From benbrook@hillnet.comWed May 1 22:54:46 1996 Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 09:46:00 -0400 From: Charles Benbrook To: sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu Subject: Mad Cow Disease, Oprah Show A remarkable series of exchanges on Mad Cow Disease/BSE occurred on the Oprah show April 16th. It stirred up so much dust the network had her schedule a second show to give the National Cattlemens Association spokesperson, Dr. Gary Weber, a chance to "clear the air". A reading of the transcript shows why it is likely changes lie ahead in U.S. rendering and livestock protein feeding practices. About 10% of rendered cattle protein is fed back to cattle according to USDA statistics. "You mean cattle eat cattle...how disgusting..." sort of summarizes the reaction of people on the show. Given the developments in Britain re BSE (more cases, the youngest victim yet a 15 year old girl who loved hamburgers), the findings re the genetic mutation in cattle/people that seem to be shared in a portion of the population, and information about rendering industry practices, it is certain we have just scene the tip of the iceberg on this front. Both the poulty and hog industries are major users of rendered animal protein; both species live too short a life for a disease comparable to BSE to manifest clinical signs, yet possibly they could harbor and pass on the disease to other mammals that consume brain tissues, in particular. On the manure management front at the farm/feedlot level, and the slaughter house level because of management of offal, the country is beginning to gain appreciation for some of the indirect costs of large scale livestock agriculture. Put simply, rendering and feeding offal to other animals is the only way the packing industry can economically "dispose" of the volume of offal coming out of a major plant when 1,000 plus cattle are killed per day per shift. It is also interesting to dig a little and find out which corporations control various aspects of the process -- the feedlots, packing houses, rendered protein ingredients businesses, feed business (customers of those who produce rendered protein supplements), and meat business. I bet when someone tracks down who the players are, they will find some wonderfully convenient "closed (corporate) loops", whereby one division of a company sells product from waste to another division, who then sells processes it and sells in to another division, and ultimately to the consumer. Since most regulations pertaining to quality control in the handling of down animals and slaughterhouse offal are basically voluntary and unenforced, I wonder if the public will "buy" the assurances bound to be offered that "all is well." We'll see. This whole issue is also going to shine a bright light on the authority of gov't food safety agencies versus big business, as well as the costs of the de-regulatory tide sweeping the country. The whole mess startyed in Britain in the wake of the Thatcher gov'ts deregulatory posture. A transcript of the Oprah show is worth reading, and shows what a hard job industry spokespeople are facing. The transcript can be gotten off the Web at http://www.av.qnet.com/~newveg I have been told. Everyone who cares about agriculture and food safety needs to pay attention to the details and information coming out on BSE. This is clearly an explosive issue that under the best of circumstances -- handled prudently by both industry and gov't with professionalism, reasoned and responsive NGO involvement, etc -- will be very hard to keep from getting out of control. No one wins under such circumstances. USDA and gov't is going to have to act much more decisively, and fast, or they will lose credibility and control before the debate even gets going (except for a few isolated TV shows, newspaper articles). At a minimum USDA, shoulder to shoulder with industry, should announce an immediate ban, pending a thorough scientific evaluation/new research, etc, of species to species feeding of rendered protein. First priority should then be determining whether eggs/poultry/pigs can harbor the disease and pass it on to people in any way. Such steps may buy enough time to determine what else needs to be done. If such steps are not taken, the livestock sector will have a problem on its hands way worse than $4.50 corn, as bad as that is.