(JP)Ministry, not just cattle, needs thorough check

[Guest guest]

FYI:The first 'suspected'case has been confirmed as

real BSE.

 

http://www.asahi.com/english/tenjin/K2001092100604.html

 

Ministry, not just cattle, needs thorough check

 

The Asahi Shimbun, Vox Populi, Vox Dei

 

Prion, the word for the agent believed to be the cause

of mad cow disease, is not a common word that can be

found in any dictionary or encyclopedia. The agent is

said to turn into a pathogen as a result of some

protein abnormality. Protein forms the basis of every

life. The realization that something can go wrong in

protein and cause lethal infection is truly

terrifying.

 

But what I find even more terrifying is the way the

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry dealt

with this issue. Turning it over in my mind makes my

head spin.

 

The ministry announced on Sept. 10 that a dairy cow,

believed to be infected with this disease, was

discovered in Chiba Prefecture. The ministry noted

this animal had been incinerated.

 

On Sept. 14, the ministry corrected its earlier

statement and revealed the diseased animal had been

processed into bone meal, and that the ministry had

ordered the incineration of the bone meal upon tracing

its whereabouts to storage facilities in Tokushima

Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefecture.

 

On Sept. 15, another announcement was made to the

effect that some of the bone meal had got into

distribution channels that had yet to be investigated.

On Sept. 16, the distributors in question confirmed

that the bone meal had not been shipped out. On Sept.

17, evidence to the contrary came to light.

 

It was on Sept. 11 that the diseased cow's place of

birth was traced to a dairy farm in Hokkaido. On the

following day, the prefecture's agricultural

administrators revealed that the farm had sold 72

cows. On Sept. 13, the administrators announced that

the farm's cattle feed did not include any bone meal.

 

I am still trying in vain to mentally reorganize this

most chaotic train of events. Come to think of it, the

first inkling of this mad cow disease scare in Japan

had cropped up in August. One must wonder what the

agriculture ministry was doing until it made its

announcement on Sept. 10. Any excuse about the risks

of ``spreading unconfirmed rumor'' does not wash in

this case. Such excuses are inappropriate for crisis

control.

 

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry announced on

Sept. 18 that the nation's cattle population will be

put through extensive health checks. I would also

recommend thorough checks for the organizations

involved. (The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 20)

 

(09/21)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Messenger.

http://im.