Eugene weekly., January 08, 2004, Page 12, Image 12

has consistently opposed legislation banning
the allowance of downer cows into the food
supply.
Veneman’s announcement was not meant
to appease only U.S. residents. It was also to
encourage foreign governments to resume
imports of beef. In the past two weeks, tons
of U.S. beef have been turned away from
Asian markets, and even a shipload of french
fries sizzled in animal fat was rejected.
The market has not reported what it did
with the meat, although speculations of it
being dumped into the ocean into the food
chain of whales, dolphins and fish may not
be far from the mark.
The Cattlemen’s Beef Association is
Congressional leaders deleted a measure
banning the slaughter of downed cattle from
a spending bill.
Rep. Gary L. Ackerman (D-N.Y.), who
for years has worked on legislation to ban
downer cattle from the food supply, told the
Post the industry “shot themselves in the
hoof” by not banning the practice.
Meanwhile, animal rights activists are
calling this a victory, both for improving
slaughtering methods, and for not eating
meat.
But Pringle says, “People are always
going to eat beef. The question is: Is it going
to be a boutique, grass-fed, no hormones,
free-range, holiday-only meal, or three
More Concerns
Cow brain matter is also found in cosmetics and in membranes used in surgery.
While opponents to any testing say the meat supply is safe, because cows' heads are
removed from the carcasses and meat does not come into contact with brain matter,
some methods of slaughter prove otherwise. Until just last week, a common killing
method was by lethal air injection — a blast of air shot into the forehead that caus-
es brain matter to dissipate into the spinal cord and blood stream, thereby potential-
ly infecting all parts
of the cow. U.S.
Agriculture Secretary
Ann Veneman has
now called a halt to
that
method
of
slaughter, which may
make beef safer, but
cosmetic companies
and research labs are
still using cow brain
matter.
Vaccines and
Transfusions
Worldwide, there have only been 153 documented cases so far of cow-to-human
transmission of BSE/CJD. But in England last week variant CJD blood-to-blood
transfusion occurred. “This is the second wave of this stuff — from human to
human,” says Pringle.
Vaccines are another source of concern. Some vaccines, such as those for polio,
have been made with fetal calf serum in England. “There are no known problems,
but they are taking tremendous risks that involve large numbers of people,” says
Pringle.
going along with the ban, according to a
Washington Post report that quoted Chandler
Keys, vice president of government affairs of
the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association,
as saying, “We’re going to support the
actions of the secretary. We’re going to have
to manage it through as an industry. We think
the industry will rise to the challenge.”
Until the ban of last month, just under
200,000 sick or injured cattle were shipped
to slaughterhouses per year, with only about
5 percent being tested for illnesses such as
mad cow disease.
In November 2003, Republican
meals a day like we do now?”
He sees a shift toward the natural variety
of meat, but says there is not enough land for
the meat industry to switch over to the whole
organic, grain-fed, free-range ideal.
Meanwhile, although the FDA has
banned feeding cattle to cattle, some ranch-
ers are still feeding animal protein to cattle.
“Calves are taken off milk and put on
blood,” says Pringle. “We’ve gone from
cannabilism to vampirism.”
The blood could very well come from a
downer cow, as there are currently no regu-
lations banning that practice.
ew
What are
You Feeding
Scruffy?
All parts of cows, including brain matter,
are allowed into pet food. With no regula-
tions banning the practice, how long will it be
before we begin breeding mad dogs? — AS
A G R EPORT
T
he regional/national mad cow scare has only reinforced for local, small-scale
farmers certain principles around food and economy, namely keeping food
sources as close to home as possible and keeping food production at a scale that
is manageable and safe. Jack Gray, co-owner of Noti’s Winter Green Farm, which produces
certified organic fruits and vegetables and 100 percent grass-fed beef (soon to be certified
organic, as well) says, “People really need to know where their food is coming from. It’s
important to establish relationships and trust between consumers and food sources.”
One of the easiest ways to do this is to keep those food sources close to home. “The
cattle industry is so big,” says Aaron Silverman, manager of local poultry processor
Greener Pastures Poultry and member of Creative Growers in Noti. “And there’s so much
movement of [cattle] within that industry … Large batches of animals coming from lots
of different places are being processed together.”
Winter Green’s Gray says, “Maybe someday technology will be able to track down
sick animals [more efficiently] with things like microchips. But technology will never be
able to do what local farming can do — to follow an animal from beginning through to
the end … we’ve actually been able to keep [recent] beef production limited to animals
born and raised here on the farm.” According to Winter Green’s website, “Cows have long
been the unifying force behind our farm’s fertility program. … We have chosen to take
full responsibility for the animals our farm depends on. We treat them well because they
deserve it and they are vitally important to our farm.”
12 JANUARY 8, 2004
by Bobbie Willis
Scale — or more specifically farming on a large, industrial scale — poses big prob-
lems with an outbreak of this nature. Paul Atkinson of Laughing Stock Farms (see EW
10/23) says, “The scale of the current industry … has yet again to do with ‘not local.’ It’s
amazing how many places that meat could be in so short a time. If even the butchering
were local, the problem might have remained local, rather than national.”
Because their work, as these farmers describe it, revolves around providing as safe
and unadulterated a product as possible, they seem mostly unfazed by the scare. “It’s
been something of a topic of conversation,” says Silverman. “But I don’t know anyone
who’s surprised by it.” Winter Green has had more inquiries than usual about their beef
in the last few weeks, but supplies are always limited — they process only about 20 cows
a year for beef.
While there is a pointed irony in federal regulations that can conceivably cripple small-
er farms with complicated bureaucracy yet allow for the current mad cow situation,
Silverman says, “The USDA/FSIS staff that I have … had contact with are truly trying to
ensure safe food for the public. While some of the regulations seem onerous for a small-
scale producer, it’s not usually the intent. The rules have to cover everyone, and the big-
ger plants dominate the landscape.”
Silverman even sees hope for the future: “[Our] experience has been one of helpful-
ness … and we expect that this positive relationship will continue through the planning
and construction of an expanded processing facility in the near future.”