US feed mills

[cowman]

On the Rutherford show yesterday they had some guy talking about US feed mills. Apparently it was pretty much a gong show down there with over 3000 violations of the 1997 ruminant ban. Twelve plants charged in the state of Washington alone. One was an IBP plant and one was X-cel feeds. Now Cargill is X-cel in the USA I believe? But I'm not sure if this was their plant?
Basically there was no real inspection and yet the violations actually tripled in the year before the Canadian mad cow.
Now I wonder if our feed mills were any better?
Another thing that sort of bothered me was when Rutherford had Neil Janke on. Dave asked him about the metal tag, whether it had Canada written on it or what? Well Janke didn't know!!! He wasn't even sure if it was a metal tag!!! And this is our leader?
Neil Janke then went on to say the feed that infected this cow came from a Canadian mill! When Rutherford asked him if the cow could have got BSE from a US mill he reluctantly agreed it might have been possible! When Rutherford pointed out that the cow was in the US for four years, eating feed from a source that could have very easily been compromized, and only had 4 months to ingest possible contaminated Canadian feed he said that the incubation period suggested Canadian feed! Rutherford then pointed out that the incubation period was 2-6 years which meant it was very possible(and probably likely) that she had contacted BSE in the US. Well Neil wasn't going to let facts confuse him and just fell back on the idea that it was Canadian feed!!!
I was not vey impressed with Mr. Janke! For a minute I wasn't sure just whose side he was on!

[grassfarmer]

I heard yesterday from someone in the know that Canadian feed mills weren't in compliance with the regulations until May 2003 either so I don't think we have much to gain from pushing that point. As in the UK the feed mills and renderers have never been made accountable for the losses they have caused the beef industry.

[cowman]

grassfarmer: Well I wondered about that. It seems that "knavery" can be almost universal! However I caught a broadcast with the owner of the Leduc feedmill owner and he sounded pretty convincing that he was on the up and up.Now this doesn't necessarily mean anything as I am about the biggest sucker in the world and tend to believe just about anything somebody tells me if they act sincere!
I hope this feedmill guy was being truthful.

[kato]

I remember big signs on the wall on our feed mill when the ban came in. I think they were taking it very seriously. They still do.

With all the feed travelling over the border, it is very possible for that cow to be in Canada, and eat American feed. I don't think it matters much now. The important thing is to locate the source, and deal with it.

[ALICIA]

I know what you mean. In May when it was announced. I had a panic attack because on day after I came from the feed store, I had 4 bags of grain, pellit. I dished out some to each cow and I noticed that the pellets were a little smaller, so when I finished I went and looked at the tag, Tag said laying raison. The cows seem happy so I just said oh well its only one bag.
How reads the tag. I just a summed.

[rsomer]

According to the CFIA: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/sci/ahra/bseris/bserise.shtml December 2002,
50% of the rendered animal protein used in livestock feeds is imported from the U.S. Canada has 32 rendering facilities. As of December 2002, the CFIA did not exclude specific risk material from rendering. The Feed Ban is considered to be effective at feed mills, based on inspections to 2002. A few deficiencies related to improper record-keeping have been corrected.