Comments on: The road’s my middle name http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2008/08/30/the-roads-my-middle-name/ Blogging by a team of pet-care experts led by Dr. Marty Becker. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:18:12 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Kim Campbell Thornton http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2008/08/30/the-roads-my-middle-name/comment-page-1/#comment-343394 Kim Campbell Thornton Sun, 31 Aug 2008 14:46:13 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/?p=2826#comment-343394 You mean the cats that didn't want to have anything to do with me? Those cats? Well, they were indeed incredibly beautiful and soft, and I admired them greatly--from a distance. You mean the cats that didn’t want to have anything to do with me? Those cats? Well, they were indeed incredibly beautiful and soft, and I admired them greatly—from a distance.

]]> By: Gina Spadafori http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2008/08/30/the-roads-my-middle-name/comment-page-1/#comment-343371 Gina Spadafori Sun, 31 Aug 2008 13:43:03 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/?p=2826#comment-343371 Kim ... you didn't mention the cats. They are very unhappy with you now. As for the meat situation ... isn't it amazing how free-market advocates are not at all for free markets when it comes to protecting their business ... or keeping consumers in the dark? Kim … you didn’t mention the cats. They are very unhappy with you now.

As for the meat situation … isn’t it amazing how free-market advocates are not at all for free markets when it comes to protecting their business … or keeping consumers in the dark?

]]> By: Colorado Transplant http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2008/08/30/the-roads-my-middle-name/comment-page-1/#comment-343360 Colorado Transplant Sun, 31 Aug 2008 13:14:20 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/?p=2826#comment-343360 Is our government for us or against us in food safety? Ye Gawds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is our government for us or against us in food safety?

Ye Gawds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

]]> By: Lis http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2008/08/30/the-roads-my-middle-name/comment-page-1/#comment-343336 Lis Sun, 31 Aug 2008 11:56:36 +0000 http://www.petconnection.com/blog/?p=2826#comment-343336 The backstory on this is that Creekstone Farms <i>had</i> a customer in Japan, that was willing to pay very good money for Creekstone's beef--if every cow slaughtered was tested for BSE. Creekstone wasn't making any kind of a statement; they were just trying to do business with a customer. Totally market-driven, which according to the current administration is supposed to be a <i>good</i> thing. But not, I guess, when bigger companies don't want to risk having more of the market make the same demand. There <i>is</i> actually some justification for saying that <i>all</i> animals slaughtered should not be tested. Under a certain age, and I think it's like 20 months or close to that, the test is pointless. Detectable signs of BSE won't be present earlier than that. Creekstone Farms was going to test all animals, regardless of age, because that's what the Japanese customer wants. Producing market pressure to do that really would raise costs at no benefit to anyone. But the USDA rule is that <i>no</i> animals can be tested except the ones they say have to be tested, <i>not</i> that you can only test animals it makes scientific sense to test. And that's because the agribusiness giants don't want to be forced to spend the money to actually guarantee that our food is safe. They're willing to settle for best-guess and a good gamble. It hasn't happened here, yet, so why worry, right? A friend of mine died of Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease, which is the human (not animal-aquired) version of this. It's just slow enough to enure that you experience the full horror of it. The backstory on this is that Creekstone Farms had a customer in Japan, that was willing to pay very good money for Creekstone’s beef—if every cow slaughtered was tested for BSE. Creekstone wasn’t making any kind of a statement; they were just trying to do business with a customer. Totally market-driven, which according to the current administration is supposed to be a good thing.

But not, I guess, when bigger companies don’t want to risk having more of the market make the same demand.

There is actually some justification for saying that all animals slaughtered should not be tested. Under a certain age, and I think it’s like 20 months or close to that, the test is pointless. Detectable signs of BSE won’t be present earlier than that. Creekstone Farms was going to test all animals, regardless of age, because that’s what the Japanese customer wants. Producing market pressure to do that really would raise costs at no benefit to anyone.

But the USDA rule is that no animals can be tested except the ones they say have to be tested, not that you can only test animals it makes scientific sense to test.

And that’s because the agribusiness giants don’t want to be forced to spend the money to actually guarantee that our food is safe. They’re willing to settle for best-guess and a good gamble. It hasn’t happened here, yet, so why worry, right?

A friend of mine died of Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease, which is the human (not animal-aquired) version of this. It’s just slow enough to enure that you experience the full horror of it.

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