USDA protects what?

Apr 19, 2004

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently ruled that Creekstone Farms, a meatpacking company in Kansas, could NOT test all its cows for mad cow disease.

Creekstone slaughters prime Black Angus cows mostly less than 30 months old, young ones that are least likely to be infected with mad cow disease, according to the USDA. Nevertheless, the company wants to test all its cows, because it has lost its business exporting beef to Japan since the government there requires testing of all cows from countries where mad cow disease has been detected.

All the big meat packing companies that slaughter cows for ordinary customers in this country set up a howl when it heard what Creekstone wanted to do. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association President said, "If testing is allowed at Creekstone and other companies, we think it would become the international standard, and the domestic standard, too."

And that obviously is something none of the big companies want to have happen – they might turn up proof that mad cow has infected their herds!

Better to infect the population than to cut into profit – and the USDA agreed!