico, a major consumer of meat from its northern neighbor, to lift the ban on beef imports at talks in the Mexican capital on Tuesday...Experts Seek Analysis of Human Mad Cow Scientists have yet to document a single U.S. case of someone getting the human version of mad cow disease from contaminated beef. Then again, they might not be looking hard enough. Some experts say scientists should be looking more closely at cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease - a brain-destroying disorder that kills hundreds of Americans each year - to see whether some of these deaths were, in fact, caused by beef from cattle infected with mad cow disease. "Could there be one (missed) case in there? Maybe," said Lawrence Schonberger, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention epidemiologist who has studied CJD for more than a decade. "In this game, we never say something's impossible."...Amending the US beef business Americans today are learning far more than they ever wanted to know about the process of turning cows into thousands of products that even a hard-core vegan would have trouble avoiding - cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, fire-extinguisher foam, lubricants, the glue that holds plywood together. Not to mention the steaks, roasts, hamburger, and other meat items that human carnivores regularly devour. The process is necessarily violent and mechanical, involving slicing, grinding, and high-pressure blasting and compression. It's much safer than it was years ago - both for slaughterhouse and meat- processing workers, as well as for consumers. But it has also run the risk of mixing the potentially disease-causing parts of the cow (brain, spinal cord, and parts of the intestine) into the muscle meat and other food products - including sausage - that many Americans eat every day. Meat from the infected Holstein was mixed in with 20,000 pounds from other cows before being shipped to market. Some doctors now suspect that people diagnosed with Alzheimer's may in fact have the human version of the neurological disease, which incubates years before appearing in the form of mental and physical degeneration. No one knows for sure if there is any possible link to animals with bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE (the scientific name for mad-cow disease), however. That's because until now the inspection system for cattle headed for the slaughterhouse has been relatively minimal...Aussie Beef Prices Soar Fears of an outbreak of mad cow disease in the United States have sent the price of wholesale Australian beef in Japan surging by as much as 40%, according to a report Tuesday. The price of benchmark frozen Australian beef has jumped to Y950 yen a kilogram in Tokyo -- up Y270 yen (US$2.54), or 40 percent, since Dec. 23 -- just before the government slapped an import ban on U.S. beef, the business daily Nikkei Shimbun reported. According to figures from the Japan Meat Trading Center, wholesale U.S. beef prices have plummeted, while the prices of Australian cuts have steadily increased since the Dec. 24 ban, which was imposed after the discovery of the first American case of mad cow disease...Mexico to Weigh Importing Some U.S. Beef Mexico, one of the biggest markets for American beef, will consider allowing imports of some cuts of meat as exceptions to a ban imposed after the United States' first case of mad cow disease was discovered, officials said Tuesday. But Agriculture Secretary Javier Usabiaga said a decision to make those exceptions could take months and would only occur after Mexico was satisfied that U.S. controls were adequate. Mexico also wants to send its own experts to the United States to examine the controls. Cuba also is negotiating new purchases of American cattle, confident that concerns over mad cow disease will be quickly allayed and the animals shipped will be healthy, said Pedro Alvarez, head of Cuba's food import company. Cuba earlier considered postponing some purchases of American cattle because of mad cow concerns...
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Monday, January 05, 2004
NEWS ROUNDUP
Forest Service decision on grasslands expected soon The U.S. Forest Service is expected to issue a decision soon regarding 16 appeals against its Northern Great Plains Management Plans Revision, a document involving the management of national grasslands in Wyoming, the Dakotas and Montana. The plan revision was finalized in July 2002, capping seven years of development. Five of the appeals involve grazing and mineral development in northeast Wyoming's Thunder Basin National Grassland... Contractor quits horse roundup in Carson National Forest A contractor hired to round up wild horses in the Carson National Forest has thrown in the towel. New Mexico Horse Project director Carlos LoPopolo failed to capture a single horse in the Jarita Mesa Wild Horse Territory. He blames stormy weather and the flu, which struck many of his crewmembers and halted work for 13 days. A U.S. Forest Service contract gave LoPopolo's group 30 days to round up the horses, beginning December First...Conservation group buys Sage Creek land The Conservation Fund has purchased 160 acres of land along Sage Creek in the Pryor Mountains, with plans to close the deal on an adjoining 160 acre tract in March. The purchase is part of a plan to buy six 160-acre tracts belonging to the Schwend families. The Conservation Fund will then sell the land to the Custer National Forest. Money for the purchase came from a $750,000 appropriation in the Interior budget. Gates Watson, the Montana representative of the nonprofit Conservation Fund, said his group is in the process of drawing up plans to request money from the 2005 budget for the four other tracts...Alaska Wildlife Experts Use Floating Lab In service for 16 years, the Tiglax has emerged as a major player in managing the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, which extends from the state's southeastern arm to the Aleutian Islands to the Arctic Slope. It's a floating science center with access to many of the 2,500 islands, islets and headlands that make up the 3.5 million-acre refuge. Researchers from federal agencies, universities and other institutions use the 120-foot vessel for hundreds of projects, keeping track of the health and welfare of the Far North's abundant marine life. Most of the research is done along the Aleutians and Gulf of Alaska during the warmer months, when lush grasses sprout waist-high and the region comes alive with millions of returning seabirds, whales, otters and sea lions...Some say mouse is hurting business A study suggesting that Preble's meadow jumping mouse may not need protection under the Endangered Species Act comes too late for some developers and landowners. Developer Al Alba said his company, Omnivest Realty, lost more than $1 million as a result of mouse habitat protection that caused an 18-month delay on a Colorado site where he plans to build affordable housing. A recent Denver Museum of Nature and Science study called the mouse's protected status into question, suggesting it's not a genetically distinct subspecies worthy of protection under the Endangered Species Act. "I didn't know whether to cheer or cry when I heard about the museum study," Alba said. "In any case, it came too late to have any bearing on our project. We just had to bite the bullet, take the loss and move on." The study was released on the same day that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that there was insufficient evidence to support three separate petitions to remove the mouse's protected status...Supporters champion stronger ESA Supporters of the Endangered Species Act say the law has been the difference between existence and extinction of many plants and animals, but that more needs to be done to ensure permanent recovery of imperiled species. Calls for increased commitment to the act comes on its 30th anniversary --- celebrated Dec. 28 --- as the Bush administration is considering moves to make significant changes to the law... Costs of ESA provoke ranchers' wrath Livestock producers in Wyoming say the Endangered Species Act has appropriately helped a couple of species survive, but for the most part, they feel, the act is a land use tool that hurts ranchers. Asked to look back on the 30-year history of the Endangered Species Act, Wyoming Stock Growers Association executive vice-president Jim Magagna said the ESA is not working the way it was intended. The act is having huge, negative impacts on the state's livestock producers, he said... Editorial: Common enemies Utah ranchers today are fearing that a decision expected early this week from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will move a once-common bird called the greater sage grouse toward the protections of the Endangered Species Act. If the government does start the process toward protecting the ground-dwelling bird, whose numbers have dropped dramatically over the last 20 years, ranchers fear their ability to graze their herds on public lands will be subjected to more restrictions. But public lands are in need of more restrictions, and would be even if there were no such beast as the greater sage grouse. Ranching throughout the West, already heavily subsidized with cheap grazing permits, is threatened by basically the same factors that have pushed the grouse and its cousins to the brink of extinction -- drought, urban sprawl and overly aggressive oil and gas exploration being the most prominent...Feds delay new elementary school A possible threat to the habitat of two endangered species means that some students may be starting school in a portable classroom rather than a brand-new campus this fall, a school official said Monday. Lake Elsinore Unified School District has put on hold its plans for building the new Ronald Reagan Elementary School off Baxter Road while it works out with federal agencies the potential impacts of the project on the species and takes appropriate action to protect their habitat, district officials said Monday. In July, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers identified the 13-acre parcel as a possible habitat area for the Quino checkerspot butterfly and the coastal California gnatcatcher, a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service official said Monday. Both species are listed by the federal government as being endangered...Appeals Court Favors State Over Minnow New Mexico and other Western states have won another victory over the silvery minnow. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has set aside an earlier decision that allowed the federal government to take water from states or cities to protect an endangered species. State Attorney General Patricia Madrid said the court's ruling applies not just to the silvery minnow, but also to all similar cases. "I think it's a victory for state's rights to say the federal government cannot tell New Mexico how to use its precious and scarce water resources," Madrid said...Snowmobile case surfaces in new court In the latest twist over snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park, a federal judge in Wyoming has agreed to revive a court case that challenged a ban on the machines that was issued near the end of the Clinton administration. U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer said on Dec. 31 that he would reopen the case but did not set a schedule for when it would proceed. Attorneys on both sides of the snowmobile fight were notified of the decision Monday. The decision could mean that the dispute over snowmobiles moves into two federal courts...Coalbed methane: The lawsuits As drilling for coalbed methane slowly picks up in southeastern Montana, legal battles over development of the natural gas continue to pit conservationists, American Indians and landowners against government agencies and developers. At latest count, there are four cases pending in U.S. District Court in Billings, another case from the district on appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and one suit pending in Montana District Court. Most of the lawsuits challenge two environmental studies approved earlier this year by Montana and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Montana and Wyoming. Conservation groups, landowners and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe all sued the BLM and U.S. Department of Interior shortly after BLM approved plans in Montana and Wyoming for coalbed methane development. The suits allege the environmental analyses were inadequate and violated federal laws...Conservationists, tribes urge caution in coalbed methane development Conservation groups in 2003 won key rulings on issues of tapping coalbed methane in Montana, and they aren't relaxing their efforts. The Northern Plains Resource Council, a Billings-based non-profit group representing conservationists and family agriculture, has filed at least six lawsuits over coalbed methane. Five are pending and a sixth was settled in NPRC's favor. The Northern Cheyenne Tribe has joined one of the suits against the Bureau of Land Management, saying it fears development plans threaten tribal ways of life. Developers have accused the conservation group of being obstructionist and anti-industry. The group says it only aims to ensure that coalbed methane development doesn't deplete or degrade water resources, or drive farmers and ranchers out of business...Ready, set, Montana takes measured approach to coalbed exploration The year 2003 was a turning point for coalbed methane development in Montana. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management and state of Montana completed a long-awaited environmental study that will guide development of an estimated 26,000 wells in the state in the next 20 years. In March, the Montana Board of Environmental Review adopted numeric water quality standards for salts in groundwater discharged by coalbed methane wells. The standards apply to the Powder, Little Powder and Tongue rivers and Rosebud Creek in southeastern Montana. The numeric standards are to protect the rivers' water quality while allowing developers to discharge some of the huge quantities of groundwater that are brought to the surface to release the natural gas. The wrangling over the numeric standards between landowners, who worried about protecting their soils and crops, and developers, who were concerned that too stringent standards could stymie methane production, ended with standards that both sides said they could live with...Editorial: A cow eating grass You remember the story of the clever art student, the one who framed a blank canvass and titled it "Cow Eating Grass." Where was the grass? The cow ate it all. Where was the cow? Why would she stick around if there was no grass? At the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, that's not a joke. It's a mission statement. In another of those carefully timed announcements (Friday afternoon, when all the bigfoot Washington reporters are off to their weekend houses in Virginia), the BLM released an analysis of its own proposed new rules for grazing rights on the millions of acres it supposedly holds in the name of all of the American people. The agency's own analysis declares that the agency's proposed rules are just wonderful, except for "some short-term adverse effects" that will result from an approach that is even more see-no-evil than the existing one...Helping Mother Nature: Nonprofit group works to protect desert tortoises from too much -- and too little -- human interaction Betty Burge of Las Vegas can't think of an animal more endearing than the desert tortoise. "There's hardly an animal that you can walk up to in the wild, that's this big that's nonthreatening. Even children like them," says Burge, 71, who has largely devoted the past 31 years to studying and protecting the gentle reptile. Aside from inexorable loss of habitat as city replaces desert, the tortoise's placid approachability also places it at risk, notes Burge, who helped found the nonprofit Tortoise Group. Since 1982 it has been advising people on the proper care, feeding and habitat for pet tortoises...Big chill triggers jump in U.S. natural gas U.S. natural gas prices made big gains Monday on the first trading day of the year, propelled by cold weather and persistent market concerns about the nation's ability to meet demand as its gas supplies lag. A 10-percent jump in U.S. gas futures prices Monday fits a volatile pattern seen in recent months that most energy analysts blame on the market's inability to find equilibrium...Wyden deftly walks political line Sen. Ron Wyden helped Republicans turn controversial legislation regarding public lands and Medicare drug benefits into law in 2003. But the Portland Democrat appears to be riding out the anger from some of his urban, liberal supporters -- people who opposed the Healthy Forests Restoration Act as a backdoor effort to boost logging on public lands and the Medicare prescription drug bill as the first step toward privatizing the federal program. Oregon political experts say that Wyden's actions reflect the savvy calculations of a man skilled in navigating the state's political waters...Smith branches out by writing text for Fielder's forest book Colorado landscape photographer John Fielder and Glenwood Springs resident Steve Smith have paddled rivers and promoted environmental protection together. Now they have teamed up on Fielder's latest book, released late in 2003. Smith, a consultant to environmental organizations, has penned a 10,000-word essay accompanying the photos in "Seeing Colorado's Forests for the Trees." Smith's text covers the gamut: the different types of trees found at different elevations in Colorado; the history of man's use and enjoyment of forests; the impacts of fires, and infestations of insects and weeds; and the conservation ethic that has arisen side by side with logging, road development and other human incursions into the backcountry... Bush Makes Time for 'Hook and Bullet' Set The National Rifle Assn. was represented at the White House meeting; so were Ducks Unlimited and Pheasants Forever. Altogether, President Bush spent more than an hour with the leaders of some 20 hunting and fishing groups in the room named for Theodore Roosevelt, the first conservationist president. The unusually lengthy meeting -- followed by a major decision in its favor -- shows the "hook and bullet" crowd, as the anglers and hunters call themselves, to be a powerful new force on environmental issues in Washington. Traditional environmental groups, which have been hostile to the president from the start, have had a hard time catching the administration's ear. The hunters and anglers are more effective with the Bush administration, some of their leaders said, because they represent millions of Americans, many of whom vote Republican, and because they reject the confrontational strategy of the environmental movement...3 Top Enforcement Officials Say They Will Leave E.P.A. Three top enforcement officials at the Environmental Protection Agency have resigned or retired in the last two weeks, including two lawyers who were architects of the agency's litigation strategy against coal-burning power plants. The timing of the departures and comments by at least one of the officials who is leaving suggest that some have left out of frustration with the Bush administration's policy toward enforcement of the Clean Air Act. "The rug was pulled out from under us," said Rich Biondi, who is retiring as associate director of the air enforcement division of the agency. "You look around and say, `What contribution can I continue to make here?' and it was limited." Cynthia Bergman, a spokeswoman for the agency, said of the departures, "This is an office of several hundred employees -- and to have one political appointee and two career employees leave is not indicative of unrest or departmentwide frustration."...Column: Politics in the lab hits US scientific integrity In theory, science is supposed to be cold, analytical, dispassionate - and studiously apolitical. But in the real world of competing demands for federal research dollars, savvy scientists of all disciplines - from cognitive psychologists running rats through mazes to nuclear physicists operating massive particle accelerators - recognize that a certain amount of political meddling in their research by policymakers in the executive branch and Congress is to be expected. However, there are limits - limits the Bush administration has frequently disregarded by imposing stringent political controls on a broad variety of federal scientific programs and activities. This has raised acute concern in the American scientific community that the administration's drive to stamp its conservative values on science isn't just affecting policy decisions, but undermining the integrity of the US research infrastructure itself...Ozone standards pose health risk, scientists report The air Americans breathe contains more ozone from pollution than the Environmental Protection Agency estimates, Harvard scientists report. Ozone can cause pain, breathing difficulties, and coughing. It can damage the lungs, EPA warns on its Web site, and it can also make one susceptible to respiratory infections. Those active outdoors are particularly at risk for exposure, the agency says. To calculate air quality standards for ozone, EPA distinguishes between the background or "natural" levels of ozone in the air and that caused by pollution in North America. "Our results actually indicate that EPA is overestimating the background level, and as a result is underestimating the health risk associated with ozone pollution," atmospheric chemist Arlene Fiore says. This assumption skews the air quality standards that EPA sets, making them weaker than they could be, Fiore and co-authors report in the Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres, published by the American Geophysical Union...Pollution database lists 300 spills over 5 years On Nov. 11, 1998, an equipment malfunction caused the Montana Sulphur and Chemical Co. plant in Billings to release nearly 14 tons of sulfur dioxide into the air during a 2 1/2-hour period. Near Cut Bank on March 10, 2002, vandals turned loose railroad cars that derailed into a building containing batteries and caused abouts six gallons of acid to leak into the ground. Those were two of more than 300 suspected or actual unauthorized spills, discharges and releases of pollution in Montana reported over the past five years to a national clearinghouse maintained by the federal government. An Associated Press review of the National Response Center's database shows a wide variety in the types of spills and releases reported - from seemingly insignificant releases of hair spray to tens of thousands of gallons of ethanol. In about six of every 10 incidents, the chemical or substance reached a body of water, usually a nearby river or stream, the analysis found...Water Sentinels Go 'Knee-Deep' Kruzen is one of eight regional staffers in the Water Sentinels program. Now in its second year, the program educates the public about local water-quality problems and the lack of environmental law enforcement. Sierra Club chapters recruit, train, and equip teams of volunteers and field them to threatened waterways, where they take regular water samples, compile evidence, and build momentum for state-level enforcement actions focused on specific watersheds...New dam rivaling Grand Coulee suddenly not so unthinkable Workers in coveralls are drilling through the basalt beneath this empty, wind-torn basin to see what it would take to erect a mighty new dam -- a colossal structure as tall as the Space Needle and as wide as the Grand Coulee. It's an odd backward lunge to early-day Northwest efforts to corral nature through monumental feats of engineering. The enormous project pushed by drought-weary Eastern Washington farmers calls for siphoning millions of gallons from the Columbia River and piping it into a downward-sloping valley between Yakima and the Tri-Cities...'Halt water deals', Senator calls on General Land Office to halt water deal negotiations Senator Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, asked the Commissioner of the General Land Office to postpone further negotiations with private companies on prospective water deals until legislators can examine the proposals. Fraser, in a letter to GLO Commissioner Jerry Patterson, said he was troubled by recent newspaper accounts of potential water deals being negotiated by the state agency. "In reading about these proposed ventures, I am also surprised at the pace of the negotiations, especially given that the Texas Legislature has not been afforded the opportunity to review the proposals in detail," Fraser wrote. Fraser noted that the Legislature in 1997 enacted major water policy legislation, Senate Bill 1, which created 16 regional water planning districts throughout the state to ensure local control of water planning decisions...Editorial: Waterway words Along some of its course, the river is not much Rio and even less Grande, but its water brings life to fields and cities -- and has been very much in dispute for many years. It is refreshing, then, to see a proposal that would bring the governors of New Mexico, Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila and Tamaulipas together to draft a water agreement. Water from the Rio Grande has been a source of conflict between Mexico and Texas for generations. Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, which also has an interest in the river, doesn't think the U.S. and Mexican governments are paying enough attention...Deer dispute is now federal case Just outside the window of Hollywood Park's town hall, a deer herd was seen Monday afternoon quietly strolling through a hilly yard next door. The four were naturally unaware that a longtime explosive debate about managing their abundant population in this North Side town had just moved hours earlier from nearby town hall to a federal courthouse. Town residents and members of the Hollywood Park Humane Society joined together to file a lawsuit claiming that a much-debated 2002 municipal ordinance is both inhumane to the deer, and unconstitutional to homeowners who should be able to use their land as they want. Under the ordinance, anyone caught feeding deer is subject to a $500 fine, even if the feeding is done on private property. About two dozen citations have been handed out since its December 2002 inception, officials said...Gunfire punctuates Montana's bar culture After he shot his dog but before he murdered the jukebox, Gregory Michael Pepin explained to the bartender that he would dearly love to shoot himself. He just didn't have the nerve. What he did have, as he sat at the bar, was a snootful of tequila and a semiautomatic rifle with 30 bullets in the clip. The bartender, his hands trembling, poured Pepin a drink and tried to talk of happy days. It was going rather well, Roger Malmquist, the bartender, remembers thinking, when the jukebox suddenly started up. As the bartender tells the story, Pepin whirled on his barstool and fired four rounds into the jukebox. The music stopped. Moments later, the phone rang behind the bar. Pepin silenced it with five more bullets. Then the jukebox, wounded but not yet dead, erupted with another song. Pepin whirled again, fired two more rounds and finished it off. The bartender, trembling still, poured Pepin another drink...In Dewey, Mont., blame it on the jukebox "Almost all of these bars had a shooting in them," said Louie Rivenes, bartender for 20 years at the H Bar J. And here in Dewey last month, there was Gregory Pepin, his semiautomatic rifle and the bullet-riddled jukebox. "I talked him out of shooting the five televisions, the mirrored back-bar, the kegs, the windows and the doors," Malmquist said. "I reminded him of how he had changed that flat tire for the gal and how I tabbed him, and he started to calm down." Then, that jukebox played, the phone rang and all hell broke loose. Malmquist said he watched in fear and disbelief as Pepin emptied his 30-round clip...
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Forest Service decision on grasslands expected soon The U.S. Forest Service is expected to issue a decision soon regarding 16 appeals against its Northern Great Plains Management Plans Revision, a document involving the management of national grasslands in Wyoming, the Dakotas and Montana. The plan revision was finalized in July 2002, capping seven years of development. Five of the appeals involve grazing and mineral development in northeast Wyoming's Thunder Basin National Grassland... Contractor quits horse roundup in Carson National Forest A contractor hired to round up wild horses in the Carson National Forest has thrown in the towel. New Mexico Horse Project director Carlos LoPopolo failed to capture a single horse in the Jarita Mesa Wild Horse Territory. He blames stormy weather and the flu, which struck many of his crewmembers and halted work for 13 days. A U.S. Forest Service contract gave LoPopolo's group 30 days to round up the horses, beginning December First...Conservation group buys Sage Creek land The Conservation Fund has purchased 160 acres of land along Sage Creek in the Pryor Mountains, with plans to close the deal on an adjoining 160 acre tract in March. The purchase is part of a plan to buy six 160-acre tracts belonging to the Schwend families. The Conservation Fund will then sell the land to the Custer National Forest. Money for the purchase came from a $750,000 appropriation in the Interior budget. Gates Watson, the Montana representative of the nonprofit Conservation Fund, said his group is in the process of drawing up plans to request money from the 2005 budget for the four other tracts...Alaska Wildlife Experts Use Floating Lab In service for 16 years, the Tiglax has emerged as a major player in managing the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, which extends from the state's southeastern arm to the Aleutian Islands to the Arctic Slope. It's a floating science center with access to many of the 2,500 islands, islets and headlands that make up the 3.5 million-acre refuge. Researchers from federal agencies, universities and other institutions use the 120-foot vessel for hundreds of projects, keeping track of the health and welfare of the Far North's abundant marine life. Most of the research is done along the Aleutians and Gulf of Alaska during the warmer months, when lush grasses sprout waist-high and the region comes alive with millions of returning seabirds, whales, otters and sea lions...Some say mouse is hurting business A study suggesting that Preble's meadow jumping mouse may not need protection under the Endangered Species Act comes too late for some developers and landowners. Developer Al Alba said his company, Omnivest Realty, lost more than $1 million as a result of mouse habitat protection that caused an 18-month delay on a Colorado site where he plans to build affordable housing. A recent Denver Museum of Nature and Science study called the mouse's protected status into question, suggesting it's not a genetically distinct subspecies worthy of protection under the Endangered Species Act. "I didn't know whether to cheer or cry when I heard about the museum study," Alba said. "In any case, it came too late to have any bearing on our project. We just had to bite the bullet, take the loss and move on." The study was released on the same day that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that there was insufficient evidence to support three separate petitions to remove the mouse's protected status...Supporters champion stronger ESA Supporters of the Endangered Species Act say the law has been the difference between existence and extinction of many plants and animals, but that more needs to be done to ensure permanent recovery of imperiled species. Calls for increased commitment to the act comes on its 30th anniversary --- celebrated Dec. 28 --- as the Bush administration is considering moves to make significant changes to the law... Costs of ESA provoke ranchers' wrath Livestock producers in Wyoming say the Endangered Species Act has appropriately helped a couple of species survive, but for the most part, they feel, the act is a land use tool that hurts ranchers. Asked to look back on the 30-year history of the Endangered Species Act, Wyoming Stock Growers Association executive vice-president Jim Magagna said the ESA is not working the way it was intended. The act is having huge, negative impacts on the state's livestock producers, he said... Editorial: Common enemies Utah ranchers today are fearing that a decision expected early this week from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will move a once-common bird called the greater sage grouse toward the protections of the Endangered Species Act. If the government does start the process toward protecting the ground-dwelling bird, whose numbers have dropped dramatically over the last 20 years, ranchers fear their ability to graze their herds on public lands will be subjected to more restrictions. But public lands are in need of more restrictions, and would be even if there were no such beast as the greater sage grouse. Ranching throughout the West, already heavily subsidized with cheap grazing permits, is threatened by basically the same factors that have pushed the grouse and its cousins to the brink of extinction -- drought, urban sprawl and overly aggressive oil and gas exploration being the most prominent...Feds delay new elementary school A possible threat to the habitat of two endangered species means that some students may be starting school in a portable classroom rather than a brand-new campus this fall, a school official said Monday. Lake Elsinore Unified School District has put on hold its plans for building the new Ronald Reagan Elementary School off Baxter Road while it works out with federal agencies the potential impacts of the project on the species and takes appropriate action to protect their habitat, district officials said Monday. In July, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers identified the 13-acre parcel as a possible habitat area for the Quino checkerspot butterfly and the coastal California gnatcatcher, a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service official said Monday. Both species are listed by the federal government as being endangered...Appeals Court Favors State Over Minnow New Mexico and other Western states have won another victory over the silvery minnow. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has set aside an earlier decision that allowed the federal government to take water from states or cities to protect an endangered species. State Attorney General Patricia Madrid said the court's ruling applies not just to the silvery minnow, but also to all similar cases. "I think it's a victory for state's rights to say the federal government cannot tell New Mexico how to use its precious and scarce water resources," Madrid said...Snowmobile case surfaces in new court In the latest twist over snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park, a federal judge in Wyoming has agreed to revive a court case that challenged a ban on the machines that was issued near the end of the Clinton administration. U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer said on Dec. 31 that he would reopen the case but did not set a schedule for when it would proceed. Attorneys on both sides of the snowmobile fight were notified of the decision Monday. The decision could mean that the dispute over snowmobiles moves into two federal courts...Coalbed methane: The lawsuits As drilling for coalbed methane slowly picks up in southeastern Montana, legal battles over development of the natural gas continue to pit conservationists, American Indians and landowners against government agencies and developers. At latest count, there are four cases pending in U.S. District Court in Billings, another case from the district on appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and one suit pending in Montana District Court. Most of the lawsuits challenge two environmental studies approved earlier this year by Montana and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Montana and Wyoming. Conservation groups, landowners and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe all sued the BLM and U.S. Department of Interior shortly after BLM approved plans in Montana and Wyoming for coalbed methane development. The suits allege the environmental analyses were inadequate and violated federal laws...Conservationists, tribes urge caution in coalbed methane development Conservation groups in 2003 won key rulings on issues of tapping coalbed methane in Montana, and they aren't relaxing their efforts. The Northern Plains Resource Council, a Billings-based non-profit group representing conservationists and family agriculture, has filed at least six lawsuits over coalbed methane. Five are pending and a sixth was settled in NPRC's favor. The Northern Cheyenne Tribe has joined one of the suits against the Bureau of Land Management, saying it fears development plans threaten tribal ways of life. Developers have accused the conservation group of being obstructionist and anti-industry. The group says it only aims to ensure that coalbed methane development doesn't deplete or degrade water resources, or drive farmers and ranchers out of business...Ready, set, Montana takes measured approach to coalbed exploration The year 2003 was a turning point for coalbed methane development in Montana. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management and state of Montana completed a long-awaited environmental study that will guide development of an estimated 26,000 wells in the state in the next 20 years. In March, the Montana Board of Environmental Review adopted numeric water quality standards for salts in groundwater discharged by coalbed methane wells. The standards apply to the Powder, Little Powder and Tongue rivers and Rosebud Creek in southeastern Montana. The numeric standards are to protect the rivers' water quality while allowing developers to discharge some of the huge quantities of groundwater that are brought to the surface to release the natural gas. The wrangling over the numeric standards between landowners, who worried about protecting their soils and crops, and developers, who were concerned that too stringent standards could stymie methane production, ended with standards that both sides said they could live with...Editorial: A cow eating grass You remember the story of the clever art student, the one who framed a blank canvass and titled it "Cow Eating Grass." Where was the grass? The cow ate it all. Where was the cow? Why would she stick around if there was no grass? At the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, that's not a joke. It's a mission statement. In another of those carefully timed announcements (Friday afternoon, when all the bigfoot Washington reporters are off to their weekend houses in Virginia), the BLM released an analysis of its own proposed new rules for grazing rights on the millions of acres it supposedly holds in the name of all of the American people. The agency's own analysis declares that the agency's proposed rules are just wonderful, except for "some short-term adverse effects" that will result from an approach that is even more see-no-evil than the existing one...Helping Mother Nature: Nonprofit group works to protect desert tortoises from too much -- and too little -- human interaction Betty Burge of Las Vegas can't think of an animal more endearing than the desert tortoise. "There's hardly an animal that you can walk up to in the wild, that's this big that's nonthreatening. Even children like them," says Burge, 71, who has largely devoted the past 31 years to studying and protecting the gentle reptile. Aside from inexorable loss of habitat as city replaces desert, the tortoise's placid approachability also places it at risk, notes Burge, who helped found the nonprofit Tortoise Group. Since 1982 it has been advising people on the proper care, feeding and habitat for pet tortoises...Big chill triggers jump in U.S. natural gas U.S. natural gas prices made big gains Monday on the first trading day of the year, propelled by cold weather and persistent market concerns about the nation's ability to meet demand as its gas supplies lag. A 10-percent jump in U.S. gas futures prices Monday fits a volatile pattern seen in recent months that most energy analysts blame on the market's inability to find equilibrium...Wyden deftly walks political line Sen. Ron Wyden helped Republicans turn controversial legislation regarding public lands and Medicare drug benefits into law in 2003. But the Portland Democrat appears to be riding out the anger from some of his urban, liberal supporters -- people who opposed the Healthy Forests Restoration Act as a backdoor effort to boost logging on public lands and the Medicare prescription drug bill as the first step toward privatizing the federal program. Oregon political experts say that Wyden's actions reflect the savvy calculations of a man skilled in navigating the state's political waters...Smith branches out by writing text for Fielder's forest book Colorado landscape photographer John Fielder and Glenwood Springs resident Steve Smith have paddled rivers and promoted environmental protection together. Now they have teamed up on Fielder's latest book, released late in 2003. Smith, a consultant to environmental organizations, has penned a 10,000-word essay accompanying the photos in "Seeing Colorado's Forests for the Trees." Smith's text covers the gamut: the different types of trees found at different elevations in Colorado; the history of man's use and enjoyment of forests; the impacts of fires, and infestations of insects and weeds; and the conservation ethic that has arisen side by side with logging, road development and other human incursions into the backcountry... Bush Makes Time for 'Hook and Bullet' Set The National Rifle Assn. was represented at the White House meeting; so were Ducks Unlimited and Pheasants Forever. Altogether, President Bush spent more than an hour with the leaders of some 20 hunting and fishing groups in the room named for Theodore Roosevelt, the first conservationist president. The unusually lengthy meeting -- followed by a major decision in its favor -- shows the "hook and bullet" crowd, as the anglers and hunters call themselves, to be a powerful new force on environmental issues in Washington. Traditional environmental groups, which have been hostile to the president from the start, have had a hard time catching the administration's ear. The hunters and anglers are more effective with the Bush administration, some of their leaders said, because they represent millions of Americans, many of whom vote Republican, and because they reject the confrontational strategy of the environmental movement...3 Top Enforcement Officials Say They Will Leave E.P.A. Three top enforcement officials at the Environmental Protection Agency have resigned or retired in the last two weeks, including two lawyers who were architects of the agency's litigation strategy against coal-burning power plants. The timing of the departures and comments by at least one of the officials who is leaving suggest that some have left out of frustration with the Bush administration's policy toward enforcement of the Clean Air Act. "The rug was pulled out from under us," said Rich Biondi, who is retiring as associate director of the air enforcement division of the agency. "You look around and say, `What contribution can I continue to make here?' and it was limited." Cynthia Bergman, a spokeswoman for the agency, said of the departures, "This is an office of several hundred employees -- and to have one political appointee and two career employees leave is not indicative of unrest or departmentwide frustration."...Column: Politics in the lab hits US scientific integrity In theory, science is supposed to be cold, analytical, dispassionate - and studiously apolitical. But in the real world of competing demands for federal research dollars, savvy scientists of all disciplines - from cognitive psychologists running rats through mazes to nuclear physicists operating massive particle accelerators - recognize that a certain amount of political meddling in their research by policymakers in the executive branch and Congress is to be expected. However, there are limits - limits the Bush administration has frequently disregarded by imposing stringent political controls on a broad variety of federal scientific programs and activities. This has raised acute concern in the American scientific community that the administration's drive to stamp its conservative values on science isn't just affecting policy decisions, but undermining the integrity of the US research infrastructure itself...Ozone standards pose health risk, scientists report The air Americans breathe contains more ozone from pollution than the Environmental Protection Agency estimates, Harvard scientists report. Ozone can cause pain, breathing difficulties, and coughing. It can damage the lungs, EPA warns on its Web site, and it can also make one susceptible to respiratory infections. Those active outdoors are particularly at risk for exposure, the agency says. To calculate air quality standards for ozone, EPA distinguishes between the background or "natural" levels of ozone in the air and that caused by pollution in North America. "Our results actually indicate that EPA is overestimating the background level, and as a result is underestimating the health risk associated with ozone pollution," atmospheric chemist Arlene Fiore says. This assumption skews the air quality standards that EPA sets, making them weaker than they could be, Fiore and co-authors report in the Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres, published by the American Geophysical Union...Pollution database lists 300 spills over 5 years On Nov. 11, 1998, an equipment malfunction caused the Montana Sulphur and Chemical Co. plant in Billings to release nearly 14 tons of sulfur dioxide into the air during a 2 1/2-hour period. Near Cut Bank on March 10, 2002, vandals turned loose railroad cars that derailed into a building containing batteries and caused abouts six gallons of acid to leak into the ground. Those were two of more than 300 suspected or actual unauthorized spills, discharges and releases of pollution in Montana reported over the past five years to a national clearinghouse maintained by the federal government. An Associated Press review of the National Response Center's database shows a wide variety in the types of spills and releases reported - from seemingly insignificant releases of hair spray to tens of thousands of gallons of ethanol. In about six of every 10 incidents, the chemical or substance reached a body of water, usually a nearby river or stream, the analysis found...Water Sentinels Go 'Knee-Deep' Kruzen is one of eight regional staffers in the Water Sentinels program. Now in its second year, the program educates the public about local water-quality problems and the lack of environmental law enforcement. Sierra Club chapters recruit, train, and equip teams of volunteers and field them to threatened waterways, where they take regular water samples, compile evidence, and build momentum for state-level enforcement actions focused on specific watersheds...New dam rivaling Grand Coulee suddenly not so unthinkable Workers in coveralls are drilling through the basalt beneath this empty, wind-torn basin to see what it would take to erect a mighty new dam -- a colossal structure as tall as the Space Needle and as wide as the Grand Coulee. It's an odd backward lunge to early-day Northwest efforts to corral nature through monumental feats of engineering. The enormous project pushed by drought-weary Eastern Washington farmers calls for siphoning millions of gallons from the Columbia River and piping it into a downward-sloping valley between Yakima and the Tri-Cities...'Halt water deals', Senator calls on General Land Office to halt water deal negotiations Senator Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, asked the Commissioner of the General Land Office to postpone further negotiations with private companies on prospective water deals until legislators can examine the proposals. Fraser, in a letter to GLO Commissioner Jerry Patterson, said he was troubled by recent newspaper accounts of potential water deals being negotiated by the state agency. "In reading about these proposed ventures, I am also surprised at the pace of the negotiations, especially given that the Texas Legislature has not been afforded the opportunity to review the proposals in detail," Fraser wrote. Fraser noted that the Legislature in 1997 enacted major water policy legislation, Senate Bill 1, which created 16 regional water planning districts throughout the state to ensure local control of water planning decisions...Editorial: Waterway words Along some of its course, the river is not much Rio and even less Grande, but its water brings life to fields and cities -- and has been very much in dispute for many years. It is refreshing, then, to see a proposal that would bring the governors of New Mexico, Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila and Tamaulipas together to draft a water agreement. Water from the Rio Grande has been a source of conflict between Mexico and Texas for generations. Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, which also has an interest in the river, doesn't think the U.S. and Mexican governments are paying enough attention...Deer dispute is now federal case Just outside the window of Hollywood Park's town hall, a deer herd was seen Monday afternoon quietly strolling through a hilly yard next door. The four were naturally unaware that a longtime explosive debate about managing their abundant population in this North Side town had just moved hours earlier from nearby town hall to a federal courthouse. Town residents and members of the Hollywood Park Humane Society joined together to file a lawsuit claiming that a much-debated 2002 municipal ordinance is both inhumane to the deer, and unconstitutional to homeowners who should be able to use their land as they want. Under the ordinance, anyone caught feeding deer is subject to a $500 fine, even if the feeding is done on private property. About two dozen citations have been handed out since its December 2002 inception, officials said...Gunfire punctuates Montana's bar culture After he shot his dog but before he murdered the jukebox, Gregory Michael Pepin explained to the bartender that he would dearly love to shoot himself. He just didn't have the nerve. What he did have, as he sat at the bar, was a snootful of tequila and a semiautomatic rifle with 30 bullets in the clip. The bartender, his hands trembling, poured Pepin a drink and tried to talk of happy days. It was going rather well, Roger Malmquist, the bartender, remembers thinking, when the jukebox suddenly started up. As the bartender tells the story, Pepin whirled on his barstool and fired four rounds into the jukebox. The music stopped. Moments later, the phone rang behind the bar. Pepin silenced it with five more bullets. Then the jukebox, wounded but not yet dead, erupted with another song. Pepin whirled again, fired two more rounds and finished it off. The bartender, trembling still, poured Pepin another drink...In Dewey, Mont., blame it on the jukebox "Almost all of these bars had a shooting in them," said Louie Rivenes, bartender for 20 years at the H Bar J. And here in Dewey last month, there was Gregory Pepin, his semiautomatic rifle and the bullet-riddled jukebox. "I talked him out of shooting the five televisions, the mirrored back-bar, the kegs, the windows and the doors," Malmquist said. "I reminded him of how he had changed that flat tire for the gal and how I tabbed him, and he started to calm down." Then, that jukebox played, the phone rang and all hell broke loose. Malmquist said he watched in fear and disbelief as Pepin emptied his 30-round clip...
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MAD COW NEWS
Technical Briefing and Webcast On BSE with Government Officials
Jan. 5, 2004
ED CURLETT: Hello, I'd like to welcome everybody to today's BSE update. Today we have Dr. Stephen Sundlof with the Food and Drug Administration. We have Dr. Daniel Engeljohn with the Food Safety and Inspection Service. And we have Dr. Ron DeHaven, the chief veterinary officer for USDA. Dr. DeHaven will make some opening remarks, and then we'll open it up for questions. We ask that you state your name and affiliation prior to asking your question. And with that, I will turn it over to Dr. DeHaven. Thanks.
DR. DEHAVEN: Thank you, Ed. And happy New Year to everyone.
Just a brief opening statement, update today, and then we'll go to the questions and answers, as Ed indicated.
The first item has to do with depopulation of the bull calf operation. We have made a decision to depopulate those bull calves. Those operations will proceed sometime this week, largely dependent upon logistical issues as well as some weather concerns that exist in the Yakima area. The calves will be transported to a slaughter facility that currently is not being used. We will have animal care experts on hand both at the farm where the calves are loaded, as well as the slaughter facility, to ensure humane treatment and handling of those calves. In total there are approximately 450 animals that will be sacrificed as part of this overall effort. And none of the animals will enter the human food chain; nor will any of the product from those animals go into a rendered product. So, again, none of the materials from those materials will either go into the human food chain, nor will they go into a rendered product.
I would just urge restraint on the part of those in the media, and particularly in the Yakima area. We know that there are a number of reporters that are watching this facility, and we would again request that you respect the privacy and property rights of both the owners of the farm in question, as well as not to interfere with these operations once they get underway.
As far as the DNA testing results, that has been proceeding at both of the laboratories, one in Canada and one in the U.S., and we would hope to have some level of announcement later this week once all of the laboratory tests are completed and analyzed, and comparisons made between the results from the two laboratories. So, again, that is still pending, but work is progressing in the laboratories.
In terms of our trace out of the 82 animals that presumably entered the United States, including the positive cow, one would be the index cow. Nine others are known to be part of the index herd from which the positive cow departed immediately before she went to slaughter. One is the animal that I mentioned last week, which is on the Mabton dairy operation. And we believe that one still may be in Canada. Nothing new significant to report at this point on the whereabouts of the other 70 animals. Our epidemiological investigation on those animals continued through the weekend. And while we have made significant progress in terms of tracing where they may have gone subsequent to entering the United States. Nothing confirmed that we can report to you at this point.
And then one last item, before we go to the Qs and As. We are dispatching from Washington a high-level team going to Mexico to have discussions relative to trade restrictions imposed by Mexico subsequent to the finding of this positive case. And we have making up that team Undersecretary Bill Hawks from Marketing Regulatory Programs. And he is accompanied by Undersecretary J.B. Penn of the Farm and Foreign Ag Services.
With that, let's, operator, go to the first question, please.
OPERATOR: Yes, Our first question today comes from Bob Bruin (sp). Please state your affiliation.
BOB BRUIN: Bob Bruin (sp) from Computer World. I'd like to follow up on the national livestock ID system. I'd like to find out where you folks are going to get the funding, if you know what the funding is. Are you going to adhere to the USAIP plan? And how soon can you get this in operation? USAIP calls for July 2004.
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. In terms of funding for the animal ID program, still yet to be determined in terms of exactly where those monies would come from and the speed with which we implement -- field and implement that whole system certainly is somewhat dependent on the funding. In the meantime, we are still progressing, developing that plan. We have species-specific groups that will be making recommendations on appropriate means of identification of animals based on the species and marketing patterns of those animals. So, for example, with cattle for the most part and animals moved individually, and as we are looking at appropriate means for individual animal ID, largely based on radio frequency ID chip. For other species of animals, such as poultry and swine that largely move in groups or lots, there could be potentially a lot ID as opposed to individual animal ID. Conceptually, ID would be put on the animals at the time that they leave the premises of birth, and would follow those animals through slaughter, with a means of tracking them electronically as they go through concentration points such as feed lots, livestock markets, and of course to slaughter. So work is progressing. We are still evaluating potential sources of funding to fund that project.
Operator, next question please?
OPERATOR: Your next question is from Seth Borenstein. Please state your affiliation.
SETH BORENSTEIN: Seth Borenstein, Knight Ridder Newspapers. Dr. DeHaven, in terms of the 450 animal sacrifice, what's the compensation that the farm owner has gotten? Has that been negotiated already? And who does it come from? And if it's a USDA amount of money, where in the budget does it come from?
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. In fact, we have an indemnity program that is based on fair market value of those animals. So before the depopulation would begin there would be an agreement in terms of what is fair market value of those animals. We would in essence take ownership of those animals prior to the actual depopulation. There are operational funds that have been made available for the indemnity purposes, so those dollars will come out of USDA funds.
Operator, next question please?
OPERATOR: Our next question is from Sally Schuff. Please state your affiliation.
SALLY SCHUFF: Yes, hi, this is Sally Schuff. I'm with Feedstuffs. My question is there's been quite a bit in the news media about the possibility of the U.S. being termed "BSE free." Is that in fact a possibility? And, as a follow up, can you tell us how soon you knew after the cow was diagnosed that she might have been a Canadian cow?
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. In terms of whether or not the U.S. would be declared as BSE free is just simply way too premature to make that kind of determination, and for the most part while we may or may not make that declaration, if we would it would be up to each importing country who might import animals or products from the U.S. to do their own risk assessment and make that evaluation. Clearly at the appropriate time in the future we would be presenting a packet of dossier to the OIE, the international standard-setting body, requesting country categorization. But, again, any efforts in that regard would be way premature at this point to make that declaration.
Clearly our efforts to trace this particular animal as well as any other animals that might have come with her from the index herd -- or, excuse me, the birth herd -- would be critical in terms of our being able to, at whatever point in the future, being able to make some kind of determination -- or making our case, if you will, in terms of a BSE free status for the U.S.
And I'm sorry, the second part of your question again?
SALLY SCHUFF: The second part of my question was: How soon after the diagnosis of this BSE cow in the U.S. were you aware that she was a Canadian cow, or had at least a Canadian ear tag?
DR. DEHAVEN: Well, I would remind you that the confirmation was received on December 23rd. And so it was a number of days -- I want to say three or four days where we had some definitive paper trail back to Canada. We knew early on that she had a tag in her ear that was consistent with what tags are applied in Canada. But it wasn't until three or four days later that we had actually established with our Canadian colleagues some paper trail, which would suggest that she had been in, or come from Canada. And, as you will recall, we had the age discrepancy issue, which we think we have subsequently resolved. So it was four or five days, and again I would remind everyone that in the middle of that we had Christmas; and for the Canadians we had Boxing Day. So we were working through weekends and holidays to come to that determination. And I think we announced that to the media very shortly after having seen those documents and establishing a paper trail.
Next question, operator?
OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Leah Beth Ward. Please state your affiliation.
LEAH BETH WARD: Yes, Yakima Herald Republic. Explain to us what led you first to Eastport, Idaho as the port of entry, and then to Oroville, Washington. And does that at all change your confidence in the source of the cow?
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. There was more than one health certificate involved, and I can't -- I don't have the specific records that led us initially to Eastport, Idaho and then subsequently to Oroville, Washington, but I think it's a matter of having multiple documents. And while we have preliminary information, and as I said repeatedly our primary line of inquiry takes us back to a dairy herd in Alberta, Canada, and we know that the animal ended up in the herd in Mabton, Washington, the exact route on how she got between those two points was in question, initially because of multiple documents that had some conflicting information. So I think the most relevant points are that we at least have a primary line of inquiry that would take us back to what we at least at this point in time think is the likely birth herd. We know where she ended up. We know what animals accompanied her. So those are the most important pieces of information -- not the exact port from which she entered the U.S. So the short answer to your question is no, it really doesn't shake our confidence in terms of our tracing ability as it relates to this investigation.
Operator, next question please?
OPERATOR: The next question is from Beth Gorman (sp). Please state your affiliation.
BETH GORMAN: Hi, Beth Gorman from the Canadian Press. Dr. DeHaven today is the deadline for public comment on reopening the border to Canadian live cattle. When do you expect to have or to see some kind of a decision on that? And will those public comments be reopened at some point in the future?
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. Thanks for the question. Indeed our public comment period on the proposed rule does close today. We have at this point decided that we will not take any action at this point on that proposed rule, pending the outcome of the epidemiological investigation. After we have all of the relevant information from that investigation, as well as the consideration of the comments that are received by the close of business today, then at the appropriate time in the future we'll make a decision on how to proceed from there. And that decision obviously has not been made yet. Whether it would proceed to a final rule, proceed with the new proposal; proceed with an additional comment period on the existing proposal. There's been no limit in terms of the options that might be considered, or at what point we would make those determinations. We'll make that decision subsequent to completing this epidemiological investigation, and take all of that relevant information into account when we decide on how to proceed with the proposed rule.
Next question, please, operator?
OPERATOR: Okay, next question comes from Elizabeth Weise. Please state your affiliation.
ELIZABETH WEISE: Yes, It's Elizabeth Weise with USA Today. Just a background question on the DNA testing. Seeing as you're testing the sire's semen and the offspring, is there a percentage of likelihood that you found the right cow, or is it 100 percent? Is it somewhere below that?
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. In terms of what will be disclosed in the DNA testing could be anywhere in between I think the range that you said, and most likely a probability rating. Without getting too technical, in doing the DNA testing what they are looking at is specific points along the DNA chain, and looking for similarities between the different samples that have been submitted, and based on the number of points along that chain that are similar between the different samples; then attaching a probability to that. So it won't be -- more than likely will not be something that we can absolutely 100 percent guarantee, but rather as you are suggesting some probability based on the numbers of points along the DNA molecule where there are identical results, or where the molecule is identical between the different samples.
We are, as you said, running a number of samples, the two most important of which would be the DNA from the semen from what we think is the sire of the infected cow, as well as DNA from the brain of the positive cow. But we also have gotten samples from progeny from the cow in question, as well as semen from sires from those progeny.
Operator, next question?
OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Harry Siemans (sp). Please state your affiliation.
HARRY SIEMENS: Yes, this is Harry Siemens, and I'm from Farm Watch, the Manitoba Cooperator. If indeed that cow is identified as being from Canada that obviously raised our cow number with BSE from one to two. Does that in your opinion raise our risk level a substantial amount? I know it's 50 percent, but what do you have on -- what's your take on that?
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. I think it's too early to make that kind of determination, because there's too many other factors that we don't yet have -- or too many other pieces of information that we don't yet have in terms of what would be, if any, epidemiological link between those two cases. And you know the closer the epidemiology might be in terms of linking those two situations could result in different conclusions being drawn, or I should say the level of epidemiological connection or lack thereof could have a significant bearing on our overall evaluation of the prevalence of the disease in Canada, which of course is important.
Having said that, I would just echo what I have been saying in terms of the fact that the two markets between the U.S. and Canada we know are highly integrated. Second, we know a lot about the firewalls and safeguards that had been in place both in the United States and Canada. So all of those things would be taken into consideration as well.
HARRY SIEMENS: Do you think it matters to Japan as far as it being from Canada or the U.S.?
DR. DEHAVEN: I wouldn't at this point speculate with regard to what Japan -- or speak on behalf of what Japan may think at this point.
MR. CURLETT: This is Ed Curlett, and I would ask that everyone keep their questions just to one. We've got a lot of people on the call, so we want to try to get in as many as we can. So, thanks. And, operator, next question please?
OPERATOR: Okay, next question is from Marion Aka (sp). Please state your affiliation.
MARION AKA: Hi, I'm from CNN. And if you could just clarify, because I missed the top because I was disconnected, where the depopulation will take place, what exactly the relationship is to the index cow? And my question is I know that the food from or meat from that cow never entered the food chain. What about the saw, the equipment that was used to cut up the index cow. Has that been removed? Since prions can't be sanitized off, you made a point to make clear that where the depopulation will take place will be in a currently unused facility. But what about the facility that originally chopped up the index cow? How is it not being spread that way?
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. I'll take your first question, and defer to Dr. Engeljohn from FSIS for the second question. Actually I didn't by intent state an exact location where the depopulation will take place. The calves will be loaded from their current location, the calf feeding operation. They will then be moved to a location, which is a slaughter plant that is not currently being used, where they will be properly euthanized. So just out of the interest of ensuring lack of interference with our operation, as well as the privacy and property rights of the owners of those different facilities, we are not going to disclose the exact locations.
MARION AKA: But it's --
DR. DEHAVEN: Dr. Engeljohn, do you want to take the second question?
DR. ENGELJOHN: Yes. This is Dr. Engeljohn with the Food Safety Inspection Service. With regards to the slaughter and processing of the animal, this was an animal that was initially identified as a suspect, so it was handled specially in the sense that it was handled separately from the other cattle that were processed that day.
But with regard to overall sanitation, we know from the best available science and expert opinion that good sanitation is our best preventative measure that we have in place of prevention of cross-contamination. And so we have sanitation occurring in that plant for which we monitor well. We also know that on that particular day that we did in fact monitor the sanitation there as well. So we have confidence that the sanitation was effective.
MR. CURLETT: Operator, next question please?
OPERATOR: The next question comes from Scott Kilman. Please state your affiliation.
SCOTT KILMAN: Scott Kilman with the Wall Street Journal. Dr. DeHaven, in the first part of your presentation it was hard to hear, so I was going to ask really two questions -- one a clarification. Did you say whether the cattle, the bull calves, the brains of those bull calves, would be tested for BSE? And then my question is: Why are the precautions that Secretary Veneman announced last week different from what the FSIS was considering in their thinking paper a year ago? If I remember, the FSIS was talking about targeting cattle that were 24 months. And last week we heard a lot about 30 months.
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. I'll take your first question, and then again refer to Dr. Engeljohn for response to the second part of your question. In terms of testing the brain, we know from the science and the research involved with this particular disease that it doesn't show up -- the prion doesn't show up, and therefore tests would not be positive, even in infected animals, until typically after 30 months of age. And in fact the most accepted and broadly quoted studies being done in Britain would suggest that even in animals experimentally infected with a high dose, you don't find the prion or the infectious agent even in brain tissue until typically at the earliest 32 months of age. So there would be no purpose in testing all of these animals, because even in the unlikely event that there had been maternal transmission to this single bull calf, the calf would not test positive at this point in time.
Having said that, just as a precaution, we will be collecting blood samples from the appropriate subpopulation or subgroup of animals that are going to be euthanized, so if we should need to do some DNA testing or other type of testing we would have those materials in the future. But, again, the science would say that to test all of those brains would not be fruitful, in that you wouldn't expect, even if there had been transmission of the disease, which is unlikely, but even if there had been the animal would not test positive.
Dr. Engeljohn?
DR. ENGELJOHN: Yes, this is Dr. Engeljohn with the Food Safety Inspection Service. On the question about why 30 months in the policy issued last week versus 24 months in the current thinking paper that we issued in February of 2002, the reason is that when we first commissioned Harvard to conduct a risk assessment for us at that time, we were considering a range of months in terms of infectivity to consider. And 24 months was what was modeled back in 1998. We received that report just before
February of 2002. And so it was based on the best available information that we had at that time. I think since then, in terms of the international community, 30 months is the marker for which typically is used for modeling age of onset.
MR. CURLETT: Operator, we have time for two more questions.
OPERATOR: Okay, our next question comes from Lauri Struve. Please state your affiliation.
LAURI STRUVE: This is Lauri Struve with the Brownfield Network. And, Dr. DeHaven, my question is on the non-ambulatory rules does include, if I understand it correctly, that does include animals injured in transport. What kind of compensation will producers have for those animals? We could be talking about a 1,200-pound steer that would grade out choice. That's over $1,000.
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. You are right in terms of the fact that animals that might be injured en route to slaughter, if they meet the FSIS definition of non-ambulatory disabled at the time that they are received at slaughter, they would not enter the food chain. We are as we speak developing our surveillance-testing plan, and so I am just not in a position at this point to respond to what if any compensation might go to the owner of such an animal. It's just premature to speculate if that would even happen at all. We are developing the plan, and I can assure you that all of those kinds of considerations will be taken into account as we make those decisions, but no decision has been made yet.
So, operator, last question please.
OPERATOR: Okay, our last question comes from Andy Dworkin. Please state your affiliation.
ANDY DWORKIN: Yes, with the Oregonian. I was wondering in terms of disposal of these cattle once they are taking to the slaughter facility and killed how you guys are going to deal with this. I know at least for chronic wasting some of the states have debated high-temperature incinerators or processing with high alkaline fluids and things. Have you guys figured out what you are going to do with the carcasses yet?
DR. DEHAVEN: And let me clarify you are talking about the bull calves?
ANDY DWORKIN: These are the bull calves, yeah, that you guys are going to depopulate.
DR. DEHAVEN: Well, again, I would go back to the science of the situation. We are talking about one bull calf that we know is from the positive cow. We know that that calf is just slightly over a month in age. We know that the likelihood of the disease being transmitted from the cow to this calf is very remote. And we know that even if the transmission did occur that the infectious agent wouldn't be found in this animal until probably 30 months of age or older. So, one, even if the calf is infected, there would be no infectious agent at this point for which we would be concerned about, and so no reason to go to the extreme measures that you are describing. So we do not plan at this point to do the alkaline digester or any other extreme measure, such as incineration, simply because what we know about the disease and the research of the disease would suggest that those types of measures in this situation are not warranted. Those are the kinds of actions that we would take in a population that would be of the appropriate age and appropriate level of exposure that those would be necessary.
With that, again, before I pass it back to Ed, let me thank everyone for participating, and we will do our best to keep you informed through these kinds of briefings. Ed?
MR. CURLETT: Yes, this is Ed. Just want to let you know for follow-up questions call 202-720-4623. And also from this point forward we are going to be doing these technical briefings on an as-needed basis. As information becomes available to us, we will pass it along. Look for the announcement on the USDA homepage for these technical briefings. So, again, from this point forward we will be doing these as needed. Transcripts will be available on the USDA website. And we will be sending out a note to reporters when those technical briefings will occur. And, with that, I would like to thank everyone again. And thank you very much.
OPERATOR: Thank you. That concludes today's conference call.
USDA to kill 450 calves in mad cow scare U.S. agriculture officials have decided to kill 450 calves in a Washington state herd that includes an offspring of the cow diagnosed with mad cow disease. Ron DeHaven, the Agriculture Department's chief veterinarian, said Monday that the month-old calves would be slaughtered this week at an undisclosed facility that is not being used. He also announced that USDA officials would visit Mexico to discuss that country's ban on American beef products following the diagnosis last month of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease. Mexico is one of more than 30 countries to halt U.S. beef imports. The herd that is to be destroyed is one of three under quarantine in Washington because of ties to the diseased Holstein. The other herds contain cows that probably are from the same Alberta farm as the 6-year-old Holstein, but DNA tests to confirm the cow's origins are not complete. Officials decided to kill all month-old calves in the Sunnyside, Wash., herd because they cannot determine which one was born to the infected cow. While officials have said contaminated feed is the most likely source of infection, they cannot rule out transmission of the disease from mother to calf...Sales off for La. cattle farmers Monday Louisiana cattle prices were off slightly but volume was down substantially in the state's first auctions since last month's mad cow scare, the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry reported Monday. Louisiana's cattle industry shuts down during the two weeks of Christmas and New Year's. The first cattle sales scheduled in Louisiana since the mad cow announcement were held Monday throughout the state, and the number of cattle sold was a fraction of pre-announcement totals. In West Monroe the drop was from around 600 to about 200, in Baton Rouge the number went from 400 to 100, and in Kinder the drop was from 1000 to around 170 head of cattle. By contrast, however, prices were comparatively stable, according to the agriculture department. Cows for slaughter were only off by a few dollars per hundred pounds, and feeder cattle were off by about five dollars...Number of cattle at West Texas auction down significantly The number of cattle for sale at Tulia's livestock auction was down about 70 percent from normal Monday as few producers wanted to be the first to sell their stock since mad cow disease was found in the United States. Rather than buying, many who attended came to see what the prices were like at the Tulia Livestock Auction. "It's hurt the pocketbook," auction manager Mark Hargrave. "The cattle industry has lost a lot of money." A 615-pound steer brought the highest price at $89.50 per 100 pounds - about $10 less per 100 pounds than what it would have sold for during the last Tulia auction on Dec. 22. "It wasn't near as bad as everybody thought it would be," Hargrave said of the prices. "Everyone was encouraged. It was lower but it wasn't a wreck." Typically, there are about 3,000 cattle at the auction, one of the two largest in the Panhandle region, Hargrave said. About 800 were up for sale Monday...Cattle Farmers Watch Anxiously As Sales Resume Like many cattle farmers, Jeff Riester was an anxious spectator Monday as cattle sales resumed at Blue Grass Stockyards in Lexington for the first time since the mad cow disease scare. Riester and others expressed relief as prices fell only slightly during light sales at the Lexington stockyard. Other cattle markets will reopen in Kentucky this week after the long holiday break. Kentucky is the leading beef cattle producer east of the Mississippi River. Prices on Monday dropped, on average, by $5 to $10 per hundredweight from the last sales in December, said David Holt, assistant manager at the Lexington stockyard. Some cattle producers had braced for the possibility that prices would fall by $25 to $30 per hundredweight, he said. "It's a very light volume today because everybody was nervous about what was going to happen," Holt said. "We've had a crowd of farmers sitting and watching. But now the talk is very positive." The Lexington stockyard typically sells 2,500 to 3,000 cattle on the first sales day of the new year, Holt said. On Monday, only 350 cattle went on the auction block...Economist sees $70 cattle in first quarter, upper $60s later "Where do prices go from here?" That's the question on every cattle producer's mind at this point, says Darrell Mark, University of Nebraska ag economist. Barring decreases in domestic consumer demand and assuming no additional mad cow cases are found in the US, fed cattle prices are likely to trade in the mid- to upper-$70s during the first quarter of 2004, he says. That's the low end of normal, says another ag economist."The loss of US beef exports represents about 10% of US production," Purdue ag economist Chris Hurt said in a release December 24. "If all other factors remain the same, we would look for a 12% to 16% drop in cattle prices. This probably adds up to a $2 billion hit to the beef industry at the farm level in 2004...Japan looks at taking more NZ beef A delegation of Japanese officials is to arrive on Monday to discuss increasing New Zealand beef exports to Japan in the wake of a case of madcow disease in the United States. A Meat New Zealand spokeswoman said the delegation included three Japanese officials, from the equivalent of New Zealand's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF). The group was also to speak to Australian officials about its beef trade with Japan. "What they are going to do is talk about supply, because Japan has said it won't take beef from the US now," she said...Cattlemen, feedlots stock up in hope of more sales to Japan Australian cattleman Scott de Bruin plans to raise 20 per cent more cattle this year, betting a ban on US beef means higher sales to Japan and South Korea. The two Asian nations are among more than 30 countries that barred US beef after one case of mad cow disease was found in a Washington state herd. Japan and Korea buy about two-thirds of US beef exports, which totalled as much as $US3.8 billion ($4.97 billion) in 2003. A shortage of the fatty US meat many Japanese prefer means higher prices for graziers like Mr de Bruin, who this year aims to sell 300 Wagyu cattle, the breed producing Japan's Kobe beef. For Australia, the world's biggest beef exporter, US misfortune may reverse a two-year slide in sales as the weakening US dollar made Australian exports more expensive...Mad cow, other brain diseases, mystify scientists For all the worry mad cow disease is generating, it's just one in a family of 10 diseases discovered so far - five in animals, five in humans - that are arguably medicine's most mystifying maladies. Most so-called prion diseases are incredibly rare in this country, although one has spread into deer and elk herds in at least 12 states, sparking concern about contaminated game meat. Yet scientists can't answer the most basic questions about prions, even though learning how the rogue proteins cause sponge-like holes in brains could improve understanding of more common neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's...Japan Critical Of US Safeguards Japan on Monday questioned the effectiveness of U.S. safeguards against bovine spongiform encephalopathy, suggesting Tokyo would hold out for stricter U.S. screening of livestock before lifting an import ban on U.S. beef. Following the discovery of the first U.S. case of BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease, last month, the U.S. announced new restrictions on beef aimed at keeping cow brains, eyes, spinal cords and small intestines and the meat of "downer cows" that can't walk or stand on their own from entering the food supply. But Vice Agriculture Minister Yoshiaki Watanabe indicated U.S. action hasn't quieted concerns in Japan about the safety of American beef. "They are not as effective as steps being taken in Japan," Watanabe told a news conference on Monday. Confused About Mad Cow? New Ad Exposes Scaremongers and Dispels Myths The best science available says, overwhelmingly, that mad cow disease poses near-zero risk to American consumers. Yet activists -- many with hidden political or financial agendas -- continue to promote needless food scare myths in order to frighten consumers. With a new full-page ad on the back cover of this week's national edition of U.S. News & World Report, the Center for Consumer Freedom aims to shatter these myths and reveal America's newest class of scaremongers. At www.ConsumerFreedom.com, readers can learn the latest about the mad-cow scare, get straight answers to Frequently Asked Questions, and see responses to the misinformation promoted by a rogues gallery of mad-cow alarmists including:...
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Technical Briefing and Webcast On BSE with Government Officials
Jan. 5, 2004
ED CURLETT: Hello, I'd like to welcome everybody to today's BSE update. Today we have Dr. Stephen Sundlof with the Food and Drug Administration. We have Dr. Daniel Engeljohn with the Food Safety and Inspection Service. And we have Dr. Ron DeHaven, the chief veterinary officer for USDA. Dr. DeHaven will make some opening remarks, and then we'll open it up for questions. We ask that you state your name and affiliation prior to asking your question. And with that, I will turn it over to Dr. DeHaven. Thanks.
DR. DEHAVEN: Thank you, Ed. And happy New Year to everyone.
Just a brief opening statement, update today, and then we'll go to the questions and answers, as Ed indicated.
The first item has to do with depopulation of the bull calf operation. We have made a decision to depopulate those bull calves. Those operations will proceed sometime this week, largely dependent upon logistical issues as well as some weather concerns that exist in the Yakima area. The calves will be transported to a slaughter facility that currently is not being used. We will have animal care experts on hand both at the farm where the calves are loaded, as well as the slaughter facility, to ensure humane treatment and handling of those calves. In total there are approximately 450 animals that will be sacrificed as part of this overall effort. And none of the animals will enter the human food chain; nor will any of the product from those animals go into a rendered product. So, again, none of the materials from those materials will either go into the human food chain, nor will they go into a rendered product.
I would just urge restraint on the part of those in the media, and particularly in the Yakima area. We know that there are a number of reporters that are watching this facility, and we would again request that you respect the privacy and property rights of both the owners of the farm in question, as well as not to interfere with these operations once they get underway.
As far as the DNA testing results, that has been proceeding at both of the laboratories, one in Canada and one in the U.S., and we would hope to have some level of announcement later this week once all of the laboratory tests are completed and analyzed, and comparisons made between the results from the two laboratories. So, again, that is still pending, but work is progressing in the laboratories.
In terms of our trace out of the 82 animals that presumably entered the United States, including the positive cow, one would be the index cow. Nine others are known to be part of the index herd from which the positive cow departed immediately before she went to slaughter. One is the animal that I mentioned last week, which is on the Mabton dairy operation. And we believe that one still may be in Canada. Nothing new significant to report at this point on the whereabouts of the other 70 animals. Our epidemiological investigation on those animals continued through the weekend. And while we have made significant progress in terms of tracing where they may have gone subsequent to entering the United States. Nothing confirmed that we can report to you at this point.
And then one last item, before we go to the Qs and As. We are dispatching from Washington a high-level team going to Mexico to have discussions relative to trade restrictions imposed by Mexico subsequent to the finding of this positive case. And we have making up that team Undersecretary Bill Hawks from Marketing Regulatory Programs. And he is accompanied by Undersecretary J.B. Penn of the Farm and Foreign Ag Services.
With that, let's, operator, go to the first question, please.
OPERATOR: Yes, Our first question today comes from Bob Bruin (sp). Please state your affiliation.
BOB BRUIN: Bob Bruin (sp) from Computer World. I'd like to follow up on the national livestock ID system. I'd like to find out where you folks are going to get the funding, if you know what the funding is. Are you going to adhere to the USAIP plan? And how soon can you get this in operation? USAIP calls for July 2004.
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. In terms of funding for the animal ID program, still yet to be determined in terms of exactly where those monies would come from and the speed with which we implement -- field and implement that whole system certainly is somewhat dependent on the funding. In the meantime, we are still progressing, developing that plan. We have species-specific groups that will be making recommendations on appropriate means of identification of animals based on the species and marketing patterns of those animals. So, for example, with cattle for the most part and animals moved individually, and as we are looking at appropriate means for individual animal ID, largely based on radio frequency ID chip. For other species of animals, such as poultry and swine that largely move in groups or lots, there could be potentially a lot ID as opposed to individual animal ID. Conceptually, ID would be put on the animals at the time that they leave the premises of birth, and would follow those animals through slaughter, with a means of tracking them electronically as they go through concentration points such as feed lots, livestock markets, and of course to slaughter. So work is progressing. We are still evaluating potential sources of funding to fund that project.
Operator, next question please?
OPERATOR: Your next question is from Seth Borenstein. Please state your affiliation.
SETH BORENSTEIN: Seth Borenstein, Knight Ridder Newspapers. Dr. DeHaven, in terms of the 450 animal sacrifice, what's the compensation that the farm owner has gotten? Has that been negotiated already? And who does it come from? And if it's a USDA amount of money, where in the budget does it come from?
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. In fact, we have an indemnity program that is based on fair market value of those animals. So before the depopulation would begin there would be an agreement in terms of what is fair market value of those animals. We would in essence take ownership of those animals prior to the actual depopulation. There are operational funds that have been made available for the indemnity purposes, so those dollars will come out of USDA funds.
Operator, next question please?
OPERATOR: Our next question is from Sally Schuff. Please state your affiliation.
SALLY SCHUFF: Yes, hi, this is Sally Schuff. I'm with Feedstuffs. My question is there's been quite a bit in the news media about the possibility of the U.S. being termed "BSE free." Is that in fact a possibility? And, as a follow up, can you tell us how soon you knew after the cow was diagnosed that she might have been a Canadian cow?
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. In terms of whether or not the U.S. would be declared as BSE free is just simply way too premature to make that kind of determination, and for the most part while we may or may not make that declaration, if we would it would be up to each importing country who might import animals or products from the U.S. to do their own risk assessment and make that evaluation. Clearly at the appropriate time in the future we would be presenting a packet of dossier to the OIE, the international standard-setting body, requesting country categorization. But, again, any efforts in that regard would be way premature at this point to make that declaration.
Clearly our efforts to trace this particular animal as well as any other animals that might have come with her from the index herd -- or, excuse me, the birth herd -- would be critical in terms of our being able to, at whatever point in the future, being able to make some kind of determination -- or making our case, if you will, in terms of a BSE free status for the U.S.
And I'm sorry, the second part of your question again?
SALLY SCHUFF: The second part of my question was: How soon after the diagnosis of this BSE cow in the U.S. were you aware that she was a Canadian cow, or had at least a Canadian ear tag?
DR. DEHAVEN: Well, I would remind you that the confirmation was received on December 23rd. And so it was a number of days -- I want to say three or four days where we had some definitive paper trail back to Canada. We knew early on that she had a tag in her ear that was consistent with what tags are applied in Canada. But it wasn't until three or four days later that we had actually established with our Canadian colleagues some paper trail, which would suggest that she had been in, or come from Canada. And, as you will recall, we had the age discrepancy issue, which we think we have subsequently resolved. So it was four or five days, and again I would remind everyone that in the middle of that we had Christmas; and for the Canadians we had Boxing Day. So we were working through weekends and holidays to come to that determination. And I think we announced that to the media very shortly after having seen those documents and establishing a paper trail.
Next question, operator?
OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Leah Beth Ward. Please state your affiliation.
LEAH BETH WARD: Yes, Yakima Herald Republic. Explain to us what led you first to Eastport, Idaho as the port of entry, and then to Oroville, Washington. And does that at all change your confidence in the source of the cow?
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. There was more than one health certificate involved, and I can't -- I don't have the specific records that led us initially to Eastport, Idaho and then subsequently to Oroville, Washington, but I think it's a matter of having multiple documents. And while we have preliminary information, and as I said repeatedly our primary line of inquiry takes us back to a dairy herd in Alberta, Canada, and we know that the animal ended up in the herd in Mabton, Washington, the exact route on how she got between those two points was in question, initially because of multiple documents that had some conflicting information. So I think the most relevant points are that we at least have a primary line of inquiry that would take us back to what we at least at this point in time think is the likely birth herd. We know where she ended up. We know what animals accompanied her. So those are the most important pieces of information -- not the exact port from which she entered the U.S. So the short answer to your question is no, it really doesn't shake our confidence in terms of our tracing ability as it relates to this investigation.
Operator, next question please?
OPERATOR: The next question is from Beth Gorman (sp). Please state your affiliation.
BETH GORMAN: Hi, Beth Gorman from the Canadian Press. Dr. DeHaven today is the deadline for public comment on reopening the border to Canadian live cattle. When do you expect to have or to see some kind of a decision on that? And will those public comments be reopened at some point in the future?
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. Thanks for the question. Indeed our public comment period on the proposed rule does close today. We have at this point decided that we will not take any action at this point on that proposed rule, pending the outcome of the epidemiological investigation. After we have all of the relevant information from that investigation, as well as the consideration of the comments that are received by the close of business today, then at the appropriate time in the future we'll make a decision on how to proceed from there. And that decision obviously has not been made yet. Whether it would proceed to a final rule, proceed with the new proposal; proceed with an additional comment period on the existing proposal. There's been no limit in terms of the options that might be considered, or at what point we would make those determinations. We'll make that decision subsequent to completing this epidemiological investigation, and take all of that relevant information into account when we decide on how to proceed with the proposed rule.
Next question, please, operator?
OPERATOR: Okay, next question comes from Elizabeth Weise. Please state your affiliation.
ELIZABETH WEISE: Yes, It's Elizabeth Weise with USA Today. Just a background question on the DNA testing. Seeing as you're testing the sire's semen and the offspring, is there a percentage of likelihood that you found the right cow, or is it 100 percent? Is it somewhere below that?
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. In terms of what will be disclosed in the DNA testing could be anywhere in between I think the range that you said, and most likely a probability rating. Without getting too technical, in doing the DNA testing what they are looking at is specific points along the DNA chain, and looking for similarities between the different samples that have been submitted, and based on the number of points along that chain that are similar between the different samples; then attaching a probability to that. So it won't be -- more than likely will not be something that we can absolutely 100 percent guarantee, but rather as you are suggesting some probability based on the numbers of points along the DNA molecule where there are identical results, or where the molecule is identical between the different samples.
We are, as you said, running a number of samples, the two most important of which would be the DNA from the semen from what we think is the sire of the infected cow, as well as DNA from the brain of the positive cow. But we also have gotten samples from progeny from the cow in question, as well as semen from sires from those progeny.
Operator, next question?
OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Harry Siemans (sp). Please state your affiliation.
HARRY SIEMENS: Yes, this is Harry Siemens, and I'm from Farm Watch, the Manitoba Cooperator. If indeed that cow is identified as being from Canada that obviously raised our cow number with BSE from one to two. Does that in your opinion raise our risk level a substantial amount? I know it's 50 percent, but what do you have on -- what's your take on that?
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. I think it's too early to make that kind of determination, because there's too many other factors that we don't yet have -- or too many other pieces of information that we don't yet have in terms of what would be, if any, epidemiological link between those two cases. And you know the closer the epidemiology might be in terms of linking those two situations could result in different conclusions being drawn, or I should say the level of epidemiological connection or lack thereof could have a significant bearing on our overall evaluation of the prevalence of the disease in Canada, which of course is important.
Having said that, I would just echo what I have been saying in terms of the fact that the two markets between the U.S. and Canada we know are highly integrated. Second, we know a lot about the firewalls and safeguards that had been in place both in the United States and Canada. So all of those things would be taken into consideration as well.
HARRY SIEMENS: Do you think it matters to Japan as far as it being from Canada or the U.S.?
DR. DEHAVEN: I wouldn't at this point speculate with regard to what Japan -- or speak on behalf of what Japan may think at this point.
MR. CURLETT: This is Ed Curlett, and I would ask that everyone keep their questions just to one. We've got a lot of people on the call, so we want to try to get in as many as we can. So, thanks. And, operator, next question please?
OPERATOR: Okay, next question is from Marion Aka (sp). Please state your affiliation.
MARION AKA: Hi, I'm from CNN. And if you could just clarify, because I missed the top because I was disconnected, where the depopulation will take place, what exactly the relationship is to the index cow? And my question is I know that the food from or meat from that cow never entered the food chain. What about the saw, the equipment that was used to cut up the index cow. Has that been removed? Since prions can't be sanitized off, you made a point to make clear that where the depopulation will take place will be in a currently unused facility. But what about the facility that originally chopped up the index cow? How is it not being spread that way?
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. I'll take your first question, and defer to Dr. Engeljohn from FSIS for the second question. Actually I didn't by intent state an exact location where the depopulation will take place. The calves will be loaded from their current location, the calf feeding operation. They will then be moved to a location, which is a slaughter plant that is not currently being used, where they will be properly euthanized. So just out of the interest of ensuring lack of interference with our operation, as well as the privacy and property rights of the owners of those different facilities, we are not going to disclose the exact locations.
MARION AKA: But it's --
DR. DEHAVEN: Dr. Engeljohn, do you want to take the second question?
DR. ENGELJOHN: Yes. This is Dr. Engeljohn with the Food Safety Inspection Service. With regards to the slaughter and processing of the animal, this was an animal that was initially identified as a suspect, so it was handled specially in the sense that it was handled separately from the other cattle that were processed that day.
But with regard to overall sanitation, we know from the best available science and expert opinion that good sanitation is our best preventative measure that we have in place of prevention of cross-contamination. And so we have sanitation occurring in that plant for which we monitor well. We also know that on that particular day that we did in fact monitor the sanitation there as well. So we have confidence that the sanitation was effective.
MR. CURLETT: Operator, next question please?
OPERATOR: The next question comes from Scott Kilman. Please state your affiliation.
SCOTT KILMAN: Scott Kilman with the Wall Street Journal. Dr. DeHaven, in the first part of your presentation it was hard to hear, so I was going to ask really two questions -- one a clarification. Did you say whether the cattle, the bull calves, the brains of those bull calves, would be tested for BSE? And then my question is: Why are the precautions that Secretary Veneman announced last week different from what the FSIS was considering in their thinking paper a year ago? If I remember, the FSIS was talking about targeting cattle that were 24 months. And last week we heard a lot about 30 months.
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. I'll take your first question, and then again refer to Dr. Engeljohn for response to the second part of your question. In terms of testing the brain, we know from the science and the research involved with this particular disease that it doesn't show up -- the prion doesn't show up, and therefore tests would not be positive, even in infected animals, until typically after 30 months of age. And in fact the most accepted and broadly quoted studies being done in Britain would suggest that even in animals experimentally infected with a high dose, you don't find the prion or the infectious agent even in brain tissue until typically at the earliest 32 months of age. So there would be no purpose in testing all of these animals, because even in the unlikely event that there had been maternal transmission to this single bull calf, the calf would not test positive at this point in time.
Having said that, just as a precaution, we will be collecting blood samples from the appropriate subpopulation or subgroup of animals that are going to be euthanized, so if we should need to do some DNA testing or other type of testing we would have those materials in the future. But, again, the science would say that to test all of those brains would not be fruitful, in that you wouldn't expect, even if there had been transmission of the disease, which is unlikely, but even if there had been the animal would not test positive.
Dr. Engeljohn?
DR. ENGELJOHN: Yes, this is Dr. Engeljohn with the Food Safety Inspection Service. On the question about why 30 months in the policy issued last week versus 24 months in the current thinking paper that we issued in February of 2002, the reason is that when we first commissioned Harvard to conduct a risk assessment for us at that time, we were considering a range of months in terms of infectivity to consider. And 24 months was what was modeled back in 1998. We received that report just before
February of 2002. And so it was based on the best available information that we had at that time. I think since then, in terms of the international community, 30 months is the marker for which typically is used for modeling age of onset.
MR. CURLETT: Operator, we have time for two more questions.
OPERATOR: Okay, our next question comes from Lauri Struve. Please state your affiliation.
LAURI STRUVE: This is Lauri Struve with the Brownfield Network. And, Dr. DeHaven, my question is on the non-ambulatory rules does include, if I understand it correctly, that does include animals injured in transport. What kind of compensation will producers have for those animals? We could be talking about a 1,200-pound steer that would grade out choice. That's over $1,000.
DR. DEHAVEN: This is Dr. DeHaven. You are right in terms of the fact that animals that might be injured en route to slaughter, if they meet the FSIS definition of non-ambulatory disabled at the time that they are received at slaughter, they would not enter the food chain. We are as we speak developing our surveillance-testing plan, and so I am just not in a position at this point to respond to what if any compensation might go to the owner of such an animal. It's just premature to speculate if that would even happen at all. We are developing the plan, and I can assure you that all of those kinds of considerations will be taken into account as we make those decisions, but no decision has been made yet.
So, operator, last question please.
OPERATOR: Okay, our last question comes from Andy Dworkin. Please state your affiliation.
ANDY DWORKIN: Yes, with the Oregonian. I was wondering in terms of disposal of these cattle once they are taking to the slaughter facility and killed how you guys are going to deal with this. I know at least for chronic wasting some of the states have debated high-temperature incinerators or processing with high alkaline fluids and things. Have you guys figured out what you are going to do with the carcasses yet?
DR. DEHAVEN: And let me clarify you are talking about the bull calves?
ANDY DWORKIN: These are the bull calves, yeah, that you guys are going to depopulate.
DR. DEHAVEN: Well, again, I would go back to the science of the situation. We are talking about one bull calf that we know is from the positive cow. We know that that calf is just slightly over a month in age. We know that the likelihood of the disease being transmitted from the cow to this calf is very remote. And we know that even if the transmission did occur that the infectious agent wouldn't be found in this animal until probably 30 months of age or older. So, one, even if the calf is infected, there would be no infectious agent at this point for which we would be concerned about, and so no reason to go to the extreme measures that you are describing. So we do not plan at this point to do the alkaline digester or any other extreme measure, such as incineration, simply because what we know about the disease and the research of the disease would suggest that those types of measures in this situation are not warranted. Those are the kinds of actions that we would take in a population that would be of the appropriate age and appropriate level of exposure that those would be necessary.
With that, again, before I pass it back to Ed, let me thank everyone for participating, and we will do our best to keep you informed through these kinds of briefings. Ed?
MR. CURLETT: Yes, this is Ed. Just want to let you know for follow-up questions call 202-720-4623. And also from this point forward we are going to be doing these technical briefings on an as-needed basis. As information becomes available to us, we will pass it along. Look for the announcement on the USDA homepage for these technical briefings. So, again, from this point forward we will be doing these as needed. Transcripts will be available on the USDA website. And we will be sending out a note to reporters when those technical briefings will occur. And, with that, I would like to thank everyone again. And thank you very much.
OPERATOR: Thank you. That concludes today's conference call.
USDA to kill 450 calves in mad cow scare U.S. agriculture officials have decided to kill 450 calves in a Washington state herd that includes an offspring of the cow diagnosed with mad cow disease. Ron DeHaven, the Agriculture Department's chief veterinarian, said Monday that the month-old calves would be slaughtered this week at an undisclosed facility that is not being used. He also announced that USDA officials would visit Mexico to discuss that country's ban on American beef products following the diagnosis last month of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease. Mexico is one of more than 30 countries to halt U.S. beef imports. The herd that is to be destroyed is one of three under quarantine in Washington because of ties to the diseased Holstein. The other herds contain cows that probably are from the same Alberta farm as the 6-year-old Holstein, but DNA tests to confirm the cow's origins are not complete. Officials decided to kill all month-old calves in the Sunnyside, Wash., herd because they cannot determine which one was born to the infected cow. While officials have said contaminated feed is the most likely source of infection, they cannot rule out transmission of the disease from mother to calf...Sales off for La. cattle farmers Monday Louisiana cattle prices were off slightly but volume was down substantially in the state's first auctions since last month's mad cow scare, the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry reported Monday. Louisiana's cattle industry shuts down during the two weeks of Christmas and New Year's. The first cattle sales scheduled in Louisiana since the mad cow announcement were held Monday throughout the state, and the number of cattle sold was a fraction of pre-announcement totals. In West Monroe the drop was from around 600 to about 200, in Baton Rouge the number went from 400 to 100, and in Kinder the drop was from 1000 to around 170 head of cattle. By contrast, however, prices were comparatively stable, according to the agriculture department. Cows for slaughter were only off by a few dollars per hundred pounds, and feeder cattle were off by about five dollars...Number of cattle at West Texas auction down significantly The number of cattle for sale at Tulia's livestock auction was down about 70 percent from normal Monday as few producers wanted to be the first to sell their stock since mad cow disease was found in the United States. Rather than buying, many who attended came to see what the prices were like at the Tulia Livestock Auction. "It's hurt the pocketbook," auction manager Mark Hargrave. "The cattle industry has lost a lot of money." A 615-pound steer brought the highest price at $89.50 per 100 pounds - about $10 less per 100 pounds than what it would have sold for during the last Tulia auction on Dec. 22. "It wasn't near as bad as everybody thought it would be," Hargrave said of the prices. "Everyone was encouraged. It was lower but it wasn't a wreck." Typically, there are about 3,000 cattle at the auction, one of the two largest in the Panhandle region, Hargrave said. About 800 were up for sale Monday...Cattle Farmers Watch Anxiously As Sales Resume Like many cattle farmers, Jeff Riester was an anxious spectator Monday as cattle sales resumed at Blue Grass Stockyards in Lexington for the first time since the mad cow disease scare. Riester and others expressed relief as prices fell only slightly during light sales at the Lexington stockyard. Other cattle markets will reopen in Kentucky this week after the long holiday break. Kentucky is the leading beef cattle producer east of the Mississippi River. Prices on Monday dropped, on average, by $5 to $10 per hundredweight from the last sales in December, said David Holt, assistant manager at the Lexington stockyard. Some cattle producers had braced for the possibility that prices would fall by $25 to $30 per hundredweight, he said. "It's a very light volume today because everybody was nervous about what was going to happen," Holt said. "We've had a crowd of farmers sitting and watching. But now the talk is very positive." The Lexington stockyard typically sells 2,500 to 3,000 cattle on the first sales day of the new year, Holt said. On Monday, only 350 cattle went on the auction block...Economist sees $70 cattle in first quarter, upper $60s later "Where do prices go from here?" That's the question on every cattle producer's mind at this point, says Darrell Mark, University of Nebraska ag economist. Barring decreases in domestic consumer demand and assuming no additional mad cow cases are found in the US, fed cattle prices are likely to trade in the mid- to upper-$70s during the first quarter of 2004, he says. That's the low end of normal, says another ag economist."The loss of US beef exports represents about 10% of US production," Purdue ag economist Chris Hurt said in a release December 24. "If all other factors remain the same, we would look for a 12% to 16% drop in cattle prices. This probably adds up to a $2 billion hit to the beef industry at the farm level in 2004...Japan looks at taking more NZ beef A delegation of Japanese officials is to arrive on Monday to discuss increasing New Zealand beef exports to Japan in the wake of a case of madcow disease in the United States. A Meat New Zealand spokeswoman said the delegation included three Japanese officials, from the equivalent of New Zealand's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF). The group was also to speak to Australian officials about its beef trade with Japan. "What they are going to do is talk about supply, because Japan has said it won't take beef from the US now," she said...Cattlemen, feedlots stock up in hope of more sales to Japan Australian cattleman Scott de Bruin plans to raise 20 per cent more cattle this year, betting a ban on US beef means higher sales to Japan and South Korea. The two Asian nations are among more than 30 countries that barred US beef after one case of mad cow disease was found in a Washington state herd. Japan and Korea buy about two-thirds of US beef exports, which totalled as much as $US3.8 billion ($4.97 billion) in 2003. A shortage of the fatty US meat many Japanese prefer means higher prices for graziers like Mr de Bruin, who this year aims to sell 300 Wagyu cattle, the breed producing Japan's Kobe beef. For Australia, the world's biggest beef exporter, US misfortune may reverse a two-year slide in sales as the weakening US dollar made Australian exports more expensive...Mad cow, other brain diseases, mystify scientists For all the worry mad cow disease is generating, it's just one in a family of 10 diseases discovered so far - five in animals, five in humans - that are arguably medicine's most mystifying maladies. Most so-called prion diseases are incredibly rare in this country, although one has spread into deer and elk herds in at least 12 states, sparking concern about contaminated game meat. Yet scientists can't answer the most basic questions about prions, even though learning how the rogue proteins cause sponge-like holes in brains could improve understanding of more common neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's...Japan Critical Of US Safeguards Japan on Monday questioned the effectiveness of U.S. safeguards against bovine spongiform encephalopathy, suggesting Tokyo would hold out for stricter U.S. screening of livestock before lifting an import ban on U.S. beef. Following the discovery of the first U.S. case of BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease, last month, the U.S. announced new restrictions on beef aimed at keeping cow brains, eyes, spinal cords and small intestines and the meat of "downer cows" that can't walk or stand on their own from entering the food supply. But Vice Agriculture Minister Yoshiaki Watanabe indicated U.S. action hasn't quieted concerns in Japan about the safety of American beef. "They are not as effective as steps being taken in Japan," Watanabe told a news conference on Monday. Confused About Mad Cow? New Ad Exposes Scaremongers and Dispels Myths The best science available says, overwhelmingly, that mad cow disease poses near-zero risk to American consumers. Yet activists -- many with hidden political or financial agendas -- continue to promote needless food scare myths in order to frighten consumers. With a new full-page ad on the back cover of this week's national edition of U.S. News & World Report, the Center for Consumer Freedom aims to shatter these myths and reveal America's newest class of scaremongers. At www.ConsumerFreedom.com, readers can learn the latest about the mad-cow scare, get straight answers to Frequently Asked Questions, and see responses to the misinformation promoted by a rogues gallery of mad-cow alarmists including:...
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Sunday, January 04, 2004
MAD COW NEWS
Activists take case to meat eaters On Christmas Eve, less than a day after federal officials uncovered the first known case of mad cow disease in the United States, converging streams of animal rights activists, vegans and organic food proponents were already planning ways to capitalize on what they saw as the silver lining of opportunity in the nationwide scare. They had to. After years of waving their arms about the way beef cattle are raised and the health risks associated with eating meat, suddenly the nation was listening; the security of that most American of meals -- the hamburger -- had been threatened...Wash. Schools Weigh Beef Scare Meat chili. That is lunch today in eastern Washington state's Reardan-Edwall School District, where 650 students will return to class. The district is about a 90-minute drive from the Moses Lake plant where a Holstein infected with mad cow disease was slaughtered. News of that first mad cow case in the United States broke Dec. 23, when many of the nation's schools were on break. That means today will be the first time that millions of students return to the school cafeteria, where hamburgers and meat-topped pizza often rule...Mad Cow Forces Beef Industry to Change Course The financial motive that drove the industry to defend practices like selling downers has been turned on its head by the discovery of mad cow disease. Now, in an attempt to rescue the market for American beef, the industry is being forced to accept regulation it has long fought. But some large American companies that process and sell beef had already abandoned those more controversial practices, which had been a rallying point for food safety advocates since mad cow disease appeared overseas nearly two decades ago. While a schism developed in the industry, the current crisis reveals how government regulators sided with companies that adhered to those methods of operation. When an animal rights group, Farm Sanctuary, and an individual, Michael Baur, sued the government to force a ban on using downer animals for food, government lawyers persuaded a federal judge to dismiss the case on the ground that mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, had not appeared in the United States...Mad cow weighs down a $175 billion industry The first weeks of the mad-cow scare in the US are rippling out through the nation's economy. In one way or another - from the tons of pet food made of "meat byproducts" for nearly 140 million cats and dogs, to the $200 million in beef waiting aboard ships and in port freezers, to meat-processing and trucking companies sending workers home - the $175 billion industry affects many millions of Americans. "Beef. It's What's for Dinner," proclaims the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, and American eating habits bear that out. Some 78 million meals featuring beef are served every day, according to industry and government figures, and it's not just the pot roast or filet mignon. Beef extract made from the remains of slaughtered cows is in taco fillings, pizza toppings, and other popular foods as well. Whether or not they're regular red-meat eaters, Americans are watching the situation closely. While two-thirds still think the beef supply is safe, according to a CNN-Time poll released over the weekend, a substantial 27 percent think otherwise, and they have either reduced their consumption of beef or stopped eating it altogether...Mad cow testing pressure mounts, Canadian rules deemed too lax The emergence of a second case of mad cow disease has renewed calls for Canada to dramatically increase testing for the brain-wasting disease in cattle. "This was an accident waiting to happen," said David Westaway, associate professor of microbiology at the University of Toronto. "Up until May of this year, we were screening about 2,700 animals a year." Canadian beef industry officials peg costs at $30 million to $60 million annually to test all animals ready for slaughter in Canada's herd -- something Japan already does. In 2002, about 3.4 million cattle were slaughtered in Canada...Government says feed restrictions are enough to protect consumers, but some leading scientists disagree The more Americans learn about the animal discovered in Washington state with mad cow disease, the more some might wonder what they're eating. The more pertinent question, though, might be: What did the cow eat? Or for that matter, any other farm animal ultimately bound for the dinner table? Should we be concerned about what these animals ate long before we ate them? "There's been a lot of criticism of the firewall, which really isn't a firewall at all," said Jean Halloran, director of the Yonkers, N.Y-based Consumer Policy Institute, a division of Consumers Union. The FDA has "taken half-measures that leave open back doors for the potential transmission of the disease," Halloran said. "They've tried to solve the matter by banning ruminant remains in feed to ruminants, but they allow pigs and chickens to consume feed containing ruminant protein. Then they permit poultry waste, which includes spilled chicken feed, feathers and chicken excreta, to be legally reprocessed into cattle feed." But to people like Gary Pearl, president of the Fats and Protein Research Foundation, a Bloomington, Ill.-based organization that conducts research and development of animal feed, chance has little to do with the matter. He said numerous studies strongly suggest that other farm animal species are not susceptible to BSE-like diseases, and do not transmit them. "There is no scientific evidence that a complete ban would enhance feed safety for other species: swine, poultry, aquaculture, dogs. If a ban does happen, it will be for emotional or political reasons. Science doesn't exist to support the idea."...FDA Faces Pressure for More Action Over Mad Cow The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has not implemented any new safeguards since the discovery of the first U.S. mad cow case, faces growing pressure to bolster its ban on the use of cattle remains in certain animal feed. The discovery of mad cow disease in a Holstein dairy cow in Washington state has focused new attention on how cattle are raised and slaughtered. While the U.S. Agriculture Department rushed to impose a series of new food safety rules, FDA officials have said it would take time before deciding whether extra precautions were necessary to protect U.S. cattle herds from the brain-wasting disease...Some claim human link to mad cow A biopsy of her brain tissue showed the cause of her death was Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, an extremely rare, fatal disorder whose victims often die within a year. Medical experts insist there is no known link between classic CJD and mad cow disease. McKinley's daughters, Sharron Potts and her sister Debbie Creel-Martin, are convinced the experts are wrong. "The scientists don't really know," Potts, 56, said. "They don't want to talk about it. They are trying to put as little information out there as they can." Florence Kranitz, executive director of the CJD foundation, said lately she gets up to 10 calls a day from people who lost their loved ones to the illness and mistakenly believe it may have been caused by eating beef from cattle with mad cow disease...Fear of mad cow disease takes toll on Shasta Livestock sale Thundering hooves, clanking gates, the drone of the auctioneer and the buzz of friendly conversation all herald a typical weekly sale at the Shasta Livestock Auction Yard. But something was different Friday. It was the first sale since officials confirmed a case of mad cow disease in Washington state -- and everyone with a cowboy hat and an acre of land was talking about it. Only 400 head of cattle were up for sale Friday, compared with 2,000 or more on a normal week with no holiday. Buyers at Friday's auction paid a good deal less. Richard Stober of Fresno bought 40 head of steer for $150 a head less than he might have before the scare. A steer worth $1,400 two months ago might be worth closer to $1,050 if prices fall as expected. "It's a pretty dramatic drop," he said...How Now, Mad Cow? Big Beef was doing fine until disease felled a heifer. Will consumer anxiety cripple the industry? (Time Magazine) For the U.S., could this be the year of mad cow? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) banned Canadian beef in May after mad-cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), turned up in a single calf there. Now it is America's turn. More than 30 countries have banned U.S. beef imports since BSE was detected in a slaughtered 6-year-old dairy cow in Washington State on Dec. 23. Though officials say the cow entered from Canada in 2001, the USDA last week instituted a series of measures to reassure consumers that American beef is safe, including a ban on the slaughter of cattle too sick or injured to walk, called downers, for human food. The BSE-infected cow was one such downer. The USDA also called for immediate implementation of a national animal-tracking system so the source of any diseased cattle could be more readily identified. As the public copes with the news, the U.S.'s $40 billion cattle business is bracing for trouble. The industry, led by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association in Denver, had originally fought the ban on downers as costly and unnecessary. But the losses caused by the BSE discovery in Washington State are likely to make those steps seem cheap by comparison. Big overseas customers like Japan and South Korea no longer want U.S. steaks; ships at sea packed with meat bound for Asia are turning back. Containers of frozen French fries cooked in beef tallow for the export market are idling in U.S. ports. In short, America's $4.3 billion beef-export business is pretty much dead meat, at least for now...Soup bones linked to 'mad cow' found in area, 7 Santa Clara County Restaurants Notified Seven restaurants in Santa Clara County received soup bones from a shipment of Washington state beef that has been recalled because it was believed to include parts of a cow that tested positive for "mad cow'' disease, a county official said Saturday. The risk of disease for anyone who ate food made from the soup bones is "extremely low'' because the products are not from the animal's spine, brain or small intestines, where the contamination is found, said Marty Fenstersheib, health officer for the Santa Clara County public-health department...Cattle feeding habits get new scrutiny Sixty-three companies -- including a rendering corporation with a Boise plant and a North Idaho feed mill -- have been warned about violating a ban put in place in 1997 to protect U.S. cattle from mad cow disease. The warnings, found in an examination of U.S. Food and Drug Administration records, show that while the risk of a mad cow outbreak remains small in this country, the threat remains. The FDA ban is intended to keep cattle from eating feed that contains beef byproducts, the practice Canadian officials believe may have led to the first U.S. case of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, last month...Lessons of mad cow scare, Consumers looking more at safety of food supply Every few years America gets a harsh wakeup call about the food supply. In the 1980s, it was the pesticide Alar contaminating apples. In the 1990s, it was genetically modified corn killing monarch butterfly larvae and E. coli tainting fast-food hamburgers. Now, the topic is mad cow disease. A squeamish nation has gotten a crash course in slaughtering methods, spinal cords and "downer cows" -- animals too sick to walk but, until last week's ban by Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman, considered safe enough to end up as hamburger or lunchmeat. Usually, after the shock of the realities of industrial food production wears off and government agencies promise policy shifts, everyone goes back to the supermarket and the incident becomes old news. But this time, things might be different...Column: 'Mad Cow' Legislation Comes Down to Economics Now that even the Texans in the White House have come around to banning the slaughter of diseased cattle, it looks like it took a congressman who hails from Queens to give the ranchers and dairy farmers a lesson in agricultural economics. In the decade before the crisis hit, Rep. Gary Ackerman, a Democrat whose district boasts a total herd of six head at the zoo in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, railed against the short- sightedness and greed of ranchers and dairy farmers for opposing such a ban on the sale of "downer" livestock, so sick or injured they had to be dragged to the killing floor. Ackerman warned that the animals posed a public health risk because cows infected with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in Canada and Britain were downers. Fast food chains like Wendy's, Burger King and McDonald's already didn't accept the meat, and the government barred it from the school lunch program...Mad cow scare hits home Richard Nielson of Ephraim, a cattle feeder with more than 3,000 beef cattle in feedlots in Utah and the Midwest, saw the value of his cattle holdings slashed in half since the first case of mad cow disease was discovered in the United States on Dec. 23. Prices of cattle for delivery through April, which hit all-time record highs last year because of strong demand and the popularity of protein-rich diets -- have fallen dramatically on concerns over beef consumption and prospects of a domestic supply glut resulting from import bans on U.S. beef by at least 36 countries. The United States exports about 10 percent of its annual cattle production -- a $6 billion-a-year business. Nielson is among the many shell-shocked cattle feeders and ranchers nationwide who spent the holidays keenly monitoring cattle prices on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange for an indication of where the bottom may be...Perilous politics, A summer election in Japan may spell disaster for Canadian beef Japanese politics could keep the U.S. border ban on Canadian live cattle in place into the fall, according to a Washington, D.C., think-tank. Mindy Kotler, an analyst with the Washington-based Japan Information Access Project, said she expects Tokyo to exploit the U.S. mad cow case for political gain - by maintaining a ban on American beef imports until after the summer. "The Japanese have an election coming up by the end of July for the upper house," she said. "Rural votes are a major constituency in Japan, and the agriculture lobby is very, very powerful. "U.S. beef exports to Japan are worth $1 billion a year. The Japanese government knows it can win votes by blocking foreign beef - they did it to Canada last year, and now they're doing it to us. The Japanese government couldn't have asked for a better political gift going into an election."...Mad cow politics feared A farmers' marketing group in the U.S. is pressuring its government to declare itself "provisionally BSE free," if an American infected cow is found to have come from Canada. While the move would point the finger for at Canada -- and specifically a northern Alberta renderer -- officials here are optimistic the Americans will rely on science and re-open their borders to our beef. But, "the unknown is if politics comes into play," said Gary Sargent, executive director of Alberta Beef Producers. "They've been talking all along of using good science." He said under the international animal health organization's guidelines, Canada would be allowed one infected cow per million, or up to 10 infected cows to still be considered low-risk for BSE. The Organization for Competitive Markets, which represents small farmers, is asking the U.S. government to declare itself "provisionally free" of mad cow if the animal is found to have come from Alberta, which would allow its export markets to stay open...Column: USDA politics rile meatpacker on a mission John Munsell tried to warn them. He documented the dangerous practices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's meat inspection program. He took the evidence to the agency, telling them that deadly pathogens were in the meat supply. The response? They tried to shut him down. As concerns about mad cow disease spread, Munsell's story offers a case study in how a federal agency charged with protecting the food supply has been hijacked by the corporate giants it's supposed to regulate...Editorial: Economics drives industry reforms The U.S. Department of Agriculture will decide soon how many Washington state herds will be destroyed because of exposure to mad cow disease. "It would be safe to assume that ... some or all of those animals will need to be sacrificed," said Dr. Ron DeHaven, the department's chief veterinarian. At least three herds are at risk, he said, but other cows may be "sacrificed" as well. Destroying animals with even the potential of carrying the mad cow proteins is important step to reassure the public that its food supply is safe. The destruction of cattle is much more about perception than it is to combat the disease. The government wants to react swiftly to show the public it knows what to do. Yet so far the government's reaction raises more questions than answers. A column today on the cover of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Focus section says the U.S. Department of Agriculture is more worried about the prosperity of the beef industry than it is in substantive reform. Instead of learning from other nations' experiences with mad cow disease, the United States is repeating their mistakes, says author Eric Schlosser... Scientists Weigh Risks of Beef The repeated assertion by government officials that American beef is safe to eat -- despite the discovery of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease -- is based in large part on painstakingly acquired evidence that pure muscle from mad cows simply does not contain enough of the strange infectious material to give the disease to a human being. Muscle meat contaminated with brain or spinal tissue from infected cows is another matter. Eating it can be deadly. Scientists believe that is how about 150 people worldwide have contracted the human version of mad cow disease, which first appeared in Britain in 1996. But muscle meat alone -- beef, in short -- appears safe. The evidence for this is strong and convincing. But as with all assessment of biological risk, it is not absolute and unqualified. "I'd like to say for sure that muscle is safe. I'm reasonably sure that muscle is safe. But like everything else in science, the answer is incomplete," said Paul Brown, a physician and neuroscientist at the National Institutes of Health. He is a leading authority on bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the formal name of mad cow disease...Editorial: Crack down on ranchers To those in the know, mad cow disease in the United States is not surprising. Current animal feed and food processing practices virtually guarantee that brain matter from sick cattle and other animals finds its way into everything from hot dogs to ground meat and sausage. Rural America's farm-based economy is already teetering on collapse, so it is unrealistic either to expect producers to pick up the tab or alert authorities to unfit animals. Only stricter oversights balanced with fair compensation will keep dairies, ranches and farms from selling diseased carcasses and unfit meat to food processors...Organic meat coalition's sales up after mad cow announcement An organic meat coalition's sales have boomed since a case of mad cow disease was discovered in the United States last month, its founder says. "We've seen a big rise in business," said Wende Elliott, president of the Colo-based Wholesomeharvest.com organic meat coalition. "It only makes sense. (The regulations) that people in commodity beef are concerned about right now are already in place in our production." Elliott founded Wholesomeharvest.com in 2001 with her husband, Joe Rude. The coalition -- which sells beef, chicken, lamb, turkey, duck and goose -- has 41 small farm members in four states. Elliott said there's no fear over mad cow disease with the Wholesomeharvest.com products because the organically raised animals are never fed animal byproducts, which she said is a suspected source of mad cow disease...BSE safeguards failed; now what? The U.S. Department of Agriculture has erred in treating mad cow disease as a public relations problem. Its response smacks of damage control, not problem solving. Officials say the U.S. food supply is as safe as ever. With the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimating some 70 million cases of food poisoning last year, we're not sure that's a good thing. Safety in food remains a relative thing. In any case, it's a little beside the point. The late-December discovery that a sick cow butchered in Washington suffered from bovine spongiform encephalopathy, better known as mad cow disease, is an event worthy of great note. But not necessarily for the reason most people think. It's not because the whole U.S. meat supply is suspect. At least, there's no reason yet to believe it is. Rather, what we learn from this one mad cow is that measures that the government and beef industry believed were sufficient to keep the United States free of this disease are demonstrably inadequate. That's the issue - the inadequacy of safeguards...Column: A Bum Steer On Mad Cow Disease (Business Week) Other countries do much more to protect their citizens. In Japan, all cattle slaughtered for food, and, in Europe, all such cattle age 30 months and older, are tested for BSE -- costing just a few cents per pound. That compares with just 20,000 cattle tested in the U.S., or less than 0.001% of the 36 million animals slaughtered here each year. Now the cattle industry's successful lobbying is coming back to haunt it. Health issues, of course, remain paramount, but there's big money at risk here, too. Upon the discovery of the sick U.S. cow, 30 countries banned imports of American beef, including Japan, Australia, and Mexico. Those bans of U.S. beef exports could cost the economy $2 billion in 2004, estimates Chris Hurt, a Purdue University agricultural economist. Despite the USDA's reassurances, many food-safety experts fear that the ban on feeding bovine by-products to other cows won't actually protect America from mad cow disease. That's because it has some gaping loopholes. First, the ban doesn't outlaw the feeding of cow's blood to other cows. Beef farmers often feed dried cattle blood to calves as a supplement to promote faster weight gain. Some experts worry that could spread BSE...Forum Puts Mad Cow In Perspective, Veterinarian Reminds Attendees That Disease Is Non-Contagious Before Americans overreact to the recent discovery of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or "Mad Cow" in an American dairy cow, Sam Holland, DVM, South Dakota's state veterinarian, said it is important to put the ordeal into perspective. Holland was the keynote speaker at the ninth annual Midwest Farm Policy Forum Saturday at JD's Event Center, north of Yankton. "This is a non-contagious disease. It does not pass from animal to animal," Holland said. "It is contracted by animals who consume ruminant feed products." Holland said the practice of feeding ruminant blood and bone meal to cattle was banned in the U.S. in 1997. "Because the incubation period is three to eight years, it is possible to see cattle with BSE, but we are six years out and as we get closer to eight to 10 years out there is less chance we will find that disease."...Cattle sale barns resume auctions Some Kansas cattle auctions were canceled last week as prices fell in response to the discovery of mad cow disease in a Washington state Holstein, but sellers said they planned to hold auctions this week. Delaine Rezac said no one complained last week about his canceling his auction at the Rezac Livestock Commission Co., normally held Tuesdays in St. Marys, about 30 miles northwest of Topeka. By Tuesday, feeder cattle had fallen about $15 per hundredweight. With no clear sign of where cattle prices on the futures market would bottom out, Rezac said it would have been unfair to sellers and buyers to hold the auction...
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Activists take case to meat eaters On Christmas Eve, less than a day after federal officials uncovered the first known case of mad cow disease in the United States, converging streams of animal rights activists, vegans and organic food proponents were already planning ways to capitalize on what they saw as the silver lining of opportunity in the nationwide scare. They had to. After years of waving their arms about the way beef cattle are raised and the health risks associated with eating meat, suddenly the nation was listening; the security of that most American of meals -- the hamburger -- had been threatened...Wash. Schools Weigh Beef Scare Meat chili. That is lunch today in eastern Washington state's Reardan-Edwall School District, where 650 students will return to class. The district is about a 90-minute drive from the Moses Lake plant where a Holstein infected with mad cow disease was slaughtered. News of that first mad cow case in the United States broke Dec. 23, when many of the nation's schools were on break. That means today will be the first time that millions of students return to the school cafeteria, where hamburgers and meat-topped pizza often rule...Mad Cow Forces Beef Industry to Change Course The financial motive that drove the industry to defend practices like selling downers has been turned on its head by the discovery of mad cow disease. Now, in an attempt to rescue the market for American beef, the industry is being forced to accept regulation it has long fought. But some large American companies that process and sell beef had already abandoned those more controversial practices, which had been a rallying point for food safety advocates since mad cow disease appeared overseas nearly two decades ago. While a schism developed in the industry, the current crisis reveals how government regulators sided with companies that adhered to those methods of operation. When an animal rights group, Farm Sanctuary, and an individual, Michael Baur, sued the government to force a ban on using downer animals for food, government lawyers persuaded a federal judge to dismiss the case on the ground that mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, had not appeared in the United States...Mad cow weighs down a $175 billion industry The first weeks of the mad-cow scare in the US are rippling out through the nation's economy. In one way or another - from the tons of pet food made of "meat byproducts" for nearly 140 million cats and dogs, to the $200 million in beef waiting aboard ships and in port freezers, to meat-processing and trucking companies sending workers home - the $175 billion industry affects many millions of Americans. "Beef. It's What's for Dinner," proclaims the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, and American eating habits bear that out. Some 78 million meals featuring beef are served every day, according to industry and government figures, and it's not just the pot roast or filet mignon. Beef extract made from the remains of slaughtered cows is in taco fillings, pizza toppings, and other popular foods as well. Whether or not they're regular red-meat eaters, Americans are watching the situation closely. While two-thirds still think the beef supply is safe, according to a CNN-Time poll released over the weekend, a substantial 27 percent think otherwise, and they have either reduced their consumption of beef or stopped eating it altogether...Mad cow testing pressure mounts, Canadian rules deemed too lax The emergence of a second case of mad cow disease has renewed calls for Canada to dramatically increase testing for the brain-wasting disease in cattle. "This was an accident waiting to happen," said David Westaway, associate professor of microbiology at the University of Toronto. "Up until May of this year, we were screening about 2,700 animals a year." Canadian beef industry officials peg costs at $30 million to $60 million annually to test all animals ready for slaughter in Canada's herd -- something Japan already does. In 2002, about 3.4 million cattle were slaughtered in Canada...Government says feed restrictions are enough to protect consumers, but some leading scientists disagree The more Americans learn about the animal discovered in Washington state with mad cow disease, the more some might wonder what they're eating. The more pertinent question, though, might be: What did the cow eat? Or for that matter, any other farm animal ultimately bound for the dinner table? Should we be concerned about what these animals ate long before we ate them? "There's been a lot of criticism of the firewall, which really isn't a firewall at all," said Jean Halloran, director of the Yonkers, N.Y-based Consumer Policy Institute, a division of Consumers Union. The FDA has "taken half-measures that leave open back doors for the potential transmission of the disease," Halloran said. "They've tried to solve the matter by banning ruminant remains in feed to ruminants, but they allow pigs and chickens to consume feed containing ruminant protein. Then they permit poultry waste, which includes spilled chicken feed, feathers and chicken excreta, to be legally reprocessed into cattle feed." But to people like Gary Pearl, president of the Fats and Protein Research Foundation, a Bloomington, Ill.-based organization that conducts research and development of animal feed, chance has little to do with the matter. He said numerous studies strongly suggest that other farm animal species are not susceptible to BSE-like diseases, and do not transmit them. "There is no scientific evidence that a complete ban would enhance feed safety for other species: swine, poultry, aquaculture, dogs. If a ban does happen, it will be for emotional or political reasons. Science doesn't exist to support the idea."...FDA Faces Pressure for More Action Over Mad Cow The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has not implemented any new safeguards since the discovery of the first U.S. mad cow case, faces growing pressure to bolster its ban on the use of cattle remains in certain animal feed. The discovery of mad cow disease in a Holstein dairy cow in Washington state has focused new attention on how cattle are raised and slaughtered. While the U.S. Agriculture Department rushed to impose a series of new food safety rules, FDA officials have said it would take time before deciding whether extra precautions were necessary to protect U.S. cattle herds from the brain-wasting disease...Some claim human link to mad cow A biopsy of her brain tissue showed the cause of her death was Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, an extremely rare, fatal disorder whose victims often die within a year. Medical experts insist there is no known link between classic CJD and mad cow disease. McKinley's daughters, Sharron Potts and her sister Debbie Creel-Martin, are convinced the experts are wrong. "The scientists don't really know," Potts, 56, said. "They don't want to talk about it. They are trying to put as little information out there as they can." Florence Kranitz, executive director of the CJD foundation, said lately she gets up to 10 calls a day from people who lost their loved ones to the illness and mistakenly believe it may have been caused by eating beef from cattle with mad cow disease...Fear of mad cow disease takes toll on Shasta Livestock sale Thundering hooves, clanking gates, the drone of the auctioneer and the buzz of friendly conversation all herald a typical weekly sale at the Shasta Livestock Auction Yard. But something was different Friday. It was the first sale since officials confirmed a case of mad cow disease in Washington state -- and everyone with a cowboy hat and an acre of land was talking about it. Only 400 head of cattle were up for sale Friday, compared with 2,000 or more on a normal week with no holiday. Buyers at Friday's auction paid a good deal less. Richard Stober of Fresno bought 40 head of steer for $150 a head less than he might have before the scare. A steer worth $1,400 two months ago might be worth closer to $1,050 if prices fall as expected. "It's a pretty dramatic drop," he said...How Now, Mad Cow? Big Beef was doing fine until disease felled a heifer. Will consumer anxiety cripple the industry? (Time Magazine) For the U.S., could this be the year of mad cow? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) banned Canadian beef in May after mad-cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), turned up in a single calf there. Now it is America's turn. More than 30 countries have banned U.S. beef imports since BSE was detected in a slaughtered 6-year-old dairy cow in Washington State on Dec. 23. Though officials say the cow entered from Canada in 2001, the USDA last week instituted a series of measures to reassure consumers that American beef is safe, including a ban on the slaughter of cattle too sick or injured to walk, called downers, for human food. The BSE-infected cow was one such downer. The USDA also called for immediate implementation of a national animal-tracking system so the source of any diseased cattle could be more readily identified. As the public copes with the news, the U.S.'s $40 billion cattle business is bracing for trouble. The industry, led by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association in Denver, had originally fought the ban on downers as costly and unnecessary. But the losses caused by the BSE discovery in Washington State are likely to make those steps seem cheap by comparison. Big overseas customers like Japan and South Korea no longer want U.S. steaks; ships at sea packed with meat bound for Asia are turning back. Containers of frozen French fries cooked in beef tallow for the export market are idling in U.S. ports. In short, America's $4.3 billion beef-export business is pretty much dead meat, at least for now...Soup bones linked to 'mad cow' found in area, 7 Santa Clara County Restaurants Notified Seven restaurants in Santa Clara County received soup bones from a shipment of Washington state beef that has been recalled because it was believed to include parts of a cow that tested positive for "mad cow'' disease, a county official said Saturday. The risk of disease for anyone who ate food made from the soup bones is "extremely low'' because the products are not from the animal's spine, brain or small intestines, where the contamination is found, said Marty Fenstersheib, health officer for the Santa Clara County public-health department...Cattle feeding habits get new scrutiny Sixty-three companies -- including a rendering corporation with a Boise plant and a North Idaho feed mill -- have been warned about violating a ban put in place in 1997 to protect U.S. cattle from mad cow disease. The warnings, found in an examination of U.S. Food and Drug Administration records, show that while the risk of a mad cow outbreak remains small in this country, the threat remains. The FDA ban is intended to keep cattle from eating feed that contains beef byproducts, the practice Canadian officials believe may have led to the first U.S. case of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, last month...Lessons of mad cow scare, Consumers looking more at safety of food supply Every few years America gets a harsh wakeup call about the food supply. In the 1980s, it was the pesticide Alar contaminating apples. In the 1990s, it was genetically modified corn killing monarch butterfly larvae and E. coli tainting fast-food hamburgers. Now, the topic is mad cow disease. A squeamish nation has gotten a crash course in slaughtering methods, spinal cords and "downer cows" -- animals too sick to walk but, until last week's ban by Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman, considered safe enough to end up as hamburger or lunchmeat. Usually, after the shock of the realities of industrial food production wears off and government agencies promise policy shifts, everyone goes back to the supermarket and the incident becomes old news. But this time, things might be different...Column: 'Mad Cow' Legislation Comes Down to Economics Now that even the Texans in the White House have come around to banning the slaughter of diseased cattle, it looks like it took a congressman who hails from Queens to give the ranchers and dairy farmers a lesson in agricultural economics. In the decade before the crisis hit, Rep. Gary Ackerman, a Democrat whose district boasts a total herd of six head at the zoo in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, railed against the short- sightedness and greed of ranchers and dairy farmers for opposing such a ban on the sale of "downer" livestock, so sick or injured they had to be dragged to the killing floor. Ackerman warned that the animals posed a public health risk because cows infected with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in Canada and Britain were downers. Fast food chains like Wendy's, Burger King and McDonald's already didn't accept the meat, and the government barred it from the school lunch program...Mad cow scare hits home Richard Nielson of Ephraim, a cattle feeder with more than 3,000 beef cattle in feedlots in Utah and the Midwest, saw the value of his cattle holdings slashed in half since the first case of mad cow disease was discovered in the United States on Dec. 23. Prices of cattle for delivery through April, which hit all-time record highs last year because of strong demand and the popularity of protein-rich diets -- have fallen dramatically on concerns over beef consumption and prospects of a domestic supply glut resulting from import bans on U.S. beef by at least 36 countries. The United States exports about 10 percent of its annual cattle production -- a $6 billion-a-year business. Nielson is among the many shell-shocked cattle feeders and ranchers nationwide who spent the holidays keenly monitoring cattle prices on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange for an indication of where the bottom may be...Perilous politics, A summer election in Japan may spell disaster for Canadian beef Japanese politics could keep the U.S. border ban on Canadian live cattle in place into the fall, according to a Washington, D.C., think-tank. Mindy Kotler, an analyst with the Washington-based Japan Information Access Project, said she expects Tokyo to exploit the U.S. mad cow case for political gain - by maintaining a ban on American beef imports until after the summer. "The Japanese have an election coming up by the end of July for the upper house," she said. "Rural votes are a major constituency in Japan, and the agriculture lobby is very, very powerful. "U.S. beef exports to Japan are worth $1 billion a year. The Japanese government knows it can win votes by blocking foreign beef - they did it to Canada last year, and now they're doing it to us. The Japanese government couldn't have asked for a better political gift going into an election."...Mad cow politics feared A farmers' marketing group in the U.S. is pressuring its government to declare itself "provisionally BSE free," if an American infected cow is found to have come from Canada. While the move would point the finger for at Canada -- and specifically a northern Alberta renderer -- officials here are optimistic the Americans will rely on science and re-open their borders to our beef. But, "the unknown is if politics comes into play," said Gary Sargent, executive director of Alberta Beef Producers. "They've been talking all along of using good science." He said under the international animal health organization's guidelines, Canada would be allowed one infected cow per million, or up to 10 infected cows to still be considered low-risk for BSE. The Organization for Competitive Markets, which represents small farmers, is asking the U.S. government to declare itself "provisionally free" of mad cow if the animal is found to have come from Alberta, which would allow its export markets to stay open...Column: USDA politics rile meatpacker on a mission John Munsell tried to warn them. He documented the dangerous practices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's meat inspection program. He took the evidence to the agency, telling them that deadly pathogens were in the meat supply. The response? They tried to shut him down. As concerns about mad cow disease spread, Munsell's story offers a case study in how a federal agency charged with protecting the food supply has been hijacked by the corporate giants it's supposed to regulate...Editorial: Economics drives industry reforms The U.S. Department of Agriculture will decide soon how many Washington state herds will be destroyed because of exposure to mad cow disease. "It would be safe to assume that ... some or all of those animals will need to be sacrificed," said Dr. Ron DeHaven, the department's chief veterinarian. At least three herds are at risk, he said, but other cows may be "sacrificed" as well. Destroying animals with even the potential of carrying the mad cow proteins is important step to reassure the public that its food supply is safe. The destruction of cattle is much more about perception than it is to combat the disease. The government wants to react swiftly to show the public it knows what to do. Yet so far the government's reaction raises more questions than answers. A column today on the cover of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Focus section says the U.S. Department of Agriculture is more worried about the prosperity of the beef industry than it is in substantive reform. Instead of learning from other nations' experiences with mad cow disease, the United States is repeating their mistakes, says author Eric Schlosser... Scientists Weigh Risks of Beef The repeated assertion by government officials that American beef is safe to eat -- despite the discovery of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease -- is based in large part on painstakingly acquired evidence that pure muscle from mad cows simply does not contain enough of the strange infectious material to give the disease to a human being. Muscle meat contaminated with brain or spinal tissue from infected cows is another matter. Eating it can be deadly. Scientists believe that is how about 150 people worldwide have contracted the human version of mad cow disease, which first appeared in Britain in 1996. But muscle meat alone -- beef, in short -- appears safe. The evidence for this is strong and convincing. But as with all assessment of biological risk, it is not absolute and unqualified. "I'd like to say for sure that muscle is safe. I'm reasonably sure that muscle is safe. But like everything else in science, the answer is incomplete," said Paul Brown, a physician and neuroscientist at the National Institutes of Health. He is a leading authority on bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the formal name of mad cow disease...Editorial: Crack down on ranchers To those in the know, mad cow disease in the United States is not surprising. Current animal feed and food processing practices virtually guarantee that brain matter from sick cattle and other animals finds its way into everything from hot dogs to ground meat and sausage. Rural America's farm-based economy is already teetering on collapse, so it is unrealistic either to expect producers to pick up the tab or alert authorities to unfit animals. Only stricter oversights balanced with fair compensation will keep dairies, ranches and farms from selling diseased carcasses and unfit meat to food processors...Organic meat coalition's sales up after mad cow announcement An organic meat coalition's sales have boomed since a case of mad cow disease was discovered in the United States last month, its founder says. "We've seen a big rise in business," said Wende Elliott, president of the Colo-based Wholesomeharvest.com organic meat coalition. "It only makes sense. (The regulations) that people in commodity beef are concerned about right now are already in place in our production." Elliott founded Wholesomeharvest.com in 2001 with her husband, Joe Rude. The coalition -- which sells beef, chicken, lamb, turkey, duck and goose -- has 41 small farm members in four states. Elliott said there's no fear over mad cow disease with the Wholesomeharvest.com products because the organically raised animals are never fed animal byproducts, which she said is a suspected source of mad cow disease...BSE safeguards failed; now what? The U.S. Department of Agriculture has erred in treating mad cow disease as a public relations problem. Its response smacks of damage control, not problem solving. Officials say the U.S. food supply is as safe as ever. With the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimating some 70 million cases of food poisoning last year, we're not sure that's a good thing. Safety in food remains a relative thing. In any case, it's a little beside the point. The late-December discovery that a sick cow butchered in Washington suffered from bovine spongiform encephalopathy, better known as mad cow disease, is an event worthy of great note. But not necessarily for the reason most people think. It's not because the whole U.S. meat supply is suspect. At least, there's no reason yet to believe it is. Rather, what we learn from this one mad cow is that measures that the government and beef industry believed were sufficient to keep the United States free of this disease are demonstrably inadequate. That's the issue - the inadequacy of safeguards...Column: A Bum Steer On Mad Cow Disease (Business Week) Other countries do much more to protect their citizens. In Japan, all cattle slaughtered for food, and, in Europe, all such cattle age 30 months and older, are tested for BSE -- costing just a few cents per pound. That compares with just 20,000 cattle tested in the U.S., or less than 0.001% of the 36 million animals slaughtered here each year. Now the cattle industry's successful lobbying is coming back to haunt it. Health issues, of course, remain paramount, but there's big money at risk here, too. Upon the discovery of the sick U.S. cow, 30 countries banned imports of American beef, including Japan, Australia, and Mexico. Those bans of U.S. beef exports could cost the economy $2 billion in 2004, estimates Chris Hurt, a Purdue University agricultural economist. Despite the USDA's reassurances, many food-safety experts fear that the ban on feeding bovine by-products to other cows won't actually protect America from mad cow disease. That's because it has some gaping loopholes. First, the ban doesn't outlaw the feeding of cow's blood to other cows. Beef farmers often feed dried cattle blood to calves as a supplement to promote faster weight gain. Some experts worry that could spread BSE...Forum Puts Mad Cow In Perspective, Veterinarian Reminds Attendees That Disease Is Non-Contagious Before Americans overreact to the recent discovery of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or "Mad Cow" in an American dairy cow, Sam Holland, DVM, South Dakota's state veterinarian, said it is important to put the ordeal into perspective. Holland was the keynote speaker at the ninth annual Midwest Farm Policy Forum Saturday at JD's Event Center, north of Yankton. "This is a non-contagious disease. It does not pass from animal to animal," Holland said. "It is contracted by animals who consume ruminant feed products." Holland said the practice of feeding ruminant blood and bone meal to cattle was banned in the U.S. in 1997. "Because the incubation period is three to eight years, it is possible to see cattle with BSE, but we are six years out and as we get closer to eight to 10 years out there is less chance we will find that disease."...Cattle sale barns resume auctions Some Kansas cattle auctions were canceled last week as prices fell in response to the discovery of mad cow disease in a Washington state Holstein, but sellers said they planned to hold auctions this week. Delaine Rezac said no one complained last week about his canceling his auction at the Rezac Livestock Commission Co., normally held Tuesdays in St. Marys, about 30 miles northwest of Topeka. By Tuesday, feeder cattle had fallen about $15 per hundredweight. With no clear sign of where cattle prices on the futures market would bottom out, Rezac said it would have been unfair to sellers and buyers to hold the auction...
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