There's a second cow.

[jensend]

rsomer - i agree with you but i think there has to be a time limit in which the americans have to resond or our strategy has failed and we have to change strategies.

[kato]

Exactly! You are 100% right.

Either lead or get out of the way. We need to take the high road on this one.

[whiteface]

Rsomer I do appreciate your cool headed, detailed approach to addressing our problem. I too love "taking the high road and leading by example." Which is why I also would love to leave the whole border thing alone and focus on our own problem. Lets build and test, now more than ever. They will somehow try to use these 2 ( and subsequently more) against us. I for the life of me cannot see that a "US" case will ever surface. This is a left handed way to attack us further. They know we're dead serious about testing and exporting and they don't have measures in place that we do ( the traceback, the needless killing of thousands of cows that even breathed on our BSE case ) and they absolutly will have egg on their face if we convince ANYONE to take our meat that won't take theirs. The pressure on them to open the border to us is huge. "Science", NAFTA challenge, needing to set an example for Japan and Mexico, they'll do anything to "prove" why they shouldn't... how about trying to "prove" on "Canadas behalf" how many "diseased" cows are up here because of course we sure as hell don't check or do anything for that matter as well as the US. R-calf will be sure and tell the world that.

[rsomer]

I believe it is just a matter of when, not if, the U.S. finds a BSE cow they have to call their own. Just what the U.S. will do in regards to opening our border after they find their cow will remain to be seen. I don't think we will have to wait very long to find out.

CME Live Cattle Futures closed yesterday at $87.87, opened this morning at $85 and are trading at $86.075.

[kato]

USDA webcast at 4:30 Eastern daylight time on usda.gov.

[kato]

The USDA website must have been busy, I couldn't hear the webcast. Their server couldn't keep up.

So far, this is what I've found. They'll post a transcript later.

Statement By Deputy Administrator Dr. John Clifford For The Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service

June 30, 2004


“At approximately, 3:45 p.m. today, we were notified by the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa that the inconclusive screening test sample reported on June 25, tested negative for BSE upon confirmatory testing.

“NVSL used the world-recognized gold-standard test for BSE, the immunohistochemistry test to confirm this finding.”

One down, one to go. (so far)

[blackjack]

kato... don't get me wrong but these little stunts from the the USDA is no less than a bunch of baloney... why would they release this information if they were not going to give all the facts about the animal... sad excuse for the US government to say their on top of BSE testing with the quick test... US tell us when you find a real case and keep these fradulent claims to yourselves...

[BWC]

Suprise .... a false positive. the last figures I am aware of out of Europe is that 1 in 10,000 will test false positive. At this point after the USDA has tested a few more than 7000 since JUne 1 if the second case turns up as a false positive, surely this will raise red flags in the scientific community around the world, if it does'nt it should. Sooner or later our friends to the south will have to come clean whether they want to or not.

[grassfarmer]

BWC, that is a surprise - I thought the level of accuracy was much lower than that leading to a much higher percentage of false positives.

[BWC]

I believe my figures are correct, if not someone please correct me, I am always scared of being caught up in conspiracy theories but I believe that they have everything to lose( the USA)
at this point in time. The science says community would like us all to accept their side that false positives are much more frequent. Please if someone can supply me with other validated figures , I would be very interested in seeing them.