摘译自2008年2月17日ENS美国，华府报导；游佩绮编译；蔡丽伶审校
美国农业部17日发布全面回收1亿4300万磅从加州屠宰场非法屠杀牛只而制成的牛绞肉，这是美国史上最大规模的牛肉回收案件。
在美国人道协会（The Humane Society of the United States）提供其暗中调查屠宰场残忍宰杀动物的录影证据以及详细报告给州政府和联邦政府官员之后，美国政府即采取行动。
在搜证录影带中记录了西地肉品包装公司（Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company）以残忍的方式对牛只进行宰杀加工。动物无法自力站立称为「倒牛症」，虽然经过兽医的检查，但证据显示牛只在宰杀之前就已经无法行走。而且受伤的牛只不仅被殴打虐待，业者还用推高机将患有倒牛症的牛只强行推到屠宰场，过程违反加州法律。
而这当中隐藏的风险为狂牛症（mad cow disease）或是「牛的海绵样脑病变」（Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy,简称BSE），因为牛只无法走路是罹患狂牛症前期的征兆之一，所以美国农业部规定禁止将宰杀倒牛（downer cows）的加工肉品流入人类食物链。
美国农业部食品安全次长雷蒙博士（Dr. Richard Raymond）在今天紧急召开的记者会上表示，「如果消费者食用了这些回收的牛肉产品，可能隐藏着对人体健康产生不良影响的可能性。」
另外，农业部长谢弗（Ed Schafer）也表示，「他对西地肉品包装公司使用不人道的方式处理牛只，且违反食品安全规则感到惊愕。」
然而才刚就任21天的新任农业部长谢弗进一步指出，「在多重防卫措施下，这些动物不太可能有罹患狂牛症的风险，但是因为其程序违反农业部规定，必须进行回收。」
「牛的海绵样脑病变」（BSE）是一种致命的神经退化疾病，会引起受感染牛只的脑和脊椎神经海绵样病变，普遍认为这是由于感染了普恩蛋白（prions）的畸形蛋白质，而不是病毒或是细菌。普恩蛋白会经由喂养反刍动物而传播扩散，如喂养牛只的饲料中含有受污染的动物组织。
谢弗表示，1997年美国通过反刍的食物中不得含有动物蛋白质的禁令，即是安全防卫系统的一个部分。
对人类而言，这种致命的疾病为被称为新型的库贾氏症（Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease），其传染途径会透过食用受感染的动物食品或输血。至2007年6月，在英国和其他6个地方已经有165人受感染而死亡，而由于这个疾病的潜伏期很长，死亡人数预计还会再上升。
Heading: Mad Cow Scare: 143 Million Pounds of Ground Meat Recalled Authorship: WASHINGTON, DC, February 17, 2008 (ENS) English Content: Agriculture officials today ordered the recall of an unprecedented 143 million pounds of ground meat from illegally slaughtered downed dairy cows at a Chino, California slaughter plant.
The government took action after The Humane Society of the United States provided videotaped evidence and a detailed report of their undercover investigation of animal cruelty at the plant to state and federal officials.
Animals unable to stand on their own, called downer cows, that had passed a veterinary inspection but were not walking before slaughter, were processed at the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company in an inhumane manner, the videotape shows. Injured animals were beaten and prodded, and a fork lift was used to shove living downer cows onto the killing floor, contrary to California law.
The danger is mad cow disease, or BSE, bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Inability to walk is a sign of an advanced stage of mad cow disease, so U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations forbid the processing of downer cows into the human food chain.
Dr. Richard Raymond, USDA under secretary for food safety said at a hastily called news conference today, "There is a remote probability that the recalled beef products could cause adverse health effects if consumed."
Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer said he is "dismayed at the in-humane handling of cattle that has resulted in the violation of food safety regulations at the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company."
Schafer, who has been agriculture secretary for just 21 days, said, "It is extremely unlikely that these animals were at risk for BSE because of the multiple safeguards; however, this action is necessary because plant procedures violated USDA regulations."
BSE is a fatal, neurodegenerative disease that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord of infected animals. It is believed to be caused by infective prions, misshapen proteins, rather than virus or bacteria. Prions are spread by feeding ruminant animals like cows material containing contamined animal tissue.
A ban on animal protein in ruminant food was passed in the United States in 1997 as part of the safeguard system, and Scafer said.
In humans, the fatal illness is known as new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. It is spread by consuming infected animals and by blood transfusions. By June 2007, it had killed 165 people in Britain, and six elsewhere, with the number expected to rise because of the disease's long incubation period.
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http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/mi-home/ar...t=854&l=a&fid=14【心得感想】狂牛症问题严重,最好是不吃肉,吃太多肉也会造成酸性体质,对身体有害唷
