Don't trust USDA about mad cow
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD
Amid concerns about beef's safety, the U.S. Department of Agriculture
has consistently sent a clear message: Trust us. We've got mad cow
disease under control.
The assurances warrant a heavy dose of caution from U.S. consumers, as
well as officials in Japan and elsewhere who are being urged to resume
importing American beef. Panic isn't in order, by any means. But
anyone who wants to believe the government has a firm basis for its
public assurances should pay attention to what happened last week.
The Washington Post reported that Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman
secretly began allowing imports of Canadian ground beef and other
relatively risky meat cuts last year, soon after suggesting that such
a change wouldn't occur without public debate. She kept doing so for
six months, until a federal judge ruled against an announced expansion
of imports.
Meanwhile, the Agriculture Department's inspector general confirmed an
investigation into whether an official wrongly kept a suspect cow in
Texas from being tested. The cow reportedly showed signs of central
nervous system problems, which are supposed to trigger testing.
There was also troubling news on the scientific front. The Journal of
Pathology carried findings from researchers who say up to 3,800 people
in Britain may carry the agent behind the disease's human form. Their
condition may present risks in blood donations and for attending
medical personnel in surgeries.
The risks from mad cow disease are extremely low. But federal
statements of complete confidence are clearly unfit for human
consumption
.
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