Why ??

[grassfarmer]

Why does everyone in the beef industry (worldwide) have their heads buried in the sand on this BSE issue? How can we talk ourselves into killing a third of the cow population in Western Canada when NO ONE has ever been able to PROVE that BSE in cattle is caused by feeding them meat and bone meal and NO ONE has been able to PROVE any connection between BSE beef and CJD in humans (either conventional or new variant types).
Much time is spent talking about marketing and promoting our great product yet we don't have enough faith in it to believe that it doesn't cause this terrible disease in humans.

Visit "www.markpurdey.com" and read some of the more plausable causes for how certain diseases (like BSE) may occur via environmental triggers.

[paladin]

Our thoughts exactly, grassfarmer. So very frustrating to see an entire industry and the great people in it sacrificed when so little is actually known about BS...E. This is disease in cattle - it is not a human health risk - too bad our society only wants the media sound bites...

[ValueChainFX]

grassfarmer it really doesn't matter what we think it is the perception of our customers that matter. So far we seem to have the Canadian consumer on our side here and should be taking advantage of this as much as we can. Presently our retails have really been letting us down as they are the front line to the consumers and their prices have not dropped as much as they should be.

But putting this aside, we are all constantly watching for any challenges in our food system and BSE is no different than TB or whatever! For us we just need to look at the overall situation and make improvements where we can. Maybe those improvements are in our ability to educate or just communicate to the customers! Maybe it's more!

[cakadu]

One plausible explanation that I have heard with respect to the apparent lack of price reduction at the retail level is that with the government now stepping in with funding, the prices are "technically" close to where they were. Without the government intervention, the animals were trading at around $0.30/lb, which should have triggered a bigger price reduction -- eventually.

Retailers are reluctant to drop their prices because it would be harder to get them back up to the level they are at now.

I also heard that the first cattle went through under the government bailout on Monday and each of these animals carries a special brand. Cargill was present at the sale but NOT buying because they "were not going to compete with government money." So much for being on side in a time of need!

[grassfarmer]

ValueChainFX - So which approach are you advocating ? you first suggest we should ignore the facts and pander to customer perceptions as they are more important and then later claim we should perhaps make improvements in our abilities to educate our customers.
I personally feel we should try to educate the consumer, especially when we have such a great story to tell - that BSE does not cause CJD and is not a threat to health

[ValueChainFX]

I don't suggest we should ignore the facts for one second just understand that perception dictates. The more we as producers bridge the communication gaps in our system the closer we get to having the ability to get our messages across to the end users. As long as I can remember we have been saying we need to educate the consumer. I am suggesting we need to educate everyone in the supply chain. Anything we can do to improve the system becomes industry equity in the long term and a part of the long-term solution. If we leave this up to the packers, marketers of retails alone we will all be "Out Standing In Our Field."

I believe we have an opportunity to be a much stronger player in the supply chain and we should do it now. We will not get a "Bombardier Bail Out", so government is not going to save us.

Keep in mind my thoughts are based only on how I see things and I believe we have found some steps to the solutions! This doesn't mean we have all the answers, that's why I visit this site so much. Each one of you have some of the answers and without producers getting behind an idea and building on it, we are stagnant in an old system that is designed to make the producer pay and allow the rest of the supply chain to pull their constant margins.

[ianben]

I have often wondered why BSE causes this reaction?
Risk would appear minimal compared to most every day activities. Smoking driving a car even getting up in a morning haxe a greater risk to health.

Yet round the world BSE produces the same reaction and devestation to our beef industies.
It effects not just farmers but the entire industry. In UK livestock truckers where one of the worst hit in early days as stock sales and movement stood still.

The only reason I can find to explain this is that it is so easy to find an alternative to beef with BSE.

Eating beef which may cause illness in the brain is a risk however small which can be eliminated by not eating beef which could possibily have the agent in it.

Once the regular supply and demand cycle is disturbed the beef industy is in turmoil blaming each other when all are just hoping to survive. If Canada follows the rest of countries with cases of BSE there will be casualties throughout the industry with no logical reason or benefit to anyone.

GM in my veiw carries the same risk. I see the agronomic advantages but it only needs an imaginary health scare and produce will be unsalable as everyone wants the alternative non GM "safe" food.

[Muttley]

BSE is a livestock disease!!!

Mad Cow is a slang term that has the world scared.

If the media would back off on some of it's reporting this thing would be over with sooner.

[Junebug]

You may have a very slight chance of getting something from eating beef, but I bet you have a MUCH better chance of getting cancer from smoking. How many people worry about that every time they light up a cigarette, They chose to smoke and put their health at risk.

[cakadu]

Part of the panic over things like BSE comes from seeing the same images in the media time after time. See it enough times and you begin to believe what you see, whether it is true or not.

How many people do you know of that will not eat beef now that there has been one isolated case of it? I've heard of people who will not eat it until they get things figured out. They don't want to listen to the fact that it is a disease that occurs in the brain and spinal column and the beef we eat is muscle cuts, hence of extremely minimal risk.

There are far greater food safety concerns out there, which many people tend to overlook when they hear of things like BSE.

When attending an outdoor cookout, how many times have you seen people use the same utensils to handle raw and then the cooked meat? Cut vegetables on or near where they have been cutting raw meat?

Ianben, you may be able to help us out here - how many more cases of vCJD have occured in the U.K. since the initial outbreak? Last I heard there was some 20 odd cases, but haven't really heard much since. Is it possible for vCJD to occur spontaneously in humans? Have they made any definitive link between BSE and vCJD or is it still speculation or best guess?

Maybe the fear comes from the fact that so little is known about the disease, how it is spread, whether it is caused from ingesting infected animal parts or if it can be spread in utero i.e. from cow to calf?

Scientists don't yet know - or at least to my knowledge they don't - how and what actually destroys the prions.

It all depends on your willingness to accept risk and your smoking example is a good one. I remember attending some meeting to do with organics and one person in particular strongly defended why everyone needed to go organic. After the meeting he was seen outside doing what else - smoking!

Getting in your car is risky business these days too, especially on a holiday weekend - some drive as though it is a contact sport!

[cakadu]

Sorry, I will clarify the minimal risk comment. I think it is of so little risk as to pretty much be non-existant. Nothing is without risk, but in this case I cannot see where it would be.

[ValueChainFX]

cakadu there is always a food safety risk all we can do is try to minimize the risk, like you pointed out, food safe practices are poor. Check out how many challenges we have in the vegtables and canned product. All the recalls there, are much more than in the beef industry.

None the less the more we keep food safety in the front the more we deal with it! From farm to fork!

[Junebug]

I agree we need to practice food safety, however this BSE thing has gone way beyond the safety risk scale. There are many other health risks out there that need far more attention than BSE. Its unfortunate that this minor low risk problem is taking so much front line, when Cancer is by far a much bigger problem. How many people do you know in your own neighbour who has/ had cancer, Then how many people in the world has had a BSE health related problem.
I agree that, not completely knowing everything about BSE is what has everyone in a panic. The biggest fear that people have about anything is the unknown.

[ValueChainFX]

Junebug You are so right it hurts, but really I believe we have to move forward and try to give the market what it wants and in the process make the system work. If we listen to what the market is asking for and give it to them, we become one of the best protein suppliers in the world is this so bad?

As I said before there are many more food risks than the BSE. Here is what I found in my mail box this morning as an example;

OTTAWA, August 1, 2003 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
is warning the public not to consume Hollowtree Farm Canadian Pure Maple
Syrup as it may be contaminated with high levels of lead.

OTTAWA, August 2, 2003 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is
advising the public not to consume certain cultured mussels sold in Nanaimo,
British Columbia. These mussels may contain paralytic shellfish toxins that
can cause illness if consumed.

I guess the unfortunate part of this is the fact that our product is headline news, we need to get something happening.

[ouellet]

Do not try to rationalize the canadian BSE crisis. It happen to be a golden gift that felt at the wrog moment into the trouble soup of President Bush. Why should he be lifting the embargo? This is the perfect situation to get voters from Western US Beef Producers without spending a penny in publicity. Bush is desperateluy looking suporting country for his Irak war. You should have note the connection done recently by Tony Blair delivering secret policy to Japan immediately after his meeting in Washingtown.

Those who think or hope Bush will be willing to lift the embargo by September will be desapointed.

This is the perfect situation for the silent war of Mr Bush against Jean Chrétien (Chicago Speech). When Bush do not get what his he looking for he just start a war. Tony, tell the japan government to send teir men to Irak and count on me to let those dam canadians freeze in the dark!