South Korea Moves Closer To Allowing Beef From Canada.

[kato]

grassfarmer, there was much more to it than that.

There was a study done on the potential consequences of that first cow. It's conclusions were prophetic. It listed everything that could happen if we had BSE in this country, as well as the odds of it happening.

EVERYTHING HAPPENED. (except the loss of confidence by the Canadian consumers in our beef. Thank you consumers!)

They put it away and ignored it. They knew what would happen. They knew the odds of it happening. They still did nothing.

That fits the definition of negligence.

neg·li·gence [neg-li-juhns] noun

1.the quality, fact, or result of being negligent; neglect: negligence in discharging one's responsibilities.


2.Law . the failure to exercise that degree of care that, in the circumstances, the law requires for the protection of other persons or those interests of other persons that may be injuriously affected by the want of such care.

[kato]

Thanks Mr. P. Seems we're online at the same time. I pushed the submit button to find your response was up.

[littledoggie]

Another thing - was it ever considered that the EQUIPMENT used for manufacturing feed was permantly contaminated? Did we see any of the feed manufacturers have to destroy any of their EQUIPMENT? Trucks and tractor buckets were considered as a possible carrier of the infective agent. So why wasn't the EQUIPMENT at the feed manufacturers?

Thank you cpallett for posting comments on this forum. I wish more professionals would post comments when things needed clarification. I believe that gov't and producer organizations are missing out on providing good information by not participating in this forum, which I'm sure many producers read.

[cpallett]

The Feds finally brought in a ruminant feed ban in August 1997 (effective October 1997). The problem is that this feed ban was based on the British July, 1988 model, before the Brits realized the problems associated with cross-contamination affecting feed manufacturing lines and assorted equipment.

The Brit feed ban that finally addressed these problems (and the issue of cross-feeding) which has resulted in the very near eradication of BSE in Britain was enacted in Britain in March of 1996. So why was our 1997 feed ban based on the older, unsuccessful 1988 model when the British experience had taught that it did not work?

In July 2007 the Feds finally enacted a feed ban based on the British 1996 model. I am not aware that any serious efforts were made before that time to ensure that cross-contamination and cross-feeding possibilities were addressed.

Yes, we have included these issues in our allegations of negligence.

[rkaiser]

Hay there little doggie. Have you ever been to St Paul Alberta. The plant in question that belonged to Feed Rite disappeared in to thin air very shorty after they were named in the law suit. They bailed and put about 6 million into the kitty to have their name removed from the suit.

Yer right Iain, it is not the fault of the average taxpayer, but government employees screwed up and even if we were to simply find the few that screwed up and ask them to pay you and me and the rest of the producers of this country back for their errors and our losses, we could only afford an ice cream cone each --- maybe...

[burnt]

Perhaps what galls me the worst is that some seem willing to give a free pass to those government "food safety" employees who didn't do their job!

Do you not realize that by removing any accountability you are implicitly asking them to screw up again? Maybe even worse next time?

So while their laxity caused a big sector of agriculture a lot of money, think of how much worse it would be if their next screw-up cost a lot of lives!

Would those same pollyannas still say "oh what the heck, everybody makes mistakes" if it was their wife/child/parent that paid the ultimate cost for government negligence?

Talk about whistling through the graveyard!

There is only one way to drive home the message of accountability - we are doing it - and for that reason, I think that names should be named and consequences be applied accordingly and judiciously.

[cpallett]

Brother burnt,

Perhaps what galls me the most is that many husbands and fathers DID pay the ultimate price for the negligence of paid public officials. In order to keep the farms that had been in their families for generations a number of producers took their own lives so that their farms and families could benefit from the insurance proceeds. Not funny. Not funny at all.

To now give those responsible a free pass on the basis that the poor taxpayers will have to foot the bill at the end of the day is not in me. Too many forget that the negligence of the few has already cost us poor taxpayers billions in lost tax revenue, not to mention the irreperable harm to the infrastructure of cattle production in this country.

Not to mention the increadible stress, lost investments, lost hopes, lost dreams, lost opportunities for education, advancement, happy retirement, etc. destroyed by the BSE crisis. Not in me to let the immense suffering created by the negligence of a few self-important incompetents pass uncompensated. Not in me at all.

[grassfarmer]

The way I see it at the end of the day there are no
absolutes - there are no rights and wrongs only
opinions. Our society is build on our Government
and judiciary "being right" and being the authority
but as far as I can see judges are just forming
opinions based on the evidence presented to them.
Government officials form opinions on issues and
take actions accordingly.
I don't see Government as "them" Government is
"us", the people, they were elected by us and
represent us and they are mere mortals like the rest
of us and do make mistakes.
I'm more of a forward looking person than a
backward looking one - I'm more interested in what
we can do to prevent future problems. I see nobody
addressed my concern about a future FMD outbreak
and what action the Government is taking to try and
prevent that and how that action is being met by
producer and producer organization opposition.
Anyone care to comment on that?

[rkaiser]

We elected them -- come on GF these people were employees.

As for the future. Carma - the idea that current choices will affect the future not the old thought of penance for past. Check with the Dali Lama - I got this new view from him . LOL

The current event is a lawsuit to cause employees to be responsible for future events like your FMD fear.

[burnt]

Randolf said - "The current event is a lawsuit to cause employees to be responsible for future events like your FMD fear."

Now, how can anyone who claims to be "forward-looking" not understand this?

Why not just take a laissez faire or que sera sera approach and do away with regulation if it is so unimportant?

Randy, how's the Mandarin I threw in there? ;-)

cpallett, how about throwing up a link to that study that you and kato sent to me. It helps shed a little more light on the matter of heading troubles off at the pass.

[grassfarmer]

Doesn't answer my question burnt.Threatening to
sue retrospectively doesn't prevent future problems.
In any case I think with this FMD/traceability issue
the Government would have a "get out of jail" card
because of the actions the cattle groups are taking
just now fighting attempts to introduce a tracking
system. Still, maybe you could then retrospectively
sue the producer groups a decade or so after the
event. Good business for the lawyers. Meanwhile in
the real world....

[burnt]

You know, GF, some guys like taking their money from a marketplace that rewards responsible business risks rather than profiteering on the losses of those who failed due to poor government policy/ enforcement.

But each to his own.