Well, since there have been 3 cases of BSE (mad cow disease) in the USA, a Kansas-based farm, Creekstone, wants to test all of its Cows for BSE. Not so fast, says the Bush administration, which had filed suit to stop the testing from being done. Note that Creekstone does only want to be able to test its own cows; the Bush administration stopped that, because they feared it would hurt sales of beef in general. Looks like the ‘free market’ credentials (not to mention free speech credentials) of the Bushies look a little weak.:
Hat Tip: microbiologybytes
Bush administration fights testing for mad cow disease
The Agriculture Department tests less than 1 percent of slaughtered cows for the disease, which can be fatal to humans who eat tainted beef. But Kansas-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.
The Agriculture Department regulates the test and argued that widespread testing could lead to a false positive that would harm the meat industry.
A federal judge ruled in March that such tests must be allowed. U.S. District Judge James Robertson noted that Creekstone sought to use the same test the government relies on and said the government didn’t have the authority to restrict it.
The ruling was to take effect June 1, but the Agriculture Department said Tuesday it would appeal — effectively delaying the testing until the court challenge plays out.
Well, there is a good solution: if the beef can’t be tested just don’t eat any…
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