Wednesday, April 13, 2005 Back The Halifax Herald Limited
Lester Friedlander says private labs have confirmed mad cow disease in
U.S. cattle but samples from the same cows were cleared by government
labs.
U.S. covering up mad cow cases, scientist insists
By Dennis Bueckert / The Canadian Press
OTTAWA - A scientist and former inspector for the U.S Agriculture
Department says he's willing to take a lie detector test to back his
claim that his government is covering up mad cow disease.
Lester Friedlander, now a consumer advocate, was fired from his job as
head of inspections at a large meat-packing plant in Philadelphia in
1995 after criticizing what he called unsafe practices.
Friedlander said he knows U.S. Agriculture Department veterinarians
who sent suspect cow brains to private laboratories that confirmed mad
cow infection, but samples from the same animals were cleared by
government labs.
"It's several veterinarians that have given me similar stories about
sending cow brains in," he said in an interview Tuesday. "It might be
shocking for Canadians but it wouldn't be shocking for veterinarians
that have worked for the USDA.
"I'm willing to back this up with a voice stress analysis test or even
a lie detector test."
Friedlander wouldn't name the veterinarians, saying they still work
for the Agriculture Department and would be fired if identified.
The department has denied Friedlander's allegations, which were first
reported last week.
Rob McNabb, a spokesman for the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, said
it does seem puzzling that four mad cow cases have been detected in
Canadian-born cattle but none in U.S.-born cattle.
"It's true that the risk . . . is very similar, and it is surprising,"
he said.
There are 120 million cattle in the United States, 15 million in
Canada.
"I guess there's always going to be people raising the question, 'How
come it's 4-0?,' " he said.
But McNabb wouldn't comment on Friedlander's allegations.
Michael Hansen, a scientist with the U.S. Consumers Union in
Washington, said there's widespread suspicion about the testing of
three suspected cases of mad cow in U.S. cattle.
Hansen said all tests came back negative in the three cases but the
USDA used a rapid test based on immuno-histochemistry, not the Western
blot test which is considered most reliable.
"Many of the top scientists think that's insane," he said of the use
of the less reliable test.
He said there are also suspicions about a recent case in St. Angelo,
Tex., when officials at an abattoir noticed a cow was staggering and
wanted it tested, but permission was refused.
"The federal inspectors and the plant employees all wanted to test the
animal and basically (the USDA) said, 'Nah, we're not going to do
that.' So the animal was sent to rendering and was never tested."
Friedlander was in Ottawa to testify at a Commons committee examining
proposed changes to the Canadian food regulation system.
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