Cattle Ranchers Want Their Own Mad Cow Tests

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http://www.komotv.com/stories/34097.htm

 

Cattle Ranchers Want Their Own Mad Cow Tests

 

November 23, 2004

 

By Tracy Vedder

 

TENINO - Every time there's a new " possible " case of mad cow disease,

the U.S. beef industry takes an enormous economic hit in the millions

of dollars.

 

To combat that, some cattle ranchers want more extensive testing, but

they are hitting an unlikely roadblock: the government.

 

Greg Schoenbachler with the Silver Springs Cattle Company, figures

ranches like his are the bedrock of the beef industry. His spread is

small -- about 200 cattle heads. Profit margins are also small.

 

Last week's announcement of a " possible " mad cow case somewhere in the

U.S. costs the industry millions.

 

" It affects people like myself, " says Tenino rancher Schoenbachler.

" If we have livestock to market at this time, or we have futures,

money in futures markets, we take an immediate hit on that. "

 

Schoenbachler says he and other ranchers would like to give their

customers the assurance they want. He'd like to be able to test his

entire herd to prove that it's mad cow free.

 

But he can't, the government won't let him. " I think it's terrible, "

responds the rancher.

 

Schoenbachler is part of a growing group of ranchers that wants every

animal slaughtered tested for mad cow. But the U.S. Department of

Agriculture refuses.

 

Right now, the USDA tests just a tiny percentage of animals, just over

113,000 so far this year, concentrating on sick or ill-looking

animals. ( Moderator's note: Even though the numbers are miniscule, I

am very suspicious of even these figures. I believe that the " real "

testing is almost non-existant. The different positions between the

two cattle organizations probably reflect the different amounts of

real indepth knowledge about how pervasive they believe the problem to

be.)

 

The government says its program is science-based and designed to catch

one sick cow in 10 million healthy ones; enough to ensure a safe food

supply.

 

But if the government won't test every animal, Schoenbachler and

others want to do their own testing. But again, the USDA says no.

 

A USDA spokesman says it is a surveillance program, not a food safety

test and that's why individual ranchers can't use the test.

 

" I think it's horrible, " adds Schoenbachler. " I think it's absolutely

awful because again, they're limiting our ability to market a free

enterprise. "

 

Schoenbachler believes consumers and foreign markets like Japan want

universal testing to prove their beef is mad cow free. And, he figures

it's just a matter of time before the beef industry demands it.

 

The Washington Cattlemen's Association officially supports the USDA's

position. But other organizations, like " R-Calf " , an offshoot of the

Cattlemen's Association, want a more rigorous program.