Cattle Futures

(Page 2 of 3)

April/May 2004
 
Article Tools
Print
Comments
RSS
Bookmark and Share

Mad Cow Timeline

1986: Discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly called mad cow disease, in cattle in Britain.

1988: British government bans cattle feed containing cow parts and begins destroying BSE-infected cattle. (Eventually 3.7 million cattle are killed.)

1990: British agriculture minister appears on television urging his 4-year-old daughter to eat a hamburger, assuring the public that beef is safe.

1993: Canada reports its first case of mad cow disease.

1996: The British government admits BSEinfected beef may transmit mad cow disease to humans in the form of vCJD, or variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. (The classic form of CJD previously appeared mostly in the elderly.)

1997: The United States and Canada ban cattle feed containing cow parts.

July 2001: The European Union tightens BSE testing; now, one out of four cows is screened.

September 2001: Japan reports its first case of mad cow disease.

October 2001: Japan begins BSE testing on all cattle slaughtered for human consumption.

May2003: Despite increased safety measures, scientists discover a single new case of mad cow disease in Canada.

Dec. 23, 2003: The United States reports its first case of mad cow disease in Washington state.

Dec. 30, 2003: The USDA announces new regulations on cattle slaughter, including bans on using downer cattle and mechanically separated meat for human consumption.

-Lindsey Hodel

RELATED CONTENT

But there is a problem. By the reductive logic that rules our food system, cannibalism should be as legitimate a way of eating as any other: It's all just protein, right? Yet the great unlearned lesson of BSE and other similar brain-wasting diseases is that, at the level of species or ecosystems, it isn't quite true that protein is protein. Eating the protein of your own species, for example, carries special risks. The Fore people of New Guinea were nearly wiped out by kuru, a disease which bears a striking resemblance to BSE; they spread it among themselves by ritually eating the brains of their dead kin.

Biologists think that evolution probably selected against cannibalism as a way to avoid such infections (among other things). Many animals' instinctive aversion to their own feces and to the carcasses of their species may represent similar strategies to avoid infectious microbes and parasites. Through natural selection, animals have developed what amounts to a set of hygiene rules that function much like taboos. One of the most off-putting things about factory farms is how cavalierly they flout these evolutionary rules, forcing animals to overcome deeply ingrained aversions. For their instincts we substitute antibiotics.

Page: << Previous 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >>
Bookmark and Share
RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print
FEATURED ARTICLES
MOST POPULAR


Subscribe Today - Pay Now & Save 66% Off the Cover Price

First Name: *
 Last Name: *
Address: *
 City: *
State/Province: *
 Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:
 Email:*
(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds.
Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here

Lighten the Strain on the Earth and Your Budget

Mother Earth News is the guide to living — as one reader stated — “with little money and abundant happiness.” Every issue is an invaluable guide to leading a more sustainable life, covering ideas from fighting rising energy costs and protecting the environment to avoiding unnecessary spending on processed food. You’ll find tips for slashing heating bills; growing fresh, natural produce at home; and more. Mother Earth News helps you cut costs without sacrificing modern luxuries.

At Mother Earth News, we are dedicated to conserving our planet’s natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources. That’s why we want you to save money and trees by subscribing through our Earth-Friendly automatic renewal savings plan. By paying with a credit card, you save an additional $4.95 and get 6 issues of Mother Earth News for only $10.00 (USA only).

You may also use the Bill Me option and pay $14.95 for 6 issues.