Canada, as one of our largest import countries for cattle, allows American corporations to pay less for cattle of relatively the same quality as the average American heifer….the difference? Feed regulations for Canadian cattle are much more lenient and have been statistically shown to have high amounts of contaminants that cause Mad Cow’s Disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy)
Eat With Caution
The implementation of a “Feed Ban” limits corporations’ use of animal proteins in cattle feed, however the level of regulation for these feed bans is sub par. In 1997, Canada passed a Feed Ban law, limiting the amount of animal proteins in feed, however the Enhanced Feed Ban law (which would prohibit ANY use of animal protein in feed) is having a hard time getting through the legislation process.
According to an article from The Cattle Network:
“The current U.S. feed ban – which is weaker than the feed ban initially implemented in Canada and found to be insufficient to halt the spread of Canada’s level of BSE infectivity – is likewise inadequate to prevent the amplification and spread of BSE that USDA has forecast to be continually introduced into the U.S. from Canadian cattle.”
How many people have to get sick before these self-interested corporations shape up their act? Allowing high-risk cattle to be imported from Canada and subsequently distributed to consumers is downright irresponsible. I don’t eat red meat, so I don’t really face this issue, but this is just another example of why you must always be cautious of what you eat.
Just because it has a USDA grade A stamp on it, does not mean it is free of disease-causing pathogens. and on TOP of all this, even though we KNOW that much of our high-risk meat is coming in from Canada, our import of Canadian cattle increased 7.31% since last year! Despite all it knows about the imminent danger of this situation, the FDA is still delaying the pass of an Enhanced Feed Ban in America. Why? Money matters I might infer…..
The primary goal should be lowering the risk of Mad Cow’s Disease, because nothing costs more than a law suit. If you’re going to be a big shot businessman, best start thinking like one eh?
