2008 Woodie Awards
Iowans say beef industry safe overall
Brian Stewart - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 3/24/08 Section: Metro
A massive beef recall encompassing 143 million pounds of meat doesn't have Iowa farmers or industry officials worried about an unsafe food supply.
The concern over an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy - often called mad-cow disease - comes after videos surfaced of California-based slaughterhouse Hallmark/Westland employees allegedly attempting to force weakened cattle to slaughter.
Butchering the immobile animals - known as downer cows - is illegal because of evidence indicating they have a higher risk of carrying mad-cow disease.
Bruce Berven, the executive vice president of the Iowa Cattlemen's Association, said the chances of a consumer becoming ill from beef is low.
"We have a very, very safe beef supply," he said. "The products that consumers consume are very safe."
'Mad' cattle in U.S.
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy became a national concern when the first cow in the United States was diagnosed with the disease in Washington in 2003.
The USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service reacted by passing interim rules, immediately banning the slaughter of downer cows for human consumption, spokeswoman Amanda Eamich said.
"We condemn, meaning prohibit, these animals to go into slaughter for various reasons," she said. "We inspect every animal both at rest and in motion to make sure they are healthy before they go to slaughter."
Under USDA regulations, cattle must undergo inspection by USDA veterinarians on slaughter day - anywhere from minutes to hours before death. But if an animal loses mobility after that inspection, it must be reinspected.
Any cow suspected to have a central nervous system disorder is tested by the USDA - of 850,000 U.S. cattle tested to date, only three were found to have bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
"It's up to the veterinarian to make that decision whether this is in fact a healthy cow or if there is something that would make it appropriate not to enter the food supply," Eamich said.
The concern over an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy - often called mad-cow disease - comes after videos surfaced of California-based slaughterhouse Hallmark/Westland employees allegedly attempting to force weakened cattle to slaughter.
Butchering the immobile animals - known as downer cows - is illegal because of evidence indicating they have a higher risk of carrying mad-cow disease.
Bruce Berven, the executive vice president of the Iowa Cattlemen's Association, said the chances of a consumer becoming ill from beef is low.
"We have a very, very safe beef supply," he said. "The products that consumers consume are very safe."
'Mad' cattle in U.S.
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy became a national concern when the first cow in the United States was diagnosed with the disease in Washington in 2003.
The USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service reacted by passing interim rules, immediately banning the slaughter of downer cows for human consumption, spokeswoman Amanda Eamich said.
"We condemn, meaning prohibit, these animals to go into slaughter for various reasons," she said. "We inspect every animal both at rest and in motion to make sure they are healthy before they go to slaughter."
Under USDA regulations, cattle must undergo inspection by USDA veterinarians on slaughter day - anywhere from minutes to hours before death. But if an animal loses mobility after that inspection, it must be reinspected.
Any cow suspected to have a central nervous system disorder is tested by the USDA - of 850,000 U.S. cattle tested to date, only three were found to have bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
"It's up to the veterinarian to make that decision whether this is in fact a healthy cow or if there is something that would make it appropriate not to enter the food supply," Eamich said.
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