BSE IN VT.... Response to an email I got...

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

This was taken directly from the Faillace website. There are other addys below.

"Representative Kinny Connell of Warren has introduced the following resolution to the Vermont House. We are collecting names by e-mail of people from around the world, in support of the resolution. If you are interested in having your name added to the list, please send your name and address to:

aginnov@madriver.com

This resolution and the list of names will be forwarded to President Bush and Secretary Veneman. Thank you for your support!

H.R. 12 - House Resolution Referred to Committee

House resolution urging the United States Department of Agriculture to rescind its order to destroy sheep flocks in Warren and Greensboro, and to negotiate a scientifically-based and satisfactory settlement with the flocks' owners

Offered by: Representative Connell of Warren

Whereas, the Vermont Department of Agriculture, Food and Markets has, under the direction of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United States Public Health Service, imposed a quarantine on two of Vermont's sheep flocks located in Warren and Greensboro, and Whereas, this quarantine was issued based on a theoretical risk that the sheep, because of their European origin, may have been exposed to the agent believed to cause BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), commonly referred to as Mad Cow Disease, and Whereas, there is absolutely no evidence that any sheep, either in the United States or abroad, has ever contracted BSE outside a laboratory, and Whereas, this conclusion has been verified by the testing of thousands of European sheep over an eight-year period, and Whereas, these imported European sheep were carefully selected from high-quality source flocks for their documented productivity and certified outstanding health status, and Whereas, the USDA and the Vermont Department of Agriculture, Food and Markets have been officially monitoring these sheep since their arrival in Vermont in 1996, and Whereas, this intensive and continuous monitoring has not detected the presence of any signs of scrapie, BSE, or any related disease, and Whereas, the home European ancestral flocks of these sheep have been officially monitored since at least 1993 without the occurrence of scrapie, BSE, or any related disease, and Whereas, all certified feeding records from the European feed mills and flocks attest that no banned feedstuffs had ever been included in the ancestral sheep's feed, and Whereas, these same documents also prove that all of the imported sheep were born after the European feed ban was imposed, and Whereas, nearly 500 laboratory tests, from more than 100 voluntarily-submitted sheep from the two farms, have shown no evidence of BSE or any other transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, and Whereas, these crucial scientific testing results have been confirmed by several leading and highly respected scientists from the United States and Europe, and Whereas, it is widely accepted that BSE, scrapie, and related diseases would have a maximum incubation period of five years in sheep, and Whereas, testing procedures are now available that can detect these diseases in live sheep in the early stages of incubation, and others can definitively rule out infection in sacrificed sheep, and Whereas, these flocks and family farm operations are important to their local communities, and Whereas, these flocks' remarkable productivity hold very significant potential for bolstering the Vermont sheep industry, now therefore be it Resolved by the House of Representatives: That this legislative chamber urges the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to rescind its order to seize and destroy the sheep belonging to Three Shepherds Farm of Warren and Skunk Hollow Farm in Greensboro, and be it further Resolved: That the USDA is urged to facilitate the ending of the quarantine as soon as possible, and be it further Resolved: That in order to achieve this goal, the USDA and the flock owners should work together to develop a scientifically-based testing program with target dates for the lifting of the quarantine imposed on the sheep, and be it further Resolved: That the USDA is urged to explore with the flock owners ways to help the affected family farms recover from the hardships that have ensued from this situation, and be it further Resolved: That the Clerk of the House be directed to send a copy of this resolution to Commissioner of Agriculture, Food and Markets, Leon Graves; United States Secretary of Agriculture, Ann E. Veneman; and to the members of the Vermont Congressional Delegation.

Which was read and, in the Speaker's discretion, referred to the committee on Agriculture."

I hope these sites will shed more light on the subject.

Texas Animal Health Commission: http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/

USDA: http://www.usda.gov/

Ministry Of Animal Health and Welfare: http://www.maff.gov.uk/animalh/animindx.htm

Stats site from site above: http://www.oie.int/eng/info/en_esbmonde.htm

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), March 27, 2001

Answers

Vermont Sheep Are Killed in Iowa The Associated Press Tuesday, March 27, 2001; 8:32 p.m. EST

AMES, Iowa –– All 260 Vermont sheep suspected of having been exposed to a form of mad cow disease have been killed, and tissue samples were being tested Tuesday at a U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinary laboratory.

Before the flocks were sent to Iowa, four sheep tested positive in Vermont for transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, or TSE, a family of diseases that includes bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, and scrapie, a common sheep disease that doesn't affect humans.

Scientists at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory here said they were running a series of blood and tissue tests on the carcasses. They said they would know within two or three months how many of the sheep were carrying TSE.

The East Friesian milking sheep, seized from two farms in Vermont, were imported before an epidemic of mad cow disease prompted a ban on European livestock in 1997. The animals were thought to have been exposed to contaminated feed.

An epidemic of mad cow disease devastated the British beef industry in the 1990s. Nearly 100 people in Europe have died of a human form of BSE since 1995, but no cases have been confirmed in the United States.

The USDA also said Tuesday it was tracking a handful of cattle imported from Britain before the 1997 ban. None of the animals had shown any illness, said USDA spokesman Jim Rogers.

"It's my understanding they are going to be bought and destroyed, but none of them have ever entered the human or animal food chain," said Ed Curlett, a USDA spokesman.

-- Lynn Goltz (lynngoltz@aol.com), March 27, 2001.


Our paper just printed that 260 sheep were already destroyed... Been talking to Vicki about it, too. I am under the impression that they have been reimbursed for the sheep.

The USDA website said there were three families involved, but the first flock was purchased outright and the second two were ordered to be taken. I presume this is because the other families refused to sell.......

USDA says that a third party was to assess the value and decide on the dollar figure for each animal.

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), March 29, 2001.


The thing that I don't think most folks understand, and I have talked to Sue about this, is that when you import any stock you are always monitored with very strict guidlines as to where the stock is, its health and its death. At any time there is an outbreak of any disease in any country of origin of your stock, depending upon what the disease is your animals are tested or destroyed and tested. This is not some miss-communication between the USDA and the folks in Vermont, or now the herds of imported cattle in Texas that are now being slaughtered and tested. This is common knowledge. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), March 29, 2001.

Sue, I believe the USDA at one time offered $2.4 million for two of the flocks. The owners refused. Does anyone know the current status of the $ offer?

-- Lynn Goltz (lynngoltz@aol.com), March 29, 2001.

Hmmmm... I never heard a dollar figure. But if a third party was supposed to assess, I would think that's where that came from.

Linda sent out another mass email... She spoke as something in NY and the state of VT has a bill on the floor about all this.

I don't know if they were ever paid - or if they refused and are trying to get something through court or what. I should think it very stupid to go through the courts....

Its interesting to follow because both sides have 'spun' the whole thing. I can see a state legislator believing and doing whatever, but now they are in other states, too.... Don't know which side to believe anymore.....

Was watching CNN this morning..... Thank GOD those hogs tested neg. But didn't hear anything about the second bunch from same state (NC) that were also being tested, cause I am here.... Anybody know??

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), March 30, 2001.



Hi sue,

Still no word on the second batch of hogs in NC. it may take a few more days. There is a lot of concern here amongst us who raise livestock and are close to the border and our friends in NC. I just pray its not! its way too close for comfort!

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), March 31, 2001.


I guess I am on the emotional side of this issue. I think that the 2nd flock taken, which I believe is the Faillace flock, was only taken because they were related to the flock that had 4 cases of TSE (not BSE). I also believe they have ben here since 1997, no short period of time. They were taken only because of this connection, not because they showed any sign of disease. These were a flock of milking sheep. Those of you that milk cows or goats know what kind of personal relationship you can have with these animals. The USDA would have to come thru a well armed me to take any of my babies. Money is NOT the issue. That the federal government can steal and murder your property on a whim astounds me. This is the United States! I can only hope this hysteria ends before more innocent animals are killed.

-- Dianne (yankeeterrier@hotmail.com), April 03, 2001.

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