Friday, June 24, 2005
Downer
Another case of mad cow in the US. Reassuring words from the government.
“This animal was blocked from entering the food supply because of the firewalls we have in place. Americans have every reason to continue to be confident in the safety of our beef,” he (Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns ) said.
However…
The animal was a “downer,” meaning it was unable to walk. Such animals are banned from the food supply.
What is unsaid here is that only downers are pulled from the food supply. Only cows that are visibly ill are tested.
Which means that if a cow is not visibly ill, it enters the food supply. It becomes burgers and steaks for humans, while the more “non-traditional” parts are rendered into animal food.
And people wonder why I don’t eat mammals…