Holy Cow

It's probably the USA'S 2nd case of mad cow disease, as an older beef animal has tested positive for the deadly condition but will undergo further tests at a British lab to confirm the results.

The only US confirmed case of mad cow disease, or BSE, was found in December 2003 in a Washington state dairy cow. That discovery halted billions of dollars worth of American beef exports and raised eyebrows about the safety of the US food supply.

The Agricultural Secretary, Mike Johanns said the new suspected case involved an older beef animal which was chosen for testing because it was a "downer" animal that could not walk when it arrived at the slaughterhouse and the animal's carcass never entered the human food or livestock feed supply. "This animal was a downer animal and did not get into the food or feed chain. There just is no risk whatsoever."

Who are they kidding? Why would only 1 beef animal - I think he means "cow" - have the disease? Scary scary stuff and more reason to stop eating this beautiful animal.

About 5 years ago I had the great pleasure of reading Ruth L. Ozeki's "My Year of Meats". It was the fantastic cover artwork that originally pulled me, and then the title, and then I really enjoyed the story. It's a cool blend of satirical fact and fiction. I had stopped eating cow several years beforehand, and I'm sure anyone still eating cow whilst reading this will never look at their steaks the same way again. I've just done some searching and this very talented woman has her own weblog.