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Volume CCXXXIV, Number 42   February, 2004    Worcester, Massachusetts    Since 1770

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There's nothing wrong with the U.S. cattle industry, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as any fool can plainly see.

By Billy Sol Estes
Farm Editor

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Don't worry: the U.S. Department of Agriculture, after extensive review of talking points provided by the cattle industry, has assured U.S. carnivores that the U.S. beef supply is probably absolutely safe.

The American agri-industrial complex and their touts in the U.S. Department of Agriculture seem to have been taken by surprise by the discovery that a crippled old cow sent to the knacker's actually had mad cow disease, an illness that leads to wasting of the brain and slow, agonzing death for cattle and humans alike.

After all, it was just one of those things, like terrorists blowing up skyscrapers, that just couldn't happen here. So it seems terribly unfair to cast blame at the Bush Administration and cattle-lovin' Congressmen who stripped from the farm bill rules that would have prevented terminally ill cattle from being ground up into hamburger. Who could have foreseen an outbreak of mad cow disease here in the land of the Whopper?

Say hi to Ellen Ruppel Shell, who had the temerity to suggest just that six years ago in the Atlantic Monthly

TSE [including mad cow disease] infectivity concentrates in the central nervous system, in the spinal cord and brain. And the more of the infectious material an animal is exposed to, the likelier it is to get sick. For this reason Britain has implemented a series of more and more restrictive bans from its food chain, starting with cattle brains, spinal cords, and other tissues that have been shown to contain infectious material, and now including some sheep and goat parts as well. The United States has not followed suit, and the heads and backbones of cows, pigs, and other animals continue to figure prominently in the rendering mix.

In fact, brain doesn't just enter our food chain but goes directly into the human food supply. . . . Most cows in the United States . . . are shot in the head with a stun gun before having their throats cut, a process perhaps more humane but also, at least when a pneumatic stun gun that injects air is used, more likely to contaminate other parts of the carcass with brain. This pneumatic gun can crack the cow's skull, causing the brain to leak out. [Getting hungry? – Ed.] And the force of the gun is such that it can blow pieces of brain into the bloodstream, where they can be carried to the animal's lungs or liver. Tam Garland has recovered chunks of brain as large as six inches across in the lungs of slaughtered cattle. Canadian researchers have spotted pieces of brain about two and a half inches wide lodged in cow livers.

There is no law against the addition of heart, liver, and other "variety meats" to hot dogs, sausages, and canned or bottled meat products, . . . Nor does any regulation mandate that spinal cords be removed before carcasses are processed, although some plants are said to follow this procedure nonetheless. Unless spinal cords are removed, "mechanically deboned" meats, which are found in products such as hamburger and bologna, can be contaminated with bits of central-nervous-system tissue when the spinal columns are mechanically plucked and squeezed to get off the last bits of flesh.

Will Hueston, a veterinary epidemiologist formerly with the USDA . . . says that the agency has not imposed a ban on spinal column and brain in the rendering process because to do so would be very expensive and basically unenforceable. As one rendering-plant employee told me, "Who would want the job of cutting out all those spinal columns and brains? You couldn't even get occasional workers [Surely, illegal aliens? &ndash Ed.] to do it." But when asked why brain and spinal column are not banned from the human food supply in the United States, Hueston was circumspect, suggesting that I speak with someone at the Food Safety and Inspection Service.

. . . TSE infectious material does not concentrate in muscle tissue, so steaks, chops, and roasts are probably fairly safe to eat. . . . More than one scientist told me that if I was concerned about my family's exposure to TSE agent, I would do well to steer clear of processed and reformed meats such as bologna and head cheese. Not being a head-cheese fan, I have not found it difficult to follow this advice. In addition, I avoid any ground meat that hasn't been ground in the store where I buy it. . . . Though whether it is possible to acquire CJD from American beef is entirely unclear, making these small culinary adjustments seems well worth doing given the gravity of the disease and the government's hesitation to do all it can to avoid it. [All emphasis added]

The entire appetizing tale can be found in the online archive of the Atlantic.

As with most failures of government, this one is no accident. Congressional efforts to ban the slaughter of "downer cows" were frustrated by a last-minute deal between the Bush Administration and cowboy Congressmen during the debate on the bloated farm bill (see Spy No. 40 at 4). As CBS News summarized,

The Bush administration is taking major steps to boost confidence in the U.S. beef supply at home and abroad, where more than 30 countries have banned American beef products since mad cow disease first surfaced in Washington state a week ago.

In so doing, the administration enacted regulations that Congress blocked only months ago.

The changes announced Tuesday include a ban on meat from cows that can't walk or stand on their own and a promise to speed creation of a nationwide animal tracking system.

What happened? Who knows? The agriculture bill came out of conference with a long "explanatory statement" alleging that the downer-cow amendment, albeit somewhat trimmed, remained in the law. The actual conference report, enacted into law, contains no such provision and instead directs the Secretary of Agriculture (see below) to consider whether sick, crippled, moribund cows should be covered in special sauce and served on a sesame-seed bun. You can chew on the bill yourself if you like.

It just proves the wisdom of that old saying: the legislative process is a lot like making sausage. The process is at best mysterious and at worst disgusting, and the stuff that comes out just might kill you.

Meanwhile, straight from the cow's mouth . . . USDA Helping America Thrive through Faith-Based Initiatives History of Cowardice Ineffective programs Pressure Room Material Misstatements Lobbyist Sign-up Contact Dick Cheney “The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a long history or working with faith-based organizations in some of our programs. After years of serving as breeding stock for the cattle industry, we can't give you any assurance that your beef supply is safe. The hamburger you eat could contain infected brain tissue. We test only a handful of livestock each year. Crippled, lame and crazy cattle routinely find their way into your food supply." "Accordingly, USDA suggests a faith-based solution to mad cow disease: before you eat that next burger, say a prayer."   Secretary Ann M. Veneman February 18, 2003