Re: Govt has right to block testing for mad cow disease, court rules

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Dave Wilson" <dave () wilson net>
Date: August 30, 2008 8:28:48 PM EDT
To: "David Farber" <dave () farber net>
Subject: Govt has right to block testing for mad cow disease, court  
rules

From the legal times blog, here:
http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2008/08/court-beef-expo.html

Basically a federal appeals court has ruled that the government, which  
controls test kits for mad cow disease, has the authority to prevent a  
single beef exporter from testing 100 per cent of their livestock for  
the disease.  The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) argues that  
because there is typically a minimum two year incubation period for  
the disease, and US cows are typically slaughtered before the age of  
two, 100 per cent testing would give consumers a "false sense of  
security."

As opposed to, say, the false sense of security one gets from  
government's repeated claims that US beef  is not infected with this  
disease, despite the occasional discovery of a cow that, you know, is.

What's particularly galling about this is that it flies in the face of  
the free market mantra chanted by these soulless little drones. If  
they believed in what they preach, they'd let a company test anything  
they want; but it's fairly obvious that they, at best, don't want to  
impose the burden of 100 per cent testing on the entire industry which  
would be forced to respond in kind due to competitive pressure or, at  
worst, don't want the public to understand how iffy the beef supply  
really is...

Utterly repugnant on so very many different levels. This is really one  
of the most appalling things I've ever heard of.






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