"pearl" > wrote in message
...
> USDA vets question agency's mad cow lab
> By Steve Mitchell
> United Press International


> "The USDA has such a cohesive relationship with industry" that it
> wants to protect the $70 billion beef industry more than consumers,
> the veterinarian said, and noted colleagues with whom he is in close
> contact think the agency's mad cow surveillance program "is a
> laughing matter."
>
"cohesive relationship" lol
Actually the USDA (Inc) is the industry.
The head PR wench, and the No.2 guy both came to the agency from the
Cattleman's Ass'n.

Think it was this same wire service, upi, that's been trying for many months
to get documentation to verify the USDA
claim that they tested 20k cows.

Imo, it's much ado about nothing. Recalling the major outbreak in the UK,
about a dozen yrs ago (?), you'd think by now there's scientific proof
that humans can catch it from cows. (the 140 or so, deaths in UK were not
randomly distributed, they tended to occur in clusters).
I suspect there's some other culprit than those prions, but all the research
funding is limited to prions.