It arrived in Render’s office as a breaking news e-mail just two days before Christmas: “First U.S. Case of Mad Cow Disease Suspected.” Some predicted it would happen; others prayed it never would.
Although it was subsequently verified that the infected cow in Washington was imported from Canada, that determination hasn’t lessened the impact on the U.S. beef and rendering industries. Prices for products have plummeted. Export markets have ceased. Animal rights groups and vegetarians are all proclaiming, “I told you so.” But the world of beef, and rendering, isn’t coming to an end; however, these two industries will never be the same.
The discovery of the one cow in Washington proved one thing: that the system works. The safeguards that have been in place for years – the testing of suspect cattle, the ruminant feeding bans – all worked. While it is still early in the investigation, no other cattle have tested positive in the United States. No other cattle in Canada, where one case emerged last May in Alberta, have tested positive either.
Yes, it’s disconcerting that the disease has been found in North American cattle at all, but level heads, and science, must prevail. This discovery is not an “outbreak,” as the media keeps declaring, and the risk of transmission to consumers who eat beef is miniscule, at best. That is a message that needs repeating.
The important role animal proteins play in animal nutrition also needs repeating, which Render is doing in this issue in Tech Topics on page 26. The contribution meals and fats make in swine diets has been well documented over the years and we’re repeating that message.
The rendering industry will change, that’s a given. But its importance to animal agriculture won’t, and that’s a message worth repeating.
February 2004 Render