| 12/30/2003 Presidential Nominees Criticize Bush Administration Over BSE - 12/30 MeatingPlace Kerry's plan calls for a national tracking system for cattle, an increase in testing for BSE and financial assistance for farmers who will suffer from the discovery. "The current mad cow investigation underscores the urgent need for a national system to make diseased livestock easier to track and contain," Kerry, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, said in a statement. Former Vermont governor Howard Dean criticized the Bush administration over downer cows, saying the administration had killed a Senate proposal that would have prohibited meatpackers from processing non-ambulatory animals. "What's going to happen to the beef industry in the short term could have been prevented if the administration had thought more about this possibility," Dean said during a campaign speech in Iowa. Kerry said that downer animals that are being tested for the disease should not be processed until test results are received. "It's common sense, if a cow is suspect it should be tested and the results should be back before it is processed into the food supply," Kerry said in Iowa. Kerry also called for a ban on the sale of cattle brains and vertebrae. Both Dean and Kerry emphasized a need for better traceability. "We need a system of instant traceability for all cattle," Dean said in a statement. "The discovery of a single cow with BSE has effectively halted any and all beef exports from this country. A larger outbreak of BSE or some other livestock disease could devastate rural economies." Meanwhile, nominee and Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt criticized the administration for not funding country of origin labeling. "We need a president who is committed to the right of American consumers to know where their meat is coming from and not to the huge special interests that are fighting to keep safety regulations out of our food," he said in a statement. Related Link: http://www.meatingplace.com |
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