US Case of Mad Cow Disease

[Annie]

Futures?

 

[MtnBiker]

I wasn't commenting on futures, but supply. The U.S. will have a larger supply now, demand always drops after the first of the year anyway. Those factors will cause the market price to drop. It probably take a few weeks to work through current priced inventories though.

 

[Annie]

Ahh, see what you mean. South Korea just joined Japan on ban.

 

[MtnBiker]

I'm not sure but I believe both Japan and South Korea had bans on Canadian beef as well. Those countries have had a growing demand for beef in recent years. They will want the problem resolved quickly. Kobe beef was already really expensive, I can't imagine how much it will be now.

 

[Annie]

That seems to be the case. Japan had a huge fall in beef consumption due to mad cow and is doing everything within their power to prevent reoccurance.

I hope Issac Brock sees that.

 

[MtnBiker]

Originally posted by Palestinian Jew
Ranchers aren't doing well in America, b/c the 2 Beef companies in america make sure they sell their cattle at below average prices so they can buy dirt cheap.

PJ, what do you mean by this? The cattle compaines are making the growers sell their product a under market prices?

 

[Annie]

I don't know where he gets his info. I searched for 'beef packers' and came up with this:

http://www.cattlebuyersweekly.com/information/marketshare/beefpackers.html

THERE'S A CHART, WHICH I CAN'T COPY


Top 30 U.S. Beef Packers 1999


Cattle Buyers Weekly's (CBW) annual ranking of the Top 30 Beef Packers is based on maximum daily slaughter capacity at U.S. plants that currently operate under common ownership and/or management. Plant numbers include slaughter plants only. Unless otherwise stated, sales are company total. ConAgra Beef Company’s sales of $6.7 billion are for ConAgra, Inc.’s total U.S. fresh meat sales. Cattle type refers both to preferred type and slaughter mix between fed and non-fed cattle. Asterisk (*) refers to CBW’s own estimate.

 

[MtnBiker]

This just in from Tyson.

 

[Graeme Kessey]

Mtnbiker,
I don't know if you eat hamburgers,steak or any meat at all. To find about origin of the meat maybe you could ask Cargills.
I know when I worked for Cargills it was 60% export 40% domestic. Our main contract was with Woolworths Supermarket. For domestic consumption.

Have a beer for the holidays

Graeme.

 

[Graeme Kessey]

Great photo but have you talked to the chooks.


Have one more drink!

Graeme.

 

[MtnBiker]

Graeme if this thread gets much longer I'm going to be drunk.
Yes I do eat meat and enjoy it very much. However when consumers go to the grocery store there is no indication of where the beef came from. The grocery store will know and the butcher, but it is not a practice to label or advertise the country of origin. I have seen USDA Choice or Prime on restaurant menus to indicate a certian grade of beef. I have not seen Austrailan or Canadian mentioned on a menu. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, it just isn't very common. And as far as hamburger goes I know a big percentage of it is imported beef. Americans eat alot of hamburgers. BTW I have had Austrailan beef, striploin and filet steaks. There is a noticeable difference in taste but that is not suprising, as there should be. Just a difference in climate and grazing vegetation, not to mention it must take weeks to transport beef on ships to the U.S.
Cheers

 

[MtnBiker]

Originally posted by Graeme Kessey
Great photo but have you talked to the chooks.

I know we are both speaking english but I don't know what the hell you are saying.:
You are going to have to keep explaining to us these words and phrases you are using.

 

[Isaac Brock]

Originally posted by Kathianne
That seems to be the case. Japan had a huge fall in beef consumption due to mad cow and is doing everything within their power to prevent reoccurance.

I hope Issac Brock sees that.

I can appreciate it, but it is not the correct reaction. You are many more times more likely to fall ill and die due to undercooking of meat than to catch mad cow disease. It's a matter of scale, and frankly mad cow is more hype than anything. As long as its controlled, it's not the end-of-the-world it is portrayed to be.

 

[Annie]

I hear you, but you must remember that people act not just rationally, but also by 'feelings'. Most naturally will avoid something that 'might' make cause them problems. Hence, my initial reaction to the gov't just finding out, then saying everything is just fine. I feel the same way when they say some nuclear material has 'gone missing', but never fear, they are 'sure' it's not terror related. Of course, they have been correct so far, but still one has that 'niggling' worry.

 

[Annie]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3543777,00.html

HEY NOTE CANADA'S RESPONSE, FOR ONCE THEY CAN SAY, 'WE TOLD YOU SO':

TOKYO (AP) - Japan and South Korea halted imports of U.S. beef on Wednesday after a cow in Washington state tested positive for mad cow disease, depriving American exporters of two of their largest overseas markets.

Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan and Australia followed suit.

Japan's Agriculture Ministry said the ban applied to beef and beef products and took effect immediately.

``Until its safety can be confirmed, we decided to ban U.S. beef imports for the time being starting today,'' said Yasuo Fukuda, the Japanese government's top spokesman. ``We plan to recall meat products that might contain bits from cattle brains and spinal cords.''

In Seoul, South Korea, the government halted customs inspection of U.S. beef, effectively preventing the meat from reaching the domestic market.

South Korea's Agriculture and Forestry Ministry said it also suspended sales of all U.S. beef already on the market as a precaution.

Japan, South Korea and Mexico are the world's top importers of U.S. beef, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation. There was no word late Tuesday night of any actions by Mexico.

The federation said imports during 2002 totaled $842 million for Japan, $610 million for South Korea and $595 million for Mexico. However, the federation said Mexico was the largest importer in terms of volume, bringing in 349,900 tons.

Singapore, which has imported $7 million worth of beef this year, announced an immediate ban. Malaysia temporarily suspended its imports - about a third of Singapore's - as well.

In Canada, where a single case of the disease was found in May, federal officials said late Tuesday that imports wouldn't be banned unless the suspected case was confirmed.

Dr. Brian Evans, chief veterinary officer of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said Canada was confident about the U.S. monitoring system, but would take appropriate action if there were any significant new developments over the next 48 hours.

Australia - a major beef exporters that stands to gain economically from a bans on U.S. imports - placed a temporary hold on American beef, Agriculture Minister Warren Truss said Wednesday.

``The Australian Government has decided to temporarily hold beef products imported from the U.S.A. at the border pending more information,'' Truss said in a statement.

Australia does not import fresh beef from the United States, only beef extract and dairy products that carry no risk of transmitting the disease, Australian officials said.

Stock in beef exporter Australian Agricultural Co. Limited jumped nearly 13 percent Wednesday in anticipation of new sales opportunities.

The actions by the Asian nations came just hours after the U.S. government announced that a Holstein cow on a Washington state farm tested positive for mad cow disease, marking the disease's first suspected appearance in the United States.

``If it's anything like what happened in Canada, it will be bad. The problem won't be that people will stop eating meat in the United States; the problem is the exports will be shut down like we did with Canada,'' said U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn.

Japanese authorities have been especially leery about mad cow disease since the nation's herds suffered the first recorded outbreak of the disease in Asia in September 2001, causing meat consumption to plunge. Consumption has since rebounded.

There didn't appear to be much panic at Yoshinoya, a ``gyu-don'' meat and rice restaurant chain where 99 percent of the beef is American.

``I knew about it, but when you get sick, you get sick,'' Naoki Enokida, a 32-year-old salesman for electronics company, said about the U.S. beef scare as he walked out after lunch in Tokyo. ``If people continue to make a big fuss about it, then I may stop coming here.''

Japan quarantined 604 cows in October to prevent the spread of the disease after authorities confirmed that a 23-month-old bull had a new strain of the bovine illness - the nation's eighth case.

Tokyo moved ahead with the ban despite assurances from U.S. officials that the American beef supply was safe. Japan banned the import of Canadian beef after a single case of the disease was confirmed in Ottawa on May 20, and Tokyo had expressed concern that some Canadian beef could slip into Japan via the United States.

While fresh imports have been banned, there was no widespread rush to pull American beef from supermarket shelves. A spokesman for Ito-Yokado, Japan's largest supermarket chain, said the retailer had faith in the safety of the beef already on its shelves and would sell its stocks.

Ito-Yokado imports its U.S. beef from herds in the midwest, far from where the infected Holstein was discovered in Washington state, the spokesman said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Taiwan said U.S. beef could face a seven-year export ban. Thailand's Department of Livestock Development said it has banned imports of beef from the United States.

 

[Isaac Brock]

Originally posted by Kathianne
I hear you, but you must remember that people act not just rationally, but also by 'feelings'. Most naturally will avoid something that 'might' make cause them problems. Hence, my initial reaction to the gov't just finding out, then saying everything is just fine. I feel the same way when they say some nuclear material has 'gone missing', but never fear, they are 'sure' it's not terror related. Of course, they have been correct so far, but still one has that 'niggling' worry.

Indeed, but as qualified (hopefully ) elected officials, politicians SHOULD be able to put aside populist sentiment in order to acheive what is the best for there nation. However, we both know that rational sentiment is not a character trait of politicians.

I would never ever wish terrorism again on the soils of any nation. However, that being said, i wouldn't worry too much about this case. Mad Cow Disease, believe it or not, is a naturally occurring, but rare natural disease. It exists in the wild and can outbreak from time to time. I, for one, think the media has completely ignored that fact causing, as they usually do, widespread paranoia.

 

[Johnney]

, for one, think the media has completely ignored that fact causing, as they usually do, widespread paranoia.

Surley you jest.... you mean the media would do sucha thing as that!!!!!!!!!!????????

 

[Palestinian Jew]

Sorry, I should have said 3 companies, but now there is really only one, IBP/Tyson. The other two are ConAgra and another which escapes my mind right now. I get my information from my readings, the best being "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser, and my father who has for the past 10 years been fighting the meat monopolies and trying to help farmers and ranchers unite.

Ranchers in America will never be able to compete with the monstrous meat packing firms until they come together, but they won't because they are farmers for the very reason to be independent, so they remain in very low levels of wealth.

The meat packing firms are able to control prices by having their own cattle and so when prices begin to rise, they flood the market with their cattle thus hurting the ranchers of America. Sure, there are some ranchers who benefit from the system, but that is a very slim amount.

The factory conditions are reminiscent of the early 1900s Beef Trust era. Workers regularly get injured, the company doesn't want to get fined so they tell the worker he won't get any benefits if he tells, and it is all kept secret. I could make an entire thread about the people that have to clean the place at night.

But on topic, BSE or mad cow disease is a very serious problem. Usually when one has been detected, it means there are many more, which has been the case throughout Europe. It comes from animals eating other animals, so if one cow is infected, most likely another is b/c it was fed the same stuff many other cattle were.

The reason why BSE was so common in England was b/c they ate a lot of organs that it is primarily found in, intestines, brains, and so on. And the majority of people infected the English govt said were "keen on beef".

It is unknown how much quantity of tainted meat one has to eat, or how long the incubation period is. Current research is showing it probably is 40 years, which means Europe will have a REAL problem before too long.

 

[Johnney]

i used to work at a IBP in Illinois. talk abotu fucking disgusting! i used to work on the line when they jsut got butchered, they would come through this little room that had these leads with electricity, big fuckers would all be jerkin around. mess as hell too. blood and guts all over the place. used to rip the access off and throw it at people. nothing liek a nice clean supervisor getting hit with hot guts...lol

 

[lilcountriegal]

i used to work at a IBP in Illinois. talk abotu fucking disgusting! i used to work on the line when they jsut got butchered, they would come through this little room that had these leads with electricity, big fuckers would all be jerkin around. mess as hell too. blood and guts all over the place. used to rip the access off and throw it at people. nothing liek a nice clean supervisor getting hit with hot guts...lol

LOL.. thanks for the visual Johnney. I'll be sure to remember this as I'm eating Christmas dinner tomorrow.