pp#3

The Ban on “Downer” Cows
Although it might be too late; I think that Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer’s decision of banning “downer” cows was more than appropriate considering the affects that diseased cows could have on society. “Downer” cows are more likely to suffer from mad cow disease which is fatal for humans that come in contact with the virus.
Before we had the intelligence and ability to test animals for illnesses we would determine their health by their physical appearance and behavior. Nowadays people are tempted to push the boundaries as much as they can for the sake of money. This article is a perfect example of companies taking advantage of their consumers. Any person will admit that they would rather be served the cow that is fed well and appears healthy versus a cow that looks ill and is having trouble standing.
USDA deserves to be shut down for putting mistreated and unhealthy cows on the market. Although no illnesses have been linked to the recalled meat, that doesn’t mean the disease hasn’t affected people. It sometimes takes 2-8 years (emedicinehealth) for symptoms to become evident. As a result of the prolonged symptoms people may not discover that they are infected with this illness until it is too late, and at that point it may be impossible to trace it back to the meat recall.
143 million pounds of beef having to be recalled is unacceptable. There is not a shortage of cows so we shouldn’t feel obligated to use cows that appear unhealthy and diseased. Maybe we were better off without the technology and basing our choice of product on appearance. What is the point of having the ability of knowing whether our meat is safe or not if we aren’t going to use it?