Mad-Cow-gate

From The Capitol Times, yesterday:

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Now that the first case of mad cow disease in the United States has been confirmed, Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman's subservience to the agribusiness interests she once served as a lobbyist is no longer merely troublesome. It's dangerous.

Veneman was put in charge of the Department of Agriculture by President Bush because he knew the longtime advocate for the genetic modification of food, factory farming and free trade policies that favor big agribusiness over family farmers and consumers could be counted on to choose the side of business interests over the public interest.

Veneman did just that when she announced that mad cow disease had been found in the United States. Instead of offering a realistic response to the news, she was still doing public relations for agribusiness. She declared the case was isolated, praised the USDA for a "swift and effective" response, and discounted any risk to human health.

Unfortunately, because of the USDA's lax approach to inspections and regulation, Venemen has no idea whether she is right....

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Get the whole article here.