Why is it that Japan, a tiny island nation with little farming, has more Mad Cow Disease (BSE) than the great and mighty USA with its vast herds of beef?
Japan has confirmed its 26th case of mad cow disease, this one in a 5-year-old Holstein in the country’s north, the Agriculture Ministry said Saturday.
Meat inspectors in the northern state of Hokkaido found Thursday that a dairy cow tested positive for the disease, the ministry said in a statement. A panel of Agriculture Ministry experts confirmed the infection Saturday, according to ministry official Akiko Suzuki.“All meat, internal organs and parts from this cattle will be incinerated, and there is no danger that they will be circulated in the market,” the ministry statement said.
The confirmation comes as Japanese and U.S. officials prepare to meet as early as next week to discuss lifting Tokyo’s ban on American beef.Japan initially banned U.S. beef in December 2003, following the first discovery of mad cow disease in the United States.
-SacBee.com
For comparitive purposes:
[There are ]Only four to seven cows in America are likely to have mad cow disease, according to Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns.
-USDA Secretary Mike Johanns
Perhaps this relates to testing. In Japan they test, test, test for BSE. They want to make sure that there is absolutely no BSE in their food supply. But in the United States the USDA is blocking the testing for BSE and instead telling us that we must bow down to their National Animal Identification System (NAIS) which places a heavy burden on all livestock owners.
The cost of testing is about $30 per cow. The cost of NAIS is $30 to $70 per cow for the average producer. The very big producers make out like a bandit with costs of under $10 per cow for NAIS. The very smallest producers are looking at a cost of hundreds of dollars per cow. This is wrong. The burden is being shifted to the poorest, rural homesteaders and small farmers while the big, rich corporate producers pay almost nothing but reap all the benefits. Oh, wait, that is typical big Govi-Corp policy.
The other odd thing is that some of the big corporate producers like Creekstone Farms want to do testing but the USDA won’t let them! Our government is actually banning responsible corporate citizens from doing the right thing and setting a good example. The USDA’s excuse? They don’t want testing to become the defacto standard.
That is our government lobbyiests at work, smoothing the way for higher profits and kickbacks.