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Important info. on cows again
robsguns
Member Posts: 4,581 ✭✭
This is paraphrased from Countryside & Small Stock Journal.
My wife read this article and highlighted the important stuff, and now she is going to read this off to me while I type it in for you guys. I THINK ITS IMPORTANT ENOUGH FOR THAT. This article still leaves a lot of questions for me, but it raises the level of suspicion about the regulations regarding the beef/dairy industry, and leads me to think we need some serious changes in the industry, not only to prevent the spread of diseases amongst the cattle, but the spread of diseases to people as well. (Read mad cow disease)
Title: Can your cow make you sick?
Written by: Deborah Ridings from Cummings, GA
A friend found an article on Bovine Lukemia Virus, which he passed on to me. We own six cows 3 for beef and 3 for dairy so I decided to have them checked.
The vet. said they tested negative for BOV, however, our neighbor's cows tested positive. Our neighbor called the dairy at Clemson and asked the heardsmen who had sold her the cows if he knew the cows were sick and tested positive for BOV. He told her that 75% of their herd tested positive year around and it was not his problem. They only produce pounds of milk and it was up to the processor to clean it up.
This led me to call the Dept. of Agr. in GA. I spoke with a vet there and she advised me that I was in for an uphill battle against the industry if I chose to expose this.
The danger seems to lie mostly in the fact that the milk and milk products are consumed raw here at our home. There is no proof that the virus can or will actually produce lukemia in humans, but then no one can tell me with 100% certainty that it can not pass to humans. When I checked with the organic consumers association, I was told that the state of WI, the dairy capital of this country, does not even have a state sponsored testing program for this! Yet they slaughter dairy cows by the hundreds of thousands every year at very early ages. Are they slaughtered for beef before they become symptomatic? Is there also a connection in pet foods using these diseased meat products and the rate of animals contracting people diseases? By the way, cows can and do get BIv(cow's aids) but the testing programs for that were pulled. Beef cows can also get it, but it is not as prevelant in them because most folks who raise beef do not raise dairy at the same place. Beef cows are also slaughtered at early ages, so no one knows if they are carriers or not. Our advice to others: Do not purchase any cows, beef or dairy, unless you know that they have been tested for BOV. The cost turned out to be only $25.00, plus the house call by the vet. Ask for the results in writing. For further info. on this subject, type in Bovine Lukemia Virus on the internet. Also, www.notmilk.com Merck/Meril, the drug company, has a web site and a volume on the subject alone, but only the symptoms, there is no cure. Some cows carry it and never become full blown while others become symptomatic and die or are slaughtered for beef. Pasteurization will kill the virus if it is done at high enough temp. and for long periods of time, but the parameters set by the USDA are neither high or long enough. The dairy industry trade magazine Hoard's Dairyman admits that you cant always tell by looking if a cow is a carrier of the disease, until they develop lymphatic sarcomas! Private farms are the safest way to be sure, but they to need to be tested. This disease can also be spread to other livestock through blood, mosquitoes, birthing stalls/areas, etc.
"Never argue with an idiot.... They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience."
"I don't have an attitude problem, you have a perception problem."
Ryan
My wife read this article and highlighted the important stuff, and now she is going to read this off to me while I type it in for you guys. I THINK ITS IMPORTANT ENOUGH FOR THAT. This article still leaves a lot of questions for me, but it raises the level of suspicion about the regulations regarding the beef/dairy industry, and leads me to think we need some serious changes in the industry, not only to prevent the spread of diseases amongst the cattle, but the spread of diseases to people as well. (Read mad cow disease)
Title: Can your cow make you sick?
Written by: Deborah Ridings from Cummings, GA
A friend found an article on Bovine Lukemia Virus, which he passed on to me. We own six cows 3 for beef and 3 for dairy so I decided to have them checked.
The vet. said they tested negative for BOV, however, our neighbor's cows tested positive. Our neighbor called the dairy at Clemson and asked the heardsmen who had sold her the cows if he knew the cows were sick and tested positive for BOV. He told her that 75% of their herd tested positive year around and it was not his problem. They only produce pounds of milk and it was up to the processor to clean it up.
This led me to call the Dept. of Agr. in GA. I spoke with a vet there and she advised me that I was in for an uphill battle against the industry if I chose to expose this.
The danger seems to lie mostly in the fact that the milk and milk products are consumed raw here at our home. There is no proof that the virus can or will actually produce lukemia in humans, but then no one can tell me with 100% certainty that it can not pass to humans. When I checked with the organic consumers association, I was told that the state of WI, the dairy capital of this country, does not even have a state sponsored testing program for this! Yet they slaughter dairy cows by the hundreds of thousands every year at very early ages. Are they slaughtered for beef before they become symptomatic? Is there also a connection in pet foods using these diseased meat products and the rate of animals contracting people diseases? By the way, cows can and do get BIv(cow's aids) but the testing programs for that were pulled. Beef cows can also get it, but it is not as prevelant in them because most folks who raise beef do not raise dairy at the same place. Beef cows are also slaughtered at early ages, so no one knows if they are carriers or not. Our advice to others: Do not purchase any cows, beef or dairy, unless you know that they have been tested for BOV. The cost turned out to be only $25.00, plus the house call by the vet. Ask for the results in writing. For further info. on this subject, type in Bovine Lukemia Virus on the internet. Also, www.notmilk.com Merck/Meril, the drug company, has a web site and a volume on the subject alone, but only the symptoms, there is no cure. Some cows carry it and never become full blown while others become symptomatic and die or are slaughtered for beef. Pasteurization will kill the virus if it is done at high enough temp. and for long periods of time, but the parameters set by the USDA are neither high or long enough. The dairy industry trade magazine Hoard's Dairyman admits that you cant always tell by looking if a cow is a carrier of the disease, until they develop lymphatic sarcomas! Private farms are the safest way to be sure, but they to need to be tested. This disease can also be spread to other livestock through blood, mosquitoes, birthing stalls/areas, etc.
"Never argue with an idiot.... They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience."
"I don't have an attitude problem, you have a perception problem."
Ryan
Comments
And do you think it can be spread to poulty? I haven't eaten beef or pork for years but I do drink milk and eat cheese, eggs, fish and poultry.
When guns were invented everything changed. For the first time in the history of the world a frail woman had a chance to sucessfully defend herself and home. My dream is that one of the anti-gun nuts will need a gun for defense and be unable to have one because of their own actions.
For the most part, we dont eat beef very much either. As there isnt much you can do to cook it out, apparently, you just have to live with the results from eating it. We drink powdered milk, have for a long time, so milk isnt an issue, I hope. The main thing I posted this for, was to alert people of the issue at hand, in the dairy industry, as well as the beef, to keep them informed of the issues we may be facing in the future. It may also be helpful those people that are interested in raising their own cattle, that would not know of these problems, otherwise. I and a partner have some of our own in MO, and I did not know of these problems, but I will discuss it with him as soon as I can reach him by phone. Its really an issue for the people raising cattle to insure the safety of the people consuming the cattle products/by products.
Its also an issue that could eventually affect hunters and their outlook on deer consumption, as its not known if the diseases are directly transferable among wild game of the deer species.
While I'm not an alarmist, I do think this is something that should be getting a little more attention by those who may be able to prevent its spread, as well as those that raise cattle, and those of us that hunt deer, so as to be on the look out for signs of ill health in what we shoot.
GHD, has educated me a bit on what some farmers that raise cattle go through to ensure they have a safe product, but that is not a guarantee that that all cattle men do.
Who would ever have thought you could get sick from Bessie the cow at home?
"Never argue with an idiot.... They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience."
"I don't have an attitude problem, you have a perception problem."
Ryan
When guns were invented everything changed. For the first time in the history of the world a frail woman had a chance to sucessfully defend herself and home. My dream is that one of the anti-gun nuts will need a gun for defense and be unable to have one because of their own actions.
I dont know, why is there? Maybe because you dont feel this matter is important, and I do, and that makes me a nut to you? I dont know, whatever, makes no diff. I'm just passing the info. along.
If you think Judge Dread suddenly transformed in me, then you obviously dont know JD, or me. Kind of funny actually, cause you dont, now do you?
By the way, JD has never been able to make a complete sentence without a grammar error, unless he copied and pasted it. Thats a dead give away that I'm not him.[:D]
Hmm...thats weird, JD became a member 21 days after I did. Odd how close we joined up, isnt it? I had to look, just to make sure he isnt me. I'll have to check on this Msrobsguns and make sure she isnt me either, seems suspect doesnt it? Oh yeah, and JD knows how to post pics. and I dont. Scary, he's smarter than I am.
"Never argue with an idiot.... They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience."
"I don't have an attitude problem, you have a perception problem."
Ryan
When guns were invented everything changed. For the first time in the history of the world a frail woman had a chance to sucessfully defend herself and home. My dream is that one of the anti-gun nuts will need a gun for defense and be unable to have one because of their own actions.
A fine example of the internet not being the greatest example of communication, at all times.
It would seem that my perception of your question, was also flawed, though I assure you, anger was not in my reply, just irritation. Dont sweat it, it happens.
Mad cow disease? Yeah, I could have it, or mad camel, what ever I was eating in Iraq.[:(]
"Never argue with an idiot.... They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience."
"I don't have an attitude problem, you have a perception problem."
Ryan
"If it can be misunderstood, it will be."
Had to do with the absence of voice inflections, body language (of both the sender and receiver), and in come cases, poor choice of words.
I always prefer the "look 'em in the eyeball" communicaitons, but a lot of folks don't.
Now what the heck possessed me to write this?...[?]
Rafter-S