Happy To Be In Beef Business
By Trent LoosWhat a difference a day can make. December 23, 2003 will not soon be forgotten in the world of food production. So many things have happened in the first week since the discovery of a BSE positive cow in Washington that any “news” more than one hour old can be considered dated. Earlier today I overheard people talking about what they had heard on the news about “Mad Cow” (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy). One young man learned from CNN that 1/3 of all beef produced in the United States was exported to Japan. The fact is 1/3 of our beef exports go to Japan but only 10% of the beef we produce is exported.
In the first week, the reporting has been fairly fair and factual. As with any facts, by the time they are repeated numerous times a little distortion sets in. Despite the balanced reports, we have still planted seeds of fear about contracting this disease from beef. As I walked into a gas station for a cup of coffee I overheard one gentleman say, “The good news is that I am not in the beef business”.
What is left for producers to do? A lot. Bits of information will continue to be distorted here and there. Here is your chance as producers to reconnect with consumers. We must set the record straight about the safety and wholesomeness of our product to a group of consumers that are now hungrier than ever for information about the source of their food.
I have done a little computing and according to my calculations, your odds of contracting variant CJD are about 1 in 40 million. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that your odds of contracting sexually transmitted diseases are 1 in 4. I don’t recall many news stories about the current social pressures that could lead you to a promiscuous lifestyle, but I realize that the same people who produce movies for entertainment also bring us the “news.”
The low risk of contracting vCJD from beef should be our emphasis. The CDC reports that, as of now, only 153 people have ever died from the vCJD. While there has been no scientific proof that consuming beef from an animal positive to BSE actually causes vCJD, the prion or agent is exactly the same, consequently they assume it is the cause. Furthermore, unless you are consuming brain or spinal tissue, you are not at risk. Thousands of cattle were confirmed positive for BSE in the EU yet only 153 people actually contracted the disease.
The main stream media has also failed to mention that BSE only infects cattle 30 months of age or older. The vast majority of skeletal muscle beef consumed would be from fed cattle under 30 months of age, again eliminating the risk of contracting the disease. It seems to be easy for American consumers to have fear of the unknown which sprout from the seeds planted by the media and special interest groups. More people die in the United States from automobile/deer collisions (150) every year than have died from vCJD in all of history. The odds of dying in an automobile crash are actually 1 in 242, yet people will drive to work and talk about the dreaded prion disease.
No doubt the average citizen has the impression that most of the cattle in the country are consolidated on a couple corporate farms. In fact, there are 831,000 beef cow herds in the US and 80% of these herds have less than 50 cows and produce 30% of the nation’s calves. Therefore, one contaminated herd does not pose a risk to the entire beef population. A recent Iowa State report suggests that the beef industry directly and indirectly represents $188.4 billion to the U.S. economy.
So what is different today about being in the beef industry than before December 23? In reality, nothing has changed except perceptions. We have safeguards in place to protect the safety of the domestic food production. We have consumers asking more questions about who, how and where their food is produced. The question is, “Who is going to step up to the feed bunk and answer the call?”
This is your opportunity to feed a listening audience you haven’t previously had. Don’t wait until your local radio station, TV station or newspaper sends out the wrong message. Call them today and tell them, “I am your source of information about Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and yes I am happy to be in the beef business.”
