Canadian Mills Blamed For BSE

[CattleAnnie]

Check this little ray of sunshine out.
Somebody had already posted a link to this on an American agriculture website (oh, joy). Great, more bad P.R.
Yahoo! news story
http://story.news.yahoo.com/fc?cid=34&tmpl=fc&in=Health&cat=Mad_Cow_Disease
Speaking of BSE, has anyone else had trouble posting their comments on APHIS Website?

[PureCountry]

Yeah I had some trouble with APHIS. It seems like once you're on the site, things are not real clear and easy to follow as far as how to enter your comment. Maybe their site recognizes Canadian visitors? Ha. That'd be rich wouldn't it now? Any computer wizards out there that know if they could do that? I'm trying to get a hold of my brother-in-law now to ask him.
I ended up getting my comment in, and just to be safe, I sent an e-mail to Ag. Secretary Ann Veneman at agsec@usda.gov
Then I sent one to Ralph Klein, Shirley McClellan, and Bob Speller. Maybe it'll do some good.

[grassfarmer]

Just send an ordinary email to "regulations@aphis.usda.gov" with "Docket No. 03-080-2" in the subject line, make sure it contains your name and address and don't attach any files to it. This will get through, be read and your name will appear on the list of commentors although it doesn't actually post your message up with the ones you were reading at the aphis website.That was my experience anyway - the "submit comment" forms have never worked when I tried them.

[CattleAnnie]

Thanks again, Grassfarmer. I followed your advice, worked like a charm!
Time to check the cows.
Take care.

[almoy]

Story on the feed mills is also on the Globe & Mail site.

[grassfarmer]

The way the story reads it implies the feed consumed was pelleted or a calf meal. I was interested to read Dr Church's interview in Alberta Beef mag. this month in which he implied that the contamination was more likely to have spread through powdered calf milk. I hadn't heard that before but it would explain why the overwhelming majority of cattle with BSE in the UK were dairy cattle. They obviously feed all their calves on powdered milk where the beef industry doesn't. Kind of puzzling why the original calf that got BSE in Alberta (the purebred Angus) could have got contaminated feed from - or maybe as Dr Church says they are sporadic, naturally occurring cases.
This vague "blame certain feedmills" crap happened in the UK to. No company was ever prosecuted of course as the truth is they have no evidence. It serves to further the supposed true source of BSE though.

[cowman]

Now I need some clarification here? Was this "powdered milk" actually just milk? Or did it have blood products in it or spinal cords or something? I hope you aren't saying now we can get it from milk? Somehow this whole BSE thing is starting to sound like just BS? I think I will believe Purdys theory...makes more sense to me?

[grassfarmer]

I take it the powder milk did contain some type of animal derived ingredients. Don't ask me what or why but I know powdered calf milks have a very high fat content. Real cows milk has always been declared entirely free of BSE risk.
The way I read that article suggests that BSE got it's start from something along the lines of Purdys theories but once present it was indeed spread by feed - probably powdered milk more so than pellet rations, i.e. once BSE was present it could indeed be spread by feeding rendered by-products but there must have been an initial cause of the first cases of BSE - other than feeding.
I think I could live with that analysis.

[ianben]

I have never really understood the logic behind feed theory.
Feeding meat and bone meal spreads BSE but the infected material must have a source.
Is it likley Canadian infection came from very small number of UK cattle which may have been infected and may have been fed to these calves via different feed mills.

Is it more likly BSE occur naturaly in very small numbers like CJD. UK has about 50 old type CJD cases in 60 million population.

Stop feeding meat and bone meal which is now almost universal. Test and find these rouge cases. Remove them from food chain.

Finding an odd case of BSE should be seen as proof the system works and beef is safe not the opposite.

Now all we need is the PR on board and reason to replace the so called sience
which can make a theorerical risk in anything.