CFIA

[ivbinconned]

> For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. Its a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting medicalstudies.

> 1. Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than British or Americans

> 2. Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than British or Americans

> 3. Africans drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than British or Americans

> 4. Italians drink large amounts of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans

> 5. Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans
>
Conclusion: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

[grassfarmer]

Cakadu,UK researchers projected in 1996 that 10 million human deaths could result from vCJD, in 1998 this was reduced to 500,000. This dropped again to 7000 in 2002 last year they dropped their estimate again to between 40 and 540 to die within 4 years of that date. Given that the BSE - vCJD link is still conjecture many of us in the UK would have been happy to see certain elements of the scientific establishment sued for ruining an industry but sadly that will never happen.

[cowman]

Bruce: I didn't think I was fearmongering just asking some questions? I certainly don't know everthing about this disease, there are people on these forums who know a lot more than me. But I like to think it is good to ask why certain things are done? I mean if a dumbie like me can see some flaws why won't the consumer? Why won't PETA or Ophra?
I still don't see the "science" behind things like the 450 dead calves, banning blood products for animals while continue to feed them to humans, killing off the offspring/herdmates, So-called removal of SRMs when in fact the SRMs are spread throughout the carcass, banning blood transfusions from UK?
Is it wrong to ask for an explanation of these things? Is it wrong to question the "science"?
If we never asked, why the world would still be considered flat and bubonic plague would still be caused by witches and demons!

[rsomer]

The original post in this topic referred to a CFIA document that the U.S. border would not open for three years. I have copied the CCA response to the news reports of this document below.

Canadian Cattlemen's Association Upset over Canadian Press Story
From the Feb 11, 2004 Issue of Call of the Land Call of the Land Home

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA) says this week's news report of a "Canadian Food Inspection Agency document" suggests that it may take up to three years to recover export markets is inaccurate, misleading and irresponsible.
The CCA says the document wasn't written by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency but rather by another government department and circulated for policy discussion purposes. It was written last July, which corresponds to the International Panel Report and the Specific Risk Material Policy announced by the Government of Canada last year.

The document considered the way other countries that had BSE in their past were treated by their international trading partners. At that point (mid-July) the document speculated one of the outcomes for Canada could be a two to three year delay in accessing markets.

But now--almost nine months later the situation has changed. International market access for certain beef products has been achieved.

In the CCA's view, this document is a non-story considering today's realities and has created unnecessary anxiety for cattle producers and others in the industry.

[greybeard]

In my opinion BSE is not a big concern to the consumer at this time. As grassfarmer says it was overblown by the doomsayers in U K. The sky didn’t fall. There the consumer stopped eating beef. No demand at any price.
The beef – eating consumers in North America are eating more. It is experiencing one of its most favorable times due to high protein diets and I think better quality product. We line up at the steakhouses. There will always be some shrieking that something isn’t safe. They probably weren’t eating much beef anyway.
Our problem is trade barriers. We can’t ship our live cattle to the plants that were killing them. Here in Canada all processing facilities are running at full capacity .In my local area anyone who can cut meat is moonlighting at one of the recently started abbotoirs.
BSE is the perfect non tariff barrier. Any country that wants to gain political points can close their border and “ study “ the problem for as long as they chose .We did it on feeder cattle .
The U S border must open for any improvement in live cattle prices. They are the only ones who can provide the processing capacity. Our capacity is being fully utilized. We have to double it to match supply with demand. We have the same problem as pork did in 98 when pigs were selling for less than $20 in the states. It didn’t matter what the packers paid they still had more pigs than they could kill lined up the next day.
I hope we end up with at least some plants similar to the one in P E I where the producer can participate in the profits {and the risk}. Beef had been returning a larger share of the end price to the producer. That is not the case now.
Barriers to entry don’t appear to be high in packing .That is probably why we have been getting a reasonable share of the end price. The $60 per head referred to in the P E I plant is less than yardage on the animal at a custom lot.
Unfortunately this doesn’t solve our short term problem .We have to remember this is a short term problem.
In closing I suggest you close your BSE risk discussions with a warning to stay away from cigarettes and use your seat belt. These are real risks that we accept every day. Cancer kills 1300 people a week in Canada. Unfortunately we all knew someone killed in an auto accident. BSE killed 130 in the last decade, mostly in Britain where “brains and eggs “are considered a treat for breakfast.

[grassfarmer]

I agree with most of that Greybeard but I find the last sentence hilarious. In Britain we don't all eat "eggs and brains" for breakfast in fact I have never heard of such a dish until BSE hit Canada this year. I know all you Canadians eat Maple syrup and roast beaver for breakfast though ;o)