The 450 calves?

[cowman]

I'm a little confused about these 450 dairy calves. The USDA report for Jan.7 says the calves were all euthenized at an old packing plant and disposed in a landfill. No mention of DNA testing to find the one calf they were looking for! Now is this just an oversite in the report? They never mentioned anything about blood samples or anything.
If they never did any DNA test what was the purpose of this slaughter? And actually why the need to slaughter in the first place? Wouldn't it have made more sense to just do a live blood test? I mean they had the mothers DNA right? Somehow I just don't understand why this happened.

[Cathy]

Your right cowman. Why kill them.
Took me a while to figure that out.
MONEY .....This is a big farm. Thay have one calf. There buyers would not buy from them unless thay were sure thay would not get that one calf. So cull all in that group and presto the farm is back in business selling.

[kato]

Also, the original calf wasn't tagged. If that was here, it would have had to be tagged before it could have been taken from the original farm.

Actually, if that was here, a holstein bull calf wouldn't have been worth as much as the tag cost!

[bombay_43]

Cowman, you are not the only one who is confused! If the problem lies with the materials fed to "older animals" why is it so important to dispose of the calves from this mother?

For that matter, what happened to that $7 to $8.00 blood test from Colorado? Why slaughter 450 animals instead of testing them, if the test in fact exists and is proven? Or was that test only going to work if the DNA had shown that the BSE cow came from the US?

What are they not telling us? Offsprings should not be carriers of BSE from what science tells us! Why slaughter 450 head to make certain it is gone! Something in this whole thing shmecks!

[boone]

Post: It sounds to me like these calves contracted Sicilian flu.

[Muttley]

Kill a bunch off and tell the public the problem is solved!!!
Sounds to me like this is what they are doing. Brush it under the rug and blame the Canadians.

[cowman]

Bombay: The blood test hasn't been approved by whatever regulatory body approves it, but the inventor is doing a brisk business anyway! Mainly for elk farms and hunters.
The cost of the test right now is considerably higher but that is his projected price if this thing really takes off. Right now you could test all your cattle by ordering the kits. Then you take a blood sample add some preservative and send if by courier to Colorado. Results back within 24-48 hours via E-mail.
He also stated he has gotten no help whatsoever from the US government! The test was developed for CWD but works just as well on BSE.