The craziness continues. Our government is supposed to protect us, but it continues to gamble with our health. Canada has reported finding several "mad cows" yet Bush wants to start importing Canadian beef again. This will put our health needlessly at risk. I remain concerned about the cows we're raising here which "may" be safe. I'm more concerned about importing beef from a country we know is having problems with this. Right now, this judge seems to be our only line of defense.
Another thing this article mentions that I wasn't aware of is that Canada can't ship us cows, but it is still allowed to ship us packaged meat. How crazy is that?
Early this month in Billings, Mont., a federal judge, Richard Cebull, blocked the Bush administration's plans to resume imports of Canadian cattle and beef. Those imports ended in late May 2003 after mad cow disease was discovered in a Canadian cow. Since then, Canada has discovered three more cases of the disease. The United States Department of Agriculture argues that there is a "very low" or "minimal" risk in reopening the border to live cattle under 30 months of age and to certain cuts of beef. But that argument is based on a hope and a wish.
In pressing to reopen the border, Mr. Cebull writes in his injunction, the U.S.D.A. has made "a decision that subjects the entire U.S. beef industry to potentially catastrophic damages and that presents a genuine risk of death for U.S. customers." The Senate has endorsed this position, and the House is planning to introduce legislation. President Bush has vowed to veto any bill that keeps the border closed.
Read more: The New York Times > Opinion > Editorial: The Merry-Go-Round of Beef
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