Whatever happened to the guy

[Bruce14]

O.K. how's this for a solution. Set up labs to handle the testing of every animal going to slaughter. (That's what the Japanese want and do.) The Americans would have to follow us.

Some will argue that it would cost too much but if it is costing us $11,000,000
a day now that would pay for a lot of labs and staff.

Even if the borders opened to muscle cuts and young animals we will have to do this with our cull cows and bulls or else dispose of them on farm.

What are your suggestions?

One question for jensend. I didn't know that she had contracted BSE from contaminated feed. Why were there no herdmates or others test positive. I doubt she was fed alone?

[stevek]

In regards to the CCIA tags, we did'nt like them, but use them anyway. The only reason we don't like them is that they are not as good as quality as the one's we used. And yes, where are the VETS in this situation? Surely, they have a tale or two. Or have they been told to be quiet?

[Bruce14]

Rusty, you asked why the national and provincial vet associations haven't been more active. I am not sure I understand what they would do. The CFIA is the governing body in something like this and I think they did a pretty good job all things considered. At least that's what the international investigation team reported.

Maybe we should ask "Where was the SPCA and Humane Society in all this?" The public (our customers) are asking how a person can let an animal get so weak and diseased that it can't get up and then try to take it for a tralier ride.

Yes I agree the system will change to limit the chance of this ever happening again. You mention that we need to do this to ensure value for our product and food safety. The value part I agree with. Our food however is just as safe now as it has ever been. If we don't believe that ourselves how do we expect the consumer to?

[farmboy1]

I'm with Rusty on this one. Anyone that has raised livestock has no doubt had a downer animal. When an animal gets sick, you diagnose and treat the animal. If, for some reason, the animal does not recover, you have to make the choice of euthanasia or salvage.This has absolutely NOTHING to do with greed. It has to do with economics and animal husbandry. Not one of us is doing so well financially that we can afford to throw away any money. We have to decide what to do with the animal. If we decide to ship it to a slaughterhouse, then it is up to the inspection system to determine whether that animal is fit for human consumption. At that point, it's out of our hands and science must take precedent. I do not for one minute think that the farmer who shipped the cow made the conscious decision to take the chance of screwing every livestock farmer in the country in order to make a personal gain. Absolutely ludicrous presumption. In fact, if he had any thought there was a problem, he probably would have shot and buried the animal. Would that have been the right thing to do? And, yes, I am a livestock farmer. This is costing me a pot of money. To me, the most disheartening thing is that now the politicians have to play with this issue and drag things out. In closing, let's leave that poor Sask. farmer alone. His only mistake was perhaps in keeping the animal too long trying to help her recover. Been there, done that. I am very thankful that our first news report on this issue was NOT the SPCA showing up at the farm and starting the ball rolling.

[stevek]

farmboy, you have some good points, but the "poor" farmer we're talking about was not from Sask. We're talking about the guy in Fairview who wasn't sure if it was a sick cow or a catfish.

[daretodiffer]

Just came in on this thread. Seems a lot of pious commentary in the postings. I think the item by rusty1 illustrates the lack of thinking behind the hot air that is coming from all the corral fence quarterbacks.

"Our Liberal eastern buracrates have faied us as did the tracking system.
So lets be carefull that we only point fingers when we know the facts and evaluate things objectively."

The statement made in the first sentence is absurd when it comes from the person who believes the second.

"There is enough bad politics without having idiots raising cattle who have no idea what they are doing".

Thankfully the industry has Stevek who will surely share all his ideas about the right things for the idiots to do.

[farmboy1]

Stevek,
Alright, he was from Fairview. The fact is, this cow did not get sick because of poor management. She had an illness that a vet could not treat successfully and probably could not diagnose. To me, this guy did the right thing in the way he got rid of her. I get real p.o.'d at the people who have a sick animal and market them outside the system. That is, take the animal to an un-inspected slaughterhouse and turn them into hamburger and retail it. Now, THAT is greed and stupidity. When I get an animal that has to be slaughtered, I ask myself, "Would I eat this animal?" That's why everything that I dispose of is sent to an inspected plant. I personally don't think there should be any un-inspected slaughter of animals allowed in Canada. It is allowed in my home province and all it will take is one problem with an outbreak of human sickness and then you will see some real damage to the beef industry.

[Bruce14]

I stand corrected. According to public opinion here, I guess I was way too hard on the poor farmer who was only doing what everyone else does with a sick animal.

And according to one post, "I do not for one minute think that the farmer who shipped the cow made the conscious decision to take the chance of screwing every livestock farmer in the country in order to make a personal gain." I thought that's exactly what he did when he dragged a diseased animal onto the trailer and tried to sell it as food. I guess I was wrong.

I agree that all abattoirs should have to be inspected. The one we use is. We also will not send to slaughter any animal we not eat ourselves.

I am sure glad we haven't seen any "real damage" out of this incident.

[carebear300]

Bruce I agree with you if an animal is sick and you wouldn't eat it it shouldn't be sold to anybody else. That is the way honourable people operate but nowadays that isn't the norm apparently. Like usual we will have to spend untold dollars and waste piles of time doing all the extra paperwork just to help eliminate the unscrupulous operators. Not much of a commentary on our modern society is it. Now the cattle producers have fell to the bottom of the barrel just like big business. I hate it!!!!!!!!! Not talking about the vast majority, thank goodness.

[Muttley]

The cow was sick, she should never have been shipped!!!!

The cow should however have been put down and tested. Some of the blame should lay in the farmer, no doubt. But some should lay in the hands of the vet that treated her. We are to trust our vets just as we are to trust are own doctors. If there ever was a time in the vet's mind that he did not know what was the problem he should have looked into it further.

I am sure no body ever dreamed it was any thing like mad cow.

I also think we have mad cow in other cows in Canada. I do not believe it only happened in one, I think it was this guys unlucky day that the powers to be caught this one. How many others not showing as bad a signs have went through.

If we had some other person running our gov't in Ottawa the states reaction would be different as well!!!