Guest guest Posted September 26, 2001 Report Share Posted September 26, 2001 http://www.asahi.com/english/national/K2001092601176.html Feed for thought: The meat of mad cow issue The Asahi Shimbun Following recent confirmation by a British government agency that a Japanese dairy cow was infected with mad cow disease, all eyes have turned to meat and bone meal (MBM)-a dietary supplement made from cattle bones and internal organs and fed to livestock. MBM is under scrutiny because it is considered the prime suspect in the transmission of the deadly disease. Until recently, Japan was relatively unconcerned about mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), which was first detected in Britain in 1986 and which is thought to cause the fatal human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). But that ended with the discovery of an infected Holstein raised at a dairy farm in Shiroi, Chiba Prefecture. The cow displayed one of the obvious symptoms of the disease-it couldn't stand up. The first suspected case in Japan was reported in the media Sept. 10, and the British government confirmed it last week. After meat is taken from cattle, poultry and pigs, the remaining bits are minced and the fat drained by boiling or steaming. After drying, the product is pulverized to make MBM. The process does not eliminate the protein prion, considered the source of BSE. The finished product has the appearance of dry soil-brown and finely pulverized with white flecks of bone. It is soft to the touch and smells like pet food. ``Fresh MBM smells and tastes good,'' said Osamu Hayakawa, associate professor of agricultural management at Nihon University's College of Bioresource Sciences. Hayakawa isn't just guessing-he has tasted MBM. It is not clear when farmers started to use MBM. The current manufacturing method was established in the United States around 1920 and was brought to Japan after World War II along with other dairy and livestock technology. Because cows supply 30 to 40 liters of milk a day, they need protein supplements in large quantities in addition to nutrition acquired from grazing, agricultural officials explained. An effective way to do this is to use MBM because it is rich not only in protein but also in minerals and vitamins. Too much MBM intake, however, results in liver disorders. Farmers, therefore, mix 2 to 3 percent MBM into grain feed. A farmer in Chiba Prefecture said, ``Fish powder mixed in cow feed makes milk smell fishy, but with MBM we don't have to worry about the smell.'' Japanese cattle have traditionally been fed remnants of soy beans and fish powder. But with a surge in fish prices in the 1990s, farmers turned to MBM, which cost less. At a time when the yen was doing well against foreign currencies, imported MBM was one-third the price of fish-mixed feed. Ironically, the timing coincided with the emergence of mad cow disease in Europe. Tokyo has advised against the use of MBM in cattle feed since 1996, when the disease became rampant in Britain. But it has continued to allow its use in feed for poultry and pigs. MBM currently accounts for about 2 percent of ingredients in all livestock feed. Nobody actually knows the exact number of cattle and cows that consumed MBM before 1996, officials acknowledge. About 30 percent of MBM is imported, mostly from Australia and New Zealand. Imports from Britain have been banned since 1996. For those involved in meat production, MBM is an effective means of recycling. If the bones and organs are not used they become industrial waste and must be discarded. ``Farmers would have to shoulder the additional cost of disposal. And the means of disposal and disposal sites have become a significant environmental problem in Britain,'' Hayakawa said. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries also noted the importance of recycling in its set of guidelines on MBM production compiled in June this year. Nevertheless, farmers and feed manufacturers are moving away from MBM. More than 100 tons MBM was piled out in the open at an MBM manufacturer's plant in eastern Hokkaido on a recent day. The manufacturer could not ship the MBM because feed producers around the country had canceled orders as soon as news of a possible case of BSE hit the headlines. Every day the Hokkaido factory purchases 60 tons of internal organs and bones for making MBM. If it were to stop production, the plant would soon be awash in organs and bones. ``So we just have to keep on producing (MBM),'' the plant manager said. The Chiba prefectural government on Sept. 22, the day British authorities confirmed the case of mad cow disease, advised farmers not to use MBM for any livestock in the prefecture. Meanwhile, an official of the Japan Variety-Meat Association, comprising small businesses involved in processing ingredients for MBM, said, ``If the central government orders a ban on MBM, we will need compensation.'' (09/26) Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Messenger. http://im. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.