Is Beef Safe? - Take Heart - Christian Vegetarian Association

Is Beef Safe?

Creekstone Farm is a producer in Kansas of hormone-free, antibiotic-free natural and premium Blank Angus beef. Its profit took a plunge when a ban was stated on the beef exports to Japan and Korea due to BSE. Since then, and with the ban partially lifted, Creekstone Farm claims that the USDA is interfering with their actions in trying to provide safe beef for its consumers. The USDA is being sued by Creekstone Farms for not allowing them to buy BSE testing kits.

The USDA's position is that BSE's incubation period is from two to eight years and that it is rare for cows younger than 30 months to show any signs of the disease. Most cattle going to slaughter in the United States are younger than 24 months, so BSE testing wouldn't be likely to discover it, even in infected cattle. Instead of offering security, testing, the USDA contended, is more likely to "produce false negative results" than reassure consumers.

To read the full article please visit Eat to live: beef company sues USDA

The conditions under which animals are raised are appalling and harbor the spread of diseases that may be passed on to humans. Testing for BSE and other diseases might not be enough to protect the consumer and could prove very costly. On the other hand, avoiding meat products seems to be an effective way to avoid these kind of diseases and prevent many others (cardiovascular, cancer, diabetes, etc.) while alleviating animal suffering.