Records contradict USDA's mad cow decision

[UpInArms]

http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20040420-052613-8197r

WASHINGTON, April 21 (UPI) -- A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture decision to block a private company from testing all its cattle under 30 months of age for mad cow disease runs contrary to its own records that show it has tested more than 2,000 animals in that age range, United Press International has learned.

The USDA rejected the Creekstone Farms testing plan on the grounds it was scientifically unsound. The Arkansas City, Kan., Black Angus beef producer wanted to test all its cattle for mad cow disease voluntarily so it could export its beef to Japan.

The Asian nation has insisted U.S. firms test all their cattle for mad cow before it will reopen its borders, which were shut to U.S. beef following the detection of a Holstein infected with the disease in Washington state last December.

In announcing the decision to reject Creekstone's proposal, Bill Hawks, USDA's undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, said, "There is no scientific justification for 100 percent testing because the disease does not appear in younger animals" under the age of 30 months.

...more...

[Voltaire99]

1. See no mad cow, hear no mad cow...

Just trust your leaders, 'Murrica.

[RhodaGrits]

2. There is little science influencing policy here - this is

politics and business at its worst.

[damnraddem]

3. Even were there no justification for 100% testing, ...

why would the USDA prevent a company from doing it? Simple: the company's competitors don't want it to happen. Not only would it give the company entre into Japan, I wager that U.S. consumers might pay a premium for the company's beef, for the 100% testing. The GOP claims it believes in the competitive market; but its minions do not hesitate to prevent a company from undertaking a ploy that it thinks would help it compete, that consumers would likely love and pay extra for.

And on top of that, there is evidence that the testing is needed, from a public health perspective. The Bushistas are willing to sicken consumers worldwide as a result of their policies.

This decision needs to be made known to all consumers of beef. And the best response might be a boycott against American beef products until such time as the U.S. industry supports and undertakes 100% testing.

[tom_paine]

4. WTF? "undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs"

What is THAT position, one put in after the recent Bushevik Purges?

Read: He's Undersecretaryu for Marketing and UNDERMINING regulatory programs.

Interesting. His biography has been scrubbed from the USDA site, probably awaiting a more suitably Orwellian Lie.

Here's the cached page

http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:HvUX41DEs0gJ:www.usda.gov/aboutusda/biography/hawks.html+%22(Bill+OR+William)+Hawks%22+USDA+biography&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

A Real Johnny Reb. Environmental poisoner, too. Owned a weed spraying outfit and worked for Big Agro. I'm willing to bet that even this cached bio has already been scrubbed and fails to list his Lobbying Activities.

One wonders what Orwellian Masterpiece of Lies will replace the "too truthful" bio?

:puke:

In FACT, this Conflict-of-Interest Fuck (Imperial Stooges are EXEMPT form this law, naturally, in accordance with Bushevik/Straussian Dogam "The one recognized natural right is of the Superior to rule over the Inferior." (if that isn't the exact Strauss quote it's damned close) STILL IS a Managing Partner of a big Mississppi farm outfit.

But then, Imperial Amerika is a Lawles nation, especially for Imperial Bushevik Scum like this Shitpile. Notice how this Coward used the Bushevik Way to dodge the Draft.