Wako US government resists testing for mad cow decease and knowing the age of cattle.

Creekstone Farms sued USDA for the right to test

The Orwellian spin doctors at the USDA argue that mare testing will make the beef less safe. Gee I am glad I stooped eating beef years ago!

Creekstone has lost 200 million US dollars in sales to Japan in the last two years and 120 jobs due to the laws against testing. The feds threatened criminal charges if they tested.

http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/20...327_a_main.asp

Real player link to program:
rtsp://128.197.27.80:554/w/b/wbur/onpoint/2006/03/op_0327a.rm?cloakport=8080,554,7070

"Washington - Creekstone Farms ® Premium Beef, LLC, an innovative market leader producing award winning Black Angus Beef, filed a lawsuit today against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Creekstone has sued USDA for refusing to allow the company to voluntarily test cattle for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) at its Arkansas City, Kansas facility. Creekstone’s complaint was filed this morning in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Creekstone is challenging USDA’s claim that it has the legal authority to control access to and the use of the "test kits" needed to perform BSE testing. Over the past two years, USDA has repeatedly denied Creekstone’s requests to conduct voluntary BSE testing. Creekstone Farms has publicly stated that it believes U.S. beef is safe. Nevertheless, Creekstone’s customers, as well as other beef consumers around the world, want beef from BSE tested cattle. For example, a December 2005 poll by the Kyodo News Service found that more than half of Japanese consumers want U.S. beef to be tested for BSE. Creekstone simply wants to satisfy its customers."
http://www.creekstonefarmspremiumbee...bse_press.html


Creekstone Farms files lawsuit against USDA, 26 Mar 06

"WICHITA, Kansas, Mar 24, 2006 -- A Kansas meat packing plant has filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture over the issue of testing for mad cow disease.
The 26-page document was filed in federal court in Washington D.C. Thursday morning. The bottom line is that Creekstone Farms wants to test all cattle that go through its plant for mad cow, or BSE, but the U.S. government says it can’t.

"We are not, in any way, suggesting that U.S. beef is not safe. We believe that we have the safest beef supply in the world but that’s no the issue. The issue is, our customers and our consumers worldwide -- domestically and internationally -- are requesting that we test all of our cattle for BSE," said John Stewart, CEO, Creekstone Farms.

That test is available, but according to the lawsuit, the government currently has control of the test kits. Officials at Creekstone say they have meet with the USDA five times, but each time the agency has refused to allow them to do the testing on their own.
The testing is expensive at about $20 a head but Creekstone says they would pick up the tab -- the government wouldn’t pay a dime.

It’s a cost that would pay for itself, according to the company. "Creekstone believes that it could expand its sales of premium beef products in the United States if it were not prevented by the USDA from BSE testing the cattle it processes for domestic consumption.""
http://www.ksn.com/news/stories/11992552.html

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Classic American liberal

If that was Ireland the boyz in the Irish Farmers Association would have done bad bad things to USDA guys.

Do you people care naught about your health?

Or the economic well being of your agri-business?

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"Better to die on you feet than live on your knees" - Emilio Zapata

"Profits Before People" has been the Republican motto since Ronald Reagan.