Food Wise

From the USDA:
A new ruling has banned “downer” cows from entering the food supply. “Downer” cows are cows that are non-ambulatory before slaughter. The old ruling allowed “downer” cows to be slaughtered and their meat sold into the food supply.

Under the old rules-If cows went down after the initial inspection by the FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Services) they could still be slaughtered and their meat sold. The new rulings make all non-ambulatory cattle unsuitable for entry into the human food supply, here in the US. This lowers the chance of sick cows entering the beef supply here in the US.

To whom this affects:
US. Farmers, US meat producers, Consumers that buy and eat beef in the US.

Why this important:
Sick cattle run the risk of having a variety of diseases-including Mad Cow Disease (in humans it becomes a form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease {vCJD}). The Mad Cow disease can cross species and has an estimated 4-10 year incubation period.

Great Britain had an epidemic outbreak of mad cows disease in the late 1990’s-early 2000‘s. More than 170,000 cows were destroyed with the disease and farmers suffered enormous financial loses. More than 150 people died, during this time, in Great Britain from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Most vCJD deaths occurred in younger people- scientists have not figured out why younger people were more affected.

Relevant info:
Cruel treatment has been an issue for years when it comes to “downer” cattle at auctions -making the “downer” cows unusable for sale. This may mean less sick and injured cows end up at action and quicker/humane deaths for some cows.