Mad cow fear: Japan suspends beef from US plant

[depakid]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Japan has suspended beef shipments from an American meat-packing plant after finding cattle parts banned under an agreement to prevent the spread of mad cow disease, the agriculture ministry said Saturday.

Japanese quarantine inspectors found bovine spinal columns in one of 732 boxes sent by Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc., which arrived in Japan last month, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said in a statement. The box contained 35 pounds (16 kilograms) of chilled short loin with spinal bones.

The suspension only affects Tyson's factory in Nebraska, one of 46 meat-packing plants approved to export beef to Japan. The Japanese ministry also asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate how the box containing the banned parts ended up in Japan.

<snip>

Mad cow disease, formally known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is a degenerative nerve disease in cattle. In humans, eating meat products contaminated with the illness is linked to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare and fatal malady. Under the bilateral trade agreement, U.S. exporters must remove spinal columns, brain tissue and other parts considered linked to the mad cow disease. U.S. beef shipments to Japan must also come only from cattle age 20 months or younger, which are believed to pose less of a risk.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/10/09/international/i225242D56.DTL&tsp=1

[tomm2thumbs]

1. Capitalism will save our economy. This is a case in point. Oh wait, it isn't.

Nevermind.

I guess there are now 45 and not 46 meat-packing plants approved to export beef. Oops

[tinkerbell41]

2. So I was right.

On an earlier post having to do with the girl sick from a burger, I had said Japan banned our beef
because Mad cow was present in our beef supply. Someone wanted to argue with me because I mistakenly said "virus" instead of "prion" never disputing that it was found. So it is in the beef.
Japan accepted our shipments with conditions. I can't wait to see their comments on this today.

[The abyss]

11. Hang in there tinkerbell41

On the surface this board sometimes appears to be about individuals begging others to sing in their personal choir. Features like the “un-recommend” button and the “ignore” option play into that illusion.

Very subtly, just below the surface, are a lot of readers that absorb information like a dry sponge.

Keep posting your observations.

Oh yeah, don’t expect anyone to ever come back and say they were wrong.

[tinkerbell41]

12. I see.....

I experience this a lot not just here. :)

[appleannie1]

14. You said it well

[Gman2]

3. I wish OUR inspectors were so on the job!

[ensho]

4. kick

nt

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. Me too!

[ginnyinWI]

5. Tyson again?

Seems like they've been in trouble before with salmonella in chicken. They're a factory farm that I try to avoid.

[Bonobo]

6. FDA doesn't allow US ranchers to get cows tested even if they want to!

Even if a US rancher wants to spend their own money to test their cows (so they can export to Japan), the FDA doesn't allow it.

[tinkerbell41]

10. The FDA banned labeling

The FDA will not allow labeling on meat declaring it is free from this. Most small family farmers wanted this but the "cattle ranchers association" (I think that's what it is called) lobbied against it. Wonder Why???

[appleannie1]

15. Thanks to the Bush Adminstration

updated 6:36 p.m. ET, Tues., May 29, 2007
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration said Tuesday it will fight to keep meatpackers from testing all their animals for mad cow disease.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18924801/

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. Why would Tyson take this risk?

[Hekate]

8. Costco won't buy from them because they won't allow inspections that Costco can trust...

I don't know what the heck is wrong with Tyson that a thorough overhaul by watchdogs with teeth wouldn't cure.

Hekate

[nilram]

13. Costco is cool in a lot of ways. Wish the FDA could get testing together. -nt

[Kablooie]

16. I'm afraid of the mad cow too so I try not to upset my wife. Badum! Clashhh!

Boy, I hope she doesn't read this.

[ronnie624]

17. Shame. Go stand in the corner.

:)