For enough and others

[Bruce14]

Check out this site.


http://www.consumerfreedom.com/madcowFAQ.cfm

[cowman]

Bruce: I hope that you didn't put this drivel up to convince enough beef was safe? Because no one but a moron wouldn't question this tripe! After reading that little blatant bit of propaganda even I'm a little leery! I mean come on lets blame this whole thing on PETA...that is totally absurb??? They couldn't even tell the truth?...the Japanese have found a calf 18 months old...that is not two years old?
This reminds me exactly of the BS the red cross put out about the tainted blood scandal. Or the garbage about weapons of mass destruction!

[Bruce14]

Cowman if you choose to call me a moron so be it but where did I or anyone blame Peta for BSE. I posted this link for people who are sick and tired of the propoganda against the beef industry. The groups that badmouth our industry and use underhanded tactics to threaten our liveliehood. There is a lot of information off that site relating to groups other than PETA.

If you want to scare people reading this board of the safety of beef I guess that's your right but make sure you use correct information.

Where did you read or hear about the Japanese finding BSE in an 18 month old CALF. Around here they are called long yearlings at 18 months. Did you pick that one of the PETA site?

I did hear about the 24 month old BSE positive in Japan but not an 18 month animal. If someone has info as to where that was released I would appreciate knowing.

[bulltipper]

Huh?? Drivel??? I know I'm the new guy here but isn't that site on the pro beef side??

Did someone pee in someone's cornflakes???
:-))

[kato]

I thought it was rather refreshing to see an opposite point of view. The truth always lies somewhere in the middle, so if you don't see both sides, you'll never be able to decide.

I also recall Mr. Lyman and his "Oprah adventures" personally costing us a lot of money that we couldn't afford to lose. Anybody who wants to stick it to that guy has my blessing. :-)

[Bruce14]

Interesting and informative site isn't it bulltipper?

Information that all in the livestock industry should read to be able to counter the misinformation put out by the tree huggers.

It seems cowman would rather support PETA but I would be with these folks trying to stand up for our industry.

[grassfarmer]

I'm slightly agreeing with Cowman on this one - that site shows so many obvious untruths and inaccuracies that it is dangerous to take it seriously. It reeks of the usual American ignorance and arrogance too - "the last major beef producing country to get BSE" never heard of Australia, Brazil Argentina, Uruguay etc etc??
Still it may work for the majority of US consumers if they are all so ignorant on non US affairs.

[ivbinconned]

I think we should all excuse Cowman.He must have ben speed reading.
His kid has been making him get up at 3 am for days now to check the cows and he is getting a little cross....eyed.
It isn't much of a stretch to belive it possible that zealots would worm there way into positions of influence, and then present their opinions as fact.

[rusty1]

Someone once said the "the enemy of the truth is not the lie, because the lie is soon found out, but the enemy of the truth is a half truth." So I would disagre with Kato who I think said the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
I am amased that we as beef producers get caught up in so much usless retoric. That only takes the focus off the real issues that we need to keep pounding on. forinstance the MP from Northern Alberta who said today that the packing plants have been reaping record, windfall, and totally unjust profitering. Do some good and tell all your erbinite friends that their meat counters are screwing the beef producters and that they need to start screaming at the Safeway meat counter.

[cowman]

The point I was trying to make is your informed consumer is unlikely to buy it. Now your average consumer might buy it...just like the average person getting a transfusion back in the eighties bought the government line that the blood was safe? I guess you have to ask yourself "How much do I trust the government/science?"
Everyone of us has a responsibility to look out for our own best interests/health. Government can't do it for us and neither can The multicorporate meat industry. They have their own agendas and your ultimate safety might have nothing to do with it!
Trying to blame PETA, or Earth First, or the other names they listed is just passing the buck? The fact is the practices in the beef industry were not safe and that is the truth. This whole thing was caused by corporate greed and nothing else! To try to blame some old tree hugger who wants to know if the food he is eating is safe is nothing more than projecting our own guilt.
How many more vegetarians have we created? How many more chicken/fish eaters have we made? Not PETA, but the beef industry?
And to not ask the tough questions might work, IF we are lucky and the science is right. Is it ever wrong to err on the side of caution?
And Bruce, I wasn't calling you a moron.

[Bruce14]

Cowman. I am still interested in the source of the news of the positive 18 month old Japanese calf you mentioned.

I missed it and would like to read that article. Thanks.

[kato]

My point is that you have to be able to recognize an extreme viewpoint when you see it.

We've had so much half science on this whole subject, that everything needs to be questioned. How can anything be black and white, when the whole issue of TSE's is such an unknown subject.

It's like the first few years AIDS was around. There were some amazing conclusions jumped to in the beginning. It took a while, and a lot more study before things began to make sense. They are just now finally getting a handle on how that whole thing works now.

Progress like that will be made with TSE's too. We just have to stick it out until it happens.

[ValueChainFX]

Fine for us all to find the gray areas, but each reads or sees what they want in the news. We all need to get on with the chore and get together here. Knowing what is out there is a good thing but set the goal make a plan and work the plan!

[cowman]

Bruce: My mistake it should have been 21 months old and 23 months old. Or two animals under 30 months out of 9 animals found. What's that work out to? About 23%?
You might find this site useful as it documents how many younger animals were found in the UK. One as low as 20 months. www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/bse-statistics/bse/yng-old.html
Since 2001 they have only found 3 animals under 30 months in Europe which isn't surprizing as they don't test the younger cattle.
Consider also that the Japanese have only been universal testing for a short time. Who knows how many more young animals will turn up? The point is if you don't test them you will never know how many of them have it.

[enough]

Thank-you for the information, it was quite informative.