More Mad Cow Disease in Canada

The United States has taken more than its fair share of grief for the two documented case of BSE, jocularly called Mad Cow Disease, within its borders. Both came on cattle imported from Canada, and no case has ever been proven out of cattle bred in the U.S. This is a proud record that should be the envy of the world.

To see what a major accomplishment this is, what a great testiment to the wholesomeness, healthfuness and sound production standards followed by the U.S. cattle industry, you need only look at other countries.

Mad Cow Disease originated in England and spread to Europe some 20 years ago. It ravaged the cattle industry there, as little was know in those days of how to stop it or what caused it. Subsequently, it has been narrowed down to the now-banned practice of grinding up dead cows as bone meal in cattle feed. Bone meal used in cattle feed is now vegetarian-based, most frequently out of soybenas. This has greatly stemmed the disease. However, other countries have not been as rigorous as the U.S. in enforcing this ban, and Mad Cow Disease continues to break out there.

Such was the case in Canada this week, where the 12th case was documented. Japan has had some 27 documented cases. Numerous cases have been documented in South Korea. This is understandable, as these Asian countries with little land area to grow feed, import much of their feedstuffs and do not control the manufacture.

What is outrageous is that Japan and South Korea continue to ban some U.S. beef, and have unreasonably strict controls on all U.S. beef imports. The U.S. has the tightest controls on earth on its cattle feed, and no Mad Cow cases in its own cattle.

Rather than risk the health of their consumers daily by selling them their own domestically-produced beef, Japan and South Korea should be freely and gratefully importing beef with a much better health record from the U.S.

The truth is that this has become a political, rather than a health, issue. Smaller countries love to kick sand in the face of the big, mighty United States. This is what they're doing on beef imports. This is against their own best interests, and the health of their citzens.