Ah, yes... I had the lasagne.

This had to happen sooner or later. What really matters is profitability, the US public and free markets be damned.

The article was udderly revealing, and I can understand their beef and wanting to be herd, as there is a lot at steak.

It's coming right at us.

Marcus Aurelius: This had to happen sooner or later. What really matters is profitability, the US public and free markets be damned.

Isn't it fascinating? A small beef producer wants to test all of its cattle for BSE and the Bush administration fights to stop them from doing so.

Absolutely farking knock me down and fark me in the ass fascinating. Free markets for some, little flags for others.

What tripe! I mean this absolutely tongue in cheek, but the whole things is just offal.

What's their beef with testing anyways? Why are they always so quick to buffalo the investigators?

TheShavingofOccam123: Marcus Aurelius: This had to happen sooner or later. What really matters is profitability, the US public and free markets be damned.

Isn't it fascinating? A small beef producer wants to test all of its cattle for BSE and the Bush administration fights to stop them from doing so.

Absolutely farking knock me down and fark me in the ass fascinating. Free markets for some, little flags for others.

I vaugely recall there being a bit more to it than that? Like, was the BSE test the small producer wanted to use actually certified by the FDA as effective? (If so, saying "TESTED BSE FREE!" would be misleading, if technically true, if the test didn't work right).

I ask honestly, I vaugely remember hearing something about that with regards to that whole thing, but it's been a while.

Marcus Aurelius: This had to happen sooner or later. What really matters is profitability, the US public and free markets be damned.

What does the beef industry think will happen to their market when the USA has its' first human death as result of mad cows' disease?

You would think simple greed would motivate these people to grass feed their cows, demand vegetarian feed, and demand extensive testing of the slaughtered animals.

Lunaville: Marcus Aurelius: This had to happen sooner or later. What really matters is profitability, the US public and free markets be damned.

What does the beef industry think will happen to their market when the USA has its' first human death as result of mad cows' disease?

You would think simple greed would motivate these people to grass feed their cows, demand vegetarian feed, and demand extensive testing of the slaughtered animals.

Short term gain in maintaining prices, and long term expectations that such a death would drive the small scale farmer out of business, while the larger guys can push for overly expensive testing to help with that suppression of the competition.

I want comprehensive testing though, but I realize that the major beef producers care about profits first, animal health second, and human health dead last.

FTFA: "We beefed some cows just today"

Don't worry, you can't catch it that way.

meat0918: What tripe! I mean this absolutely tongue in cheek, but the whole things is just offal.

What's their beef with testing anyways? Why are they always so quick to buffalo the investigators?

Now let's not start stampeding to conclusions here. The herd mentality of PETA just leads to a lot of mooing and bleating but doesn't really put meat on the table. We need to shepard our resources and not run around like chickens.

Lunaville: Marcus Aurelius: This had to happen sooner or later. What really matters is profitability, the US public and free markets be damned.

What does the beef industry think will happen to their market when the USA has its' first human death as result of mad cows' disease?

You would think simple greed would motivate these people to grass feed their cows, demand vegetarian feed, and demand extensive testing of the slaughtered animals.

Depends on if the dead person is black and wearing a goodies.

/kidding on the square

Hard to have sympathy for them. When Canada had ONE case of BSE the border slammed shut. Even after testing was initiated and the American government was considering opening the border a crack, there was a big legal challenge by a ranchers and cattlemen association. (R-CALF). Canadian farmers lost billions.

enry: Lunaville: Marcus Aurelius: This had to happen sooner or later. What really matters is profitability, the US public and free markets be damned.

What does the beef industry think will happen to their market when the USA has its' first human death as result of mad cows' disease?

You would think simple greed would motivate these people to grass feed their cows, demand vegetarian feed, and demand extensive testing of the slaughtered animals.

Depends on if the dead person is black and wearing a goodies.

/kidding on the square

Who wears headache powder?