Might I suggest the chicken or pork this evening? Those of you planning a trip to Europe in the near or distant future should get very accustomed to this question. Over the past two decades, there has been major cause for concern in several countries within the European Union, especially in England, effectively crippling the cattle industry.
Two diseases are the cause for the ruckus: foot-and-mouth, which affects only animals, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or “mad cow” disease.
According to The Associated Press, the former, “[H]as led to the slaughter of more than 3.7 million animals and badly damaged Britain’s tourism industry.”
Considering the dismal reputation that English food has carried through the years, one would think that having less food that is already on the borderline of being fit for human consumption would do wonders for tourism! Unfortunately, that is not the case.
Furthermore, the latter of the two has proven to lead to a “[F]atal brain disorder that can exist dormant in a person for up to 10 to 15 years before activation,” according to Craig C. Freudenrich, Ph.D.
The disease can be transmitted by consuming food that has been contaminated, or from any instrumentation that has come in contact with the infected tissue.
It is believed that the cause for the disease is directly linked to what the animals are being fed. Apparently, some very creative farmers in England and France have made a habit of feeding their cows a ground-up mixture of meat and bones from select barnyard animals.
Considering the fact that the manufacturers of the aforementioned feed export the substance throughout the world, there was definite cause for concern.
In fact, last week, Japanese officials issued a statement informing the public of a BSE-infected cow in their country. As a result, Japan has banned the use of meat-and-bone (MBM) in feed products for cattle and has halted all such imports.
Though no cases of the disease have surfaced in the United States, officials are taking every measure possible to ensure the disease’s absence in the country.
I wish I could just stop there, but I feel somewhat compelled to continue with this exposé.
By far, the most appalling aspect in the current realm of bovine abuse involves the farmer’s continued practice of feeding cows human waste mixed in with their feed — an atrocity that was officially banned in the European Union over 20 years ago, yet still boasts supporters.
What I want to know is, who initially came up with the bright idea of feeding their own fecal matter to an animal that they were eventually going to consume?
Seriously, I’m a firm believer that the Holy Bible is a complete work, but it seems like there is room for an 11th Commandment here!
Do I even have to do the math to point out that this basically equates to us using our number twos as a marinade?
In their defense, the accused farmers insist, “[T]he way the feed is produced makes the bacteria contained in sewage harmless.”
Well, it appears that in Europe, animal feed is processed by essentially grabbing anything you can get your hands on, exposing it to extreme heat and putting it in a chewable, pellet form that all cows can unknowingly enjoy.
Now is this any way to treat our friends who have entertained (and fed) us for years with their antics, including, but certainly not limited to, constant flatulence and the very occasional jump over the moon?
This outbreak heartily supports the age-old theory that we reap what we sow.
Unfortunately, somebody in Europe has been sowing a mixture of animal bones with his own crap, then feeding it to cows.
Despite all of the to-do, European experts still maintain the mindset that, “There is no reason to see meat as intrinsically harmful to health.”
An unidentified spokesperson, who clearly has a firm grasp on common sense, had this to offer: “One thing you can do to be confident of the safety of meat is to cook it.”
Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. Now, I’ll have two Jumbo Jacks and a Diet Coke, please.
I spoke with a few cows regarding this matter and very little was said on their behalf. It is no surprise that these cows are mad; I would be too!
Michael Pameditis is a computer science engineering senior. He dares you to reach him at mike.pameditis@asu.edu
