boy, they really have leadership down to a science in this administration, don't they.

[sisyphusshrugged]

According to Agriculture Secretary Ann Venneman, when her department allowed beef to be imported from Canada despite the ban that was imposed to keep out BSE, no-one told her about it.

A total of 7.3 million pounds of processed beef products from Canada that should not have been allowed into the U.S. were shipped across the border since September, said Elsa Murano, undersecretary for food safety.

The products came from beef that in its raw form would have been allowed into the U.S. and posed no risk to human health, said Ron DeHaven, administrator of the department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. He said the decisions that allowed the products into the U.S. were made by technical working groups.

Senator Kent Conrad, a Democrat from North Dakota, yesterday called on President George W. Bush to fire Veneman over the controversy.

``The USDA has secretly and selectively violated it own publicly announced ban on the importation of processed beef from Canada,'' Conrad said in a letter to Bush. He called the incident a threat to U.S. efforts to open export markets closed after the U.S. discovered a case of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, in Washington state in December.

Conrad said the incident is ``so damaging to the credibility and integrity of the USDA'' that Bush should demand Veneman's resignation.

The White House rejected Conrad's demand. ``She's handled the BSE matter very deftly, taking quick action to protect the American food supply,'' said White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan. ``The president thinks Veneman's been doing an outstanding job.''

The U.S. banned cattle and beef products from Canada last may after mad cow disease was found in Alberta. The ban was eased in August to allow for imports of cuts of boneless beef from animals under 30 months old. A federal judge last month blocked an Agriculture Department decision to further relax the ban.

So, the courts decided they couldn't do it and they did it anyway. No harm, no foul, though, right?

Raise your hands if you think seven million pounds of "processed beef" contained nothing but cuts of boneless beef from animals less than 30 months old.

OK, now go buy some vegetables for dinner, come back and read this.

Comments

[cheshyre]

Why am I reminded of Andrew Jackson?
"The Court made its decision; now let them enforce it!"

[spiderfarmer.livejournal.com]

Fortunately for me, as a firm believer that cows were put here as food...because they're useless for anything else...I live in cattle country, and there is an organic, pasture fed, cattle ranch not too far up the road that sells directly to the public. So, yay!