Image by William Banzai
A central California cow tested positive for mad cow disease.
As we’ve previously noted, the government’s policy is ensuring additional cases of mad cow:
The government is so protective of the current model of industrial farming that private citizens such as ranchers and meat packers are prohibited from testing for mad cow disease, and even investigating factory farming may get one labeled as a terrorist, even though a paper in the American Society of Microbiology’s newsletter mBio shows that overuse of antibiotics by factory farmers creates “superbugs”.
And the government allows cows to be fed animal parts, which causes mad cow:
[Cows] are fed parts of other animals, which can give them mad cow disease.
Well-known food writer (and meat-lover) Michael Pollan gave a must-read account of modern beef practices in the New York Times in 2002:
[T]he identical industrial logic — protein is protein — led to the feeding of rendered cow parts back to cows, a practice the F.D.A. banned in 1997 after scientists realized it was spreading mad-cow disease.
Make that mostly banned. The F.D.A.’s rules against feeding ruminant protein to ruminants make exceptions for ”blood products” (even though they contain protein) and fat. Indeed, my steer has probably dined on beef tallow recycled from the very slaughterhouse he’s heading to in June. ”Fat is fat,” the feedlot manager shrugged when I raised an eyebrow.
F.D.A. rules still permit feedlots to feed nonruminant animal protein to cows. (Feather meal is an accepted cattle feed, as are pig and fish protein and chicken manure.) Some public-health advocates worry that since the bovine meat and bone meal that cows used to eat is now being fed to chickens, pigs and fish, infectious prions could find their way back into cattle when they eat the protein of the animals that have been eating them. To close this biological loophole, the F.D.A. is now considering tightening its feed rules.
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”When we buy supplement, the supplier says it’s 40 percent protein, but they don’t specify beyond that.” When I called the supplier, it wouldn’t divulge all its ”proprietary ingredients” but promised that animal parts weren’t among them. Protein is pretty much still protein.
Dr. Michael Greger notes at Huffington Post:
Though some dairy farmers still wean calves on whole milk, the majority of producers use milk replacer, which too often contains spray-dried cattle blood as a cheap source of protein.According to the American Protein Corporation, which boasts to be the world’s largest spray-dryer of blood, the chief disadvantage of blood-based milk replacer is simply its “different color.”
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Stanley Prusiner … won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his discovery of prions, the infectious proteins that cause mad cow disease. He was quoted in the New York Times as calling the practice of feeding cattle blood to young calves “a really stupid idea,” because it could complete the “cannibalistic” circuit blamed for the spread of the disease.
The European Commission also recommended against the practice of “intraspecies recycling of ruminant blood and blood products” — the practice of suckling calves on cows’ blood protein. Even excluding the fact that brain matter may pass into the trough that collects the blood once an animal’s throat is slit, the Commission report concluded a decade ago that “[a]s far as ruminant blood is concerned, it is considered that the best approach to protect public health at present is to assume that it could contain low levels of infectivity.” Since then, evidence that blood can be infectious has only grown, yet dairy calves in the United States are still drinking up to three cups of “red blood cell protein” concentrate every day.
Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration initially proposed to ban the feeding of blood and blood products to livestock, the agency ended up reneging on their much touted promise. Let’s hope that the newly reported case of mad cow disease in a California dairy cow will renew interest in closing the loopholes in feed regulations that continue to allow the feeding of slaughterhouse waste, blood and manure to farm animals in the United States.
In a second article, Greger writes:
More than a decade ago, the World Health Organization called for the exclusion of the riskiest bovine tissues — cattle brains, eyes, spinal cord and intestine — from the human food supply and from all animal feed to protect against the spread of mad cow disease. Unfortunately, the United States still allows the feeding of some of these potentially risky tissues to people, pigs, pets, poultry, and fish. Cattle remains are still fed to chickens, for example, and the poultry litter (floor wastes that include the feces and spilled feed) is fed back to cows. In this way, prions — the infectious proteins that cause mad cow disease — may continue to be cycled back into cattle feed and complete the cow “cannibalism” circuit blamed for the spread of the disease.
[T]he U.S. cattle industry may feed as much as a million pounds of poultry litter to cattle each year. A thousand chickens can make enough waste to feed a growing calf year-round. Although excrement from other species is fed to livestock in the United States, chicken droppings are considered more nutritious for cows than pig feces or cattle dung.
A single cow can eat as much as three tons of poultry waste a year, yet the manure does not seem to affect the taste of the subsequent milk or meat.
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Cows are typically not given feed containing more than 80% poultry litter, though, since it’s not as palatable and may not fully meet protein and energy needs.
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When the Kansas Livestock Association dared to shine the spotlight on the issue by passing a resolution urging the discontinuation of the practice, irate producers in neighboring states threatened a boycott of Kansas feedyards.
Maybe this new case of mad cow disease will reinvigorate consumer campaigns to close the “no-brainer” loopholes in feed regulations that continue to allow the feeding of such filthy feed to farm animals.
Wasn't that what Clarence Thomas said to Anita Hill... "It's Black Angus, eat it muppet"?
knukles ++ epic lmaoooo
LOL...'make like Miss Piggy and Oink for me...'
The mode of action for 'mad cow" disease is known and easily corrected - if all players (farmers, ranchers, processors, etc) have a level playing field that requires avoiding the practices that can lead to the disease then this problem is solved. That supplier companies may have to shift their product offerings or abandon practices etc should not even be a question mark here - that it is almost defies credulity - the FDA has so far exceeded its mandate in so many nanny state actions, like nutritional supplements and yet in its most fundamental role it fails describes an organization that has not only failed the mandate but is clearly corrupt at the highest levels where the political appointees of the Obama adminstration thrive.
Bullish!?!
"It’s economic fraud ... It’s a cheap substitute being added in."
That's exactly right--the same economic fraud as making a 16oz. box a 14.5oz. box, or selling a half gallon of ice cream as 3 quarts. It's not okay, it never was okay, and all it does is conceal the runaway inflation and extend and pretend that everything is all right. Nothing is all right when shit like this is taking place. We'll be getting sawdust in our bread, shanty towns instead of houses, and unrepentant bullshit instead of sound public policy and we'll be taxed to the extreme for all of these privileges.
Will be getting?
What's the "will" shit?
Or have you not been paying attention.
Too much MSNBC for you, grasshopper.
Will Stocks Rise....Will the S&P Rally continue. The mainstream media is purely Ben Bernankes propaganda machine.
If you say "you should be nuts to eat us beef hamburgers with all the crap they put in it!!!"
Is n't that illegal to do?
Yes.
Supposed to be pickle and mayo free.
Renderings bitchez!!!
ALL HEIL THE BEEF LOBBY!!!!
In money we trust!!!!
Good report GW.... I almost don't want to know and that is what they are counting on.
Raise your own then troubles are known, your own beef, veggies and recreational products.
Ranching cooperatives are popping up. I predict they will grow in popularity, as people learn what’s in their meat.
Backyard chickens are also becoming very popular. You can get chickens and buy or build a chicken coop for eggs and chicken meat.
One of the best decisions I ever made was getting chickens. Just three, but we give away more than we normally eat. And anyone who hasn't tried real fresh eggs- you're missing something.
...and chickens provide one of the best manures for your garden. Eggshells are also a great compost component for calcium and other minerals
That does of course depend on what you feed them.
Of course. My chickens eat very well. Better than I do, probably.
It is not Mad Cow Disease. It is 420 and the California cows are very happy enjoying the Yamashita effect that protects them from excessive radiation.
https://leisureguy.wordpress.com/2007/03/23/or-is-it-not-alzheimers-but-...
and then there are "peanut allergies" and the range of autism
not seen any "culturally comparative" studies, but don't look much there.
- Ned
And yet the FDA raids local organic farmers for selling unpasteurized milk from GRASS FED COWS! Everyone reading this better be eating grass fed, organic beef, dairy, and milk only as its estimated that prions are in 50% of US beef! 50%!
- http://www.silverdoctors.com/
SilverDoctors
I could understand your being upset if raw milk were actually disease and contaminant free.
But it isn't.
My opinion is if idiot assfucks choose to play food based Russian roulette, they should be allowed. Then they should pay for their hospital expenses out of their pockets.
Here is how all the idiocy eventually ends
https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/swiss-women-dies-giving-wa...
Swiss woman dies after attempting to live on sunlight; Woman gave up food and water on spiritual journeyAnd there she went, continuing her spiritual journey.
More beef for you and me.
lol...and to think, its all very highly regulated.
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We only have one Dept of Ag employee lurking about? Maybe he/she/it can explain why the department has more employees than there are farmers.
Questions ;-)
that's one of my all time favorite statistic
Control the food sources one way or another. - Ned
george - i am madly in love with you.....this crime is another example of the fascist terrorist american state.
This is an op to have you refrain from eating normal beef.
TPTB will reserve natural beef for themselves. However, they need the land beef are using. Solution? Freak everyone out with MCD. People quit eating beef. Land is free for other GM experiments.
The so-called "environmental" movement is largely funded by TPTB in order to direct by propaganda the population into consuming their modified foods containing........?
You can bet your ass The Red Shield and its employees like Soros aren't eating this shit.
Look at the new federal laws concerning farm kids NOT being allowed to work on their OWN families' farms! By killing off family farms there is again more land for TPTB and their GMO experimentation.
"Soylent Green" in a few years may be for real.
The destruction of the sea food industry, whether by accident or design, also gives them the ability to create Death by food shortage/starvation.
Satan owns this planet (for now) and TPTB work for him, not The People.
And the cows, as well as us, are about to be fed a new GMO corn that is 2,4, D resistant. The application says that any corn with pesticide residue will be found (Ha!) and destroyed--This seems to be an admission that the corn will uptake the pesticide, which is problematic with other GMOs. Also the pesticide that must be used on the corn has not been submiited to for approval (Real good chicken & egg science here).
Today and tomorrow are the last days to comment/protest against this with the USDA. Here's the link.
http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=APHIS-2010-0103-3740
this could be bad for US beef exports...big time if its found to be a systemic problem.
Indonesia suspends some US beef imports following the discovery of a case of " mad ... Other major US beef buyers, including South Korea, Japan, Canada and the ... The case of "mad cow" disease announced on Tuesday in California is the ...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17852903
They don't even have grass in central california where these cows go to wait for the train to Auschwitz. Drive by it sometime, just have your window down and the temp over 55. The water has high levels of pesticides and heavy metals that are killing the human population. This is where they bulk up with the food for their final frontier. Yummy.
Once all wild food is poisoned, you all will have to roll with GMO beef, hormone chicken, and bacterial pork, all served up with an industrial topping of Roundup, chemical fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides. If that don't get you going in the morning, nothing will. Welcome to human farming 101, about to agribusiness it's way into your neighborhood soon. Oh. Wait. It's already here. Sheeple to the right, one percenters to the left. Because either the food you eat is gonna kill you, slowly, so all of your assets belong to the " medical profession ", or, you all get to eat the Illuminati diet, the last of the "real food". How they will create obedience in the ruling class aristocracy of the future.
Grow your own, buy locally, buy organic, at the expense of everything else you could possibly consume. The most important thing you will do in this life time. You only get one body to feed, and it is like a computer and software. " Garbage In, Garbage Out " You get what you pay for. Choose Wisely, my son.
You said it. Food is the ultimate weapon..and that works both directions. Physical health is mental health. It's "insane" to separate the two.
SILVERGEDDON
"Once all wild food is poisoned"
Idiot!
And thus the message of the Georgia Guidestones will be fulfilled.
You have to admire the balls on these bastards; they put everything in clear view. You just have to quit pretending/take your head outta the sand. TPTB may have power, but they are human. They can be killed and they can be defeated.
"Save your community. Hang a Banker."
hahaha.
Nothing new under the heaven, we've seen it all a decade ago in Yrope.
Newscientist.com has been following Mad Cow disease for what must be a decade now. A lot of scary background info there.
Just to cheer up the science nerds here
http://screwtapefiles.blogspot.com/2012/04/urban-mining-and-refining-for...
Or don't throw away all those junk computers just yet as there is gold in them.
Thanks for the link!
I've got stuff that goes back to the 8088. : )
.
Wow, I didn't know that cows watch TV also!
That old phrase; "Eat Sh** and Die!" exists for a reason...
I’d be pretty freaking mad if I was being fed blood, animal parts and feces, too.
And is that cow in the picture any relation to Janet Napolitano?
I doubt it --- the cow is MUCH more svelte and attractive!
and - given the choice - it has udders i might actually opt to fondle.
Wait....are you TSA?
See: Korea, North.
I'm sure the food producers are saying protein is protein. Can't tell you what's in that proprietary product.
Disgusting.