WASHINGTON - The Bush administration said Tuesday it will fight to keep meatpackers from testing all their animals for mad cow disease.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture tests less than 1 percent of slaughtered cows for the disease, which can be fatal to humans who eat tainted beef. But Arkansas City-based Creekstone Farms Premium Beef wants to test all of its cows.
Larger meat companies feared that move because, if Creekstone tested its meat and advertised it as safe, they might have to perform the expensive test, too.
A federal judge ruled in March that such tests must be allowed. The ruling was to take effect Friday, but the Agriculture Department said Tuesday it would appeal — effectively delaying the testing until the court challenge plays out.
2 responses so far ↓
Extra P. // May 30, 2007 at 2:02 pm
That’s just fucking retarded. I’m literally spluttering right now. By all means let’s protect corporations from the financial ramifications of making their products safe to consume.
Pete the Streak // May 31, 2007 at 1:25 pm
This isn’t stupid at all, if you’re able to understand all the rippling-out (is that a word?) economic ramifications that would result. Ramifications for everyone; even you.
Extra P: it may be the corporation’s check paying for the testing, but they’ll be using YOUR money (unless you’re labeled under RUTS’ Gay Vegen Agenda).
Wait until the first false positive comes out; with testing on such a massive scale, it will happen very quickly.
No big deal, I guess, if you’re into $15 hamburgers, and don’t care a wit about anyone with a job in all the underlying supporting industries.
(Wait…..isn’t that the liberal’s job? Caring about the little guy?).
This is a marketing ploy by Creekstone Farms, with a secondary aim of driving everyone else’s costs up to make their own appear to be more palatable, and nothing else. In that regard, it’s a brilliant move. However, by certifying their beef as ’safe’ (i.e. ’safer’ than everyone else’s) they’ve also painted a huge red legal bulls-eye on themselves, as RUTS well knows. Personal injury attorneys will be salivating at the prospect of a single illness of ANY kind resulting from their product.
Mad-cow disease is not (and shows no sign of being) even a moderate danger to the public. The very few illnesses and deaths, while a tragedy for the individual and their families, are statistical anomalies.
Don’t want to take the one in a bajillion chance of getting mad-cow? Simple; don’t eat beef, and rest easy.
P.S. Love your sports stuff, though.
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