BSE is here to stay.

[TOM4CWB]

Charlie;

I see this on DTN today;

"More Testing May Uncover More Mad Cow
11/17 09:10
WINNIPEG (Dow Jones)--Canada can expect more cases of the mad-cow disease that has rocked the cattle industry, officials with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Tuesday in a Canadian Press report.

The statement comes as testing is steeply ramped up for bovine spongiform encepalopathy (BSE) to 38,000 next year from the 8,000 tests this year, in response to recommendations by an international expert panel.

"It's important to note that as our surveillance program proceeds it will not be surprising to detect a low number of additional BSE-infected animals," spokeswoman Frederique Moulin said in the CP report.

"Such findings will be consistent to our understanding of how BSE was introduced in North America.

"Moreover, Canada's BSE safeguards have been built on the assumption that BSE still lingers in the national herd. As a result, finding additional cases will not change our food safety and animal health situations," Moulin said in the report.

It's the first time a food agency official has publicly acknowledged an assumption BSE lingers in Canada. A Health Canada scientist who said last year that "BSE is here to stay" was formally reprimanded."

Sask. has a problem right now... but the gov. is hiding it... as close as we can tell. Local communities just will not say anything... hope against hope... that against strong odds it is not BSE related. Detecting a true BSE problems, scientifically, can only be confirmed after death.

So we must wait... cattle farmers, grain farmers... for the other shoe to drop.

Canadian gov. officials are publically preparing... are we?

[wd9]

Being a grains and oilseed only farmer, how do the mixed farmers or livestock only feel of banning animal products being fed to animals?

2 possible benefits:
Minimize further BSE over time.
and
Provide solid meal and vegetable protein markets here in Canada for grains and oilseed producers.

Is there a downside for us as producers?

What would be an effective lobby position?

Also, with our government heavily focused on BSE issues, Grains and oilseed issues have fallen by the wayside or at least have been pushed way back. This also has affected our industry.

BSE has, can and will continue to affect our industry, more importantly what steps do we take now to deal with the affects and capture opportunities?

[TOM4CWB]

WD9;

I would be very happy if someone can assure me that meat I buy, has only plant protein and energy.

Maple Leaf assures us (grain fed) with the hogs they grow, is there other poultry products as well?

[dalek]

Our veterinarian, who does most of the dairy rations in a 4-county area, hasn't used any form of animal-based feeds for almost 20 years now. I think there are a lot that are in a similar situation. Most of the animal-based feeds that are being used seem to be more in the pre-mix feeds where they're increasing the profit margin for the companies making them, but not usually saving any money for the farmer.

[TOM4CWB]

Dalek;

There must be a better way.

Byproducts from processing/rendering plants could be gasified... and turned into electricity or oil. I believe there are several plants being built in the US as we speak.

AS Ianben indicated on another thread... the energy value is an important component, of this renewable resourse... instead of releasing more carbon based non-renewablefuels lets recycle!

[wd9]

As there are up coming regional meetings for grain and oilseed producer groups, does proposing resolutions for the complete national ban of feeding animal meal and parts make sense?

Markets improve with demand!! Any comments?

[jensend]

wd9 - a lot of those measures have already been taken and the rest are in process. probably won't make a lot of difference in demand; after all how much animal matter do you suppose there was in rations?

[TOM4CWB]

Jensend;


I had heard the number 2.5 billion pounds in the US tossed around. I know there are hog producers... and poulty producers use a large amount of this low cost feed.

The meat sure tastes more rancid/off to me... plus the smell of the manure is ranker.

Maybe Ianben has a word from experience in Great Britian? What stage are they at there?

[TOM4CWB]

That was per year, if I remember correctly.

[wd9]

Jensend, do you mean measures like it's not ok to feed a ruminant to a ruminant but it is ok to put a pig between the two stages and it is OK? Or feed salmon parts to salmon, and on and on. Think for a minute beyond cows and look bigger.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating for PETA, or want everyone to be vegetarians. When the general "public" found out the feeding cycle of animals, it really grossed a lot of people out. It grosses me out and I'm a farmer.

Up till now I am not aware of the grains and oilseeds groups being very active on this issue. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Just trying to be a little proactive to the benefit of our markets and yet be careful and cautious doing so.

[jensend]

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/feebet/sched4/class5e.shtml

this is the cfia regs for protein type feeds. you can see that a lot of animal by-products are already disallowed for food livestock production. not a big market for vegetable proteins into mink or foxes. i guess my point is that while any increase in demand or consumption of grains is definitely a good thing it isn't going to change market direction.

[cowman]

So TOM what is this thing about Saskatchewan? What is the government covering up? I haven't heard anything about this?

[TOM4CWB]

Cowman;

I wouldn't really call it a cover up... as positive ID of BSE cannot happen until after death has occured. As I indicated... this sickness has been there for some time, and people are waiting.

I believe I saw a report about a man in California that had CJv who died a few days ago, and the Atlanta Centre would not confirm that they were testing for the BSE form of CJv in this person.

Obviously this is a very delicate subject!

[jensend]

i'd like to know more about this info you have tom. i heard rumors when the mcrea herd was destroyed but never heard anything like you're hinting at. do you think cfia is running an honest testing program? living out here news generally travels pretty fast but you'd think cbc would jump all over it if there was anything to bite on.

[TOM4CWB]

Cowman;

Another one from DTN Today:

"Woman's Death Probed for Mad Cow Tie
11/22 12:15
BEAUMONT, Texas (AP) -- The family of a Beaumont, Texas, woman is waiting for test results to find out if she died from a form of an affliction connected to mad cow disease.

Burnell Baize, 71, died Oct. 16 of the rare Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which eats holes in the brain and always causes death, the Beaumont Enterprise reported Sunday.

There are two forms of the disease.

One type is called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and is linked to mad cow disease. It can be contracted by humans if they eat infected beef or nerve tissue, and possibly through blood transfusions.

The more common type of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, known as classic CJD, is responsible for about one in 10,000 U.S. deaths each year, and its cause is unknown 85 percent of the time.

Baize's family is wondering if she ate infected beef.

In the United States, there has been only one known case of variant CJD - a Florida woman who died in June after eating contaminated beef more than a decade ago in England."