Update: Small Biz Cannot Test for Mad Cow

Tiny Creekside Farms wants to test its cattle for mad cow disease before it ships to Japan, and the Japanese customers demand it. The USDA checks no more than 1% of all cattle for mad cow disease. Big Beef fears if one small company tests for food safety, then consumers might demand all beef get tested. Big Beef got the regualtors to destroy a small conpetitor, and of course, USA regulators get straight to work.

Since the mad cow test is done on dead animals, the USDA has no say in whether a company can test or not. The USDA can only regulate treatment of live animals, not anything done to dead animals. The federal appeals court, which is part of the government and enforces big business demands, has ruled that a test done on a dead animal is a treatment on an animal. Maybe an autopsy is health care.

Anyway, now tiny Creekside must go to the US Supreme Court if it wished to sell safe beef to the Japanese.

It astonishes me when I read complaints about Chinese products, when matters are far worse here in USA.

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