Well, who among you Canadians and Anglos will be the first to welcome us to the club?
Beef exports were one of our strongest export markets - accounting for, I think, almost 25% of the world's consumption of beef. I'm guessing those will be cut by 90% overnight. McDonalds, Burger King and Taco Bell are going to take it on the chin, no doubt. And what are all the Atkin dieters going to do?
I'm predicting that we will see 5-10 more sick cows in the US, McDonalds will annouce either (1) full testing of every cow in the chain or (2)nothing but imported beef. You know there might not be enough beef produced in the world to feed McDondalds that does not come from Canada, UK, Japan or US. Australia will corner the market.
Judd
Posts: 1230 | Location: Cleveland, Ohio, USA | Registered: Sat 04 November 2000
So at last the US admits to having BSE - I wonder how many other cases have been lost on the prairie
I was in Austin in 1996 when there was a conference/meeting of farmers associated with beef cattle and there was concerned talk about BSE in the corridors.
Derek
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Posts: 3357 | Location: UK | Registered: Tue 12 December 2000
Considering all the bans applying to UK beef during our period of infestation (?) and subsequent controls over inports/exports, cattle feed etc on both sides of the Atlantic I'm surprised that the US has contracted it at this late stage. Maybe I'm too naive
You are all too cynical. Is that the story then? That for years we've been getting postive tests for BSE, and we decide, finally, two days before Christmas, with the economy on the upswing and Bush's popularity on the rise, to go to media with one case.
This is a disaster, and it could not have come at a worse time for the US or for Bush. Even if this is contrived, this would have been the worst time to bring it out.
Besides, look at Canada. They had ONE cow with BSE in thier history. ONE cow. What are the odds of just having ONE cow with BSE? You'll need to be prepared to accuse them of the same sort of conspiracy. I don't think you can. We may have more cows with BSE. But I cannot fathom the notion that this is not our first cow.
Judd
Posts: 1230 | Location: Cleveland, Ohio, USA | Registered: Sat 04 November 2000
It is not that positive tests have been ignored - but that testing may have been ignored, or suspect cows have been quietly put down without any paperwork being raised, who knows - are all people involved in the business publicly minded?
It is very difficult for any country to claim to be free of BSE - I think that a large number of the European countries have the disease - it is more a matter of how much they are prepared to discuss the subject.
Derek
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Posts: 3357 | Location: UK | Registered: Tue 12 December 2000
Should it rise to epidemic proportions it's going to make sticking to the Atkins diet a bit trickier.
The only soundbite I have heard is from the agriculture minister who denied the disease was a terrorist attack.
One unpleasant side effect that we saw here, other than the hundreds of thousands of culled cattle being put to the pyre, was an outbreak of Smug Vegetarians. I hope you are spared.
ag
Posts: 3754 | Location: Europe | Registered: Sat 19 October 2002
Sorry ag, but have to disagree,the worst side effect was seeing young people suffer,who had been encouraged to eat burgers "it's all beef" It's what happens when politicians and business start to interfere with nature ie feeding meat to herbivores to maximize profit. Sorry wrong time of year to get heavy. oldie.
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