Interesting thread. Lots of opinions. Wish I could particularly disagree with any of them, but as far as I can tell they all seem to contain an element of truth.
To try to set the record just a little bit straight, I do not know how the comment that the Feds never told anyone about the first 1993 BSE heifer (that's Salers with an 's' at both ends) came about. What the Feds neglected to tell anyone was that they had allowed 80 UK cattle imported between 1982 and 1990 to enter the animal feed chain in Canada between 1990 and 1994. Their own risk assessment completed in May of 1994 indicated that there was a 100% probability that one or more of these cattle had BSE. Hmmmm. These were imported UK cattle that the Feds were supposedly 'monitoring' since April 1990 in order to prevent them from spreading BSE to Canada. Some monitoring.
Seems to me that fessing up to Canadian producers that you had dropped the ball and bringing in a ruminant feed ban ASAP was the right thing to do. The Feds instead chose to keep their mouths shut and ignore the whole thing. We will have to wait and see whether the Court finds that exercising that particular option was OK.
Kato, FYI that Salers heifer diagnosed with BSE in December 1993 was one of 8 birth cohort animals (embryos from France implanted into heifers in England) born in the summer of 1986 and imported into Canada in January 1997. All were fed the same calf starter ration in the UK. Two of these birth cohort Salers were among the 80 UK cattle that made it into the animal food chain in Canada. Grassfarmer will doubtless have a pretty good idea now where the BSE in Canada came from. In fact, the Feds have as much as admitted it in the CFIA report published in January 2006; "These temporal BSE clusters may have resulted from the initial BSE infection that entered North America through the importation of cattle from the U.K. during the period from 1982 to 1989. One or more of these imported animals, without necessarily demonstrating signs of the disease, may have entered the North American feed system between 1991 and 1992 and caused the first generation of BSE in Canadian cattle."
FYI grassfarmer, one of the birth cohort Salers heifers entered the animal food chain in Canada in October of 1992 at the age of 6 years 3 months. My educated guess is that this is the cow that caused the whole mess. We will have to wait and see what the Court thinks.
I really don't believe that the Feds are entitled to lose track of 80 cattle that they are supposed to be montoring to prevent the spread of BSE, allow them to be slaughtered and rendered in the usual course, and then when they finally figure it out don't tell anyone, and don't do anything. That strikes me as negligence. Of course, my opinion is just my opinion and really doesn't matter. What will matter at the end of the day is the Court's opinion.
wd40, you also are right, the science is still unfolding. So is the science that says cigarettes cause lung cancer. We still don't know exactly how that works, but the epidemiological evidence is overwhelming. Same with BSE, in my respectful view, although I understand that hardheads like that terrible Kaiser guy may disagree. Frankly I welcome the discussion. Keeps me learning.
Willowcreek, I hate to disappoint you on two scores. Firstly, kato is right and all of the allegations against the Feds predate the creation of the CFIA. The CFIA has done a brilliant job and Canadian beef is not only the safest, but clearly the tastiest in the world. I won a bet on that score many years ago with a couple of friends from Iowa and Texas. It is still the truth today. Canadian beef tastes better. Get used to it. Secondly, the only people that can sue the Feds are Canadians, and that is a very uphill battle indeed, even for us. Stick to lobbying your own government. Maybe one day you will figure out that we are all in this together and your guns are better pointed downrange. Hope springs eternal.
To try to set the record just a little bit straight, I do not know how the comment that the Feds never told anyone about the first 1993 BSE heifer (that's Salers with an 's' at both ends) came about. What the Feds neglected to tell anyone was that they had allowed 80 UK cattle imported between 1982 and 1990 to enter the animal feed chain in Canada between 1990 and 1994. Their own risk assessment completed in May of 1994 indicated that there was a 100% probability that one or more of these cattle had BSE. Hmmmm. These were imported UK cattle that the Feds were supposedly 'monitoring' since April 1990 in order to prevent them from spreading BSE to Canada. Some monitoring.
Seems to me that fessing up to Canadian producers that you had dropped the ball and bringing in a ruminant feed ban ASAP was the right thing to do. The Feds instead chose to keep their mouths shut and ignore the whole thing. We will have to wait and see whether the Court finds that exercising that particular option was OK.
Kato, FYI that Salers heifer diagnosed with BSE in December 1993 was one of 8 birth cohort animals (embryos from France implanted into heifers in England) born in the summer of 1986 and imported into Canada in January 1997. All were fed the same calf starter ration in the UK. Two of these birth cohort Salers were among the 80 UK cattle that made it into the animal food chain in Canada. Grassfarmer will doubtless have a pretty good idea now where the BSE in Canada came from. In fact, the Feds have as much as admitted it in the CFIA report published in January 2006; "These temporal BSE clusters may have resulted from the initial BSE infection that entered North America through the importation of cattle from the U.K. during the period from 1982 to 1989. One or more of these imported animals, without necessarily demonstrating signs of the disease, may have entered the North American feed system between 1991 and 1992 and caused the first generation of BSE in Canadian cattle."
FYI grassfarmer, one of the birth cohort Salers heifers entered the animal food chain in Canada in October of 1992 at the age of 6 years 3 months. My educated guess is that this is the cow that caused the whole mess. We will have to wait and see what the Court thinks.
I really don't believe that the Feds are entitled to lose track of 80 cattle that they are supposed to be montoring to prevent the spread of BSE, allow them to be slaughtered and rendered in the usual course, and then when they finally figure it out don't tell anyone, and don't do anything. That strikes me as negligence. Of course, my opinion is just my opinion and really doesn't matter. What will matter at the end of the day is the Court's opinion.
wd40, you also are right, the science is still unfolding. So is the science that says cigarettes cause lung cancer. We still don't know exactly how that works, but the epidemiological evidence is overwhelming. Same with BSE, in my respectful view, although I understand that hardheads like that terrible Kaiser guy may disagree. Frankly I welcome the discussion. Keeps me learning.
Willowcreek, I hate to disappoint you on two scores. Firstly, kato is right and all of the allegations against the Feds predate the creation of the CFIA. The CFIA has done a brilliant job and Canadian beef is not only the safest, but clearly the tastiest in the world. I won a bet on that score many years ago with a couple of friends from Iowa and Texas. It is still the truth today. Canadian beef tastes better. Get used to it. Secondly, the only people that can sue the Feds are Canadians, and that is a very uphill battle indeed, even for us. Stick to lobbying your own government. Maybe one day you will figure out that we are all in this together and your guns are better pointed downrange. Hope springs eternal.
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