April 19, 2004 Capital Times (Madison, WI) by Rob Zaleski

But having closely observed the agency for several years now -- and noticing how it always seems to put economics ahead of public health -- I've concluded that it can't be trusted. So while I know the odds of contracting the human form of mad cow are less than slim, I haven't sunk my teeth into a tenderloin or beef of any kind since a slaughtered Holstein with mad cow disease was discovered in Washington state four months ago.

And I doubt I'll be eating beef any time soon after reading about the USDA's latest suspicious move: refusing to allow Creekstone Farms, a small Kansas beef producer, to test all of its cattle for mad cow disease.

To take such a drastic step, the USDA insists, isn't scientifically warranted. Besides, it would set a bad precedent.

Creekstone, of course, isn't exactly pleased by the edict. It wants to conduct its own tests so it can resume selling its premium black Angus beef to Japan, which has banned U.S. beef ever since the infected Holstein was discovered in Washington.

That ban is costing Creekstone $280,000 a week and has forced it to lay off 50 workers. And so, faced with possible bankruptcy, it may take the matter to court.

But if the USDA's edict seems strange to the casual observer, "it makes perfect sense if you have a very cynical attitude toward the USDA's objective -- which, as I've always said, is to avoid finding any cases of mad cow disease," says John Stauber, executive director of the Madison-based Center for Media & Democracy and co-author of the 1997 book "Mad Cow USA."

(Almost as disturbing, Stauber says, was a Boston Globe story last week which disclosed that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration still hasn't implemented the stringent regulations it announced in January that would prohibit farmers from giving potentially high-risk feed to their cows.)

And Stauber isn't the only one who's skeptical.

Michael Hanson of Consumers Union in Washington, D.C. says that while he believes some in the USDA do feel Creekstone Farms' request would set a bad -- and costly -- precedent, he also believes "at some level the reason there's such resistance to really widespread testing is because they're scared of finding more infected animals. The implications of that are too upsetting."

What's particularly troubling in this case, Stauber says, is that Creekstone Farms is "a company with a great deal of integrity. And it's the type of company, frankly, whose cattle are unlikely to be affected with mad cow because it takes such care and attention in raising them."

So here you've got this responsible company that wants to go the extra mile and test its livestock and save jobs and restore consumer confidence -- the free market at its best, Stauber says. And what happens?

"The U.S. government says no, you can't do that," he says. "Apparently with the hope that the media don't pick up on this issue, that in the midst of the presidential campaign and the war and concerns about the economy, it gets slighted and ignored.

"And I honestly believe that's the bottom line here -- to keep the public blissfully ignorant and munching away on hamburgers. Because any discovery of additional mad cow cases between now and November is going to be a blow to the president's re-election bid."

Those who appreciate Stauber's role as an unflinching government watchdog will be delighted to know that he and his Media & Democracy partner, Sheldon Rampton, have yet another book coming out, called "Banana Republicans." And like their past efforts, it's certain to rattle the cages of the far right.

Among the provocative questions the book raises, Stauber says, is: "How is it that far-right ideologues have come to control every branch of the federal government? And what are the implications for democracy?

"I mean, just think about it. For the first time since early in this century, Republicans dominate all branches of government, and they're actually increasing their control. And everything from the war on terror to dealing with mad cow disease is addressed by a government essentially run by anti-government zealots. It's astonishing, really."

That it is.

Anyone for a garden burger?