Mark Thorson wrote:
> Read about it he
>
> http://winnipegsun.com/News/Canada/2...3/5964651.html
>
> Although Canada continues to find mad cows,
> the U.S. has slashed its testing program
> from 759,000 animals tested during 2004-2006,
> to about 40,000 per year since then.
>
> http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publicatio...ongoing_vs.pdf
>
> The USDA presently refuses to allow private
> companies to test for BSE in their cattle,
> because that would reveal the true extent
> of the epidemic in U.S. herds.
>
> http://www.madcowblog.com/2008/05/ar...-test-for-bse/

No, they refuse to allow it because the beef lobbyists work for large
producers, and it would cut into their profits to have to test, and the
smaller boutique ranchers, the ones who want to do testing, would be
more price competitive. It's about small percentage differences in
profitability, not widespread BSE infection.

--Bryan