From my understanding, some of the beef organizations have a huge war chest for a media blitz if something like this were to ever happen.
Folks, think about it, we (USA) were able to identify ONE cow out of millions that are slaughtered as being infected. WE do have the safest food supply in the world.
That being said, we (cattle producers) will now pay the price for closing the canadian border as some countries (Japan and at least 9 others so far) have banned US Beef.
Its also noteworthy that this animal was a holstein (not a beef breed) and was a cull from a milking herd. Mad Cow is not found in young (less than 24 months) animals. Also cattle get it from eating other infected animals (cows, sheep, etc), in the form of blood meal and other supplements. This type of feed has been banned for over 12 years in the united states. It is unlikely that the infected cow got it either in the USA or recently. It will be interesting to see where the cow originated. The rumor here (SE Idaho) is that the infected cow or herd originated in Canada.
For those of you that buy beef from the store: I would suggest paying a higher price and buying beef graded either choice or prime. Beef that comes from older animals will not grade that high, and generally,it takes a "beef breed" such as angus to make that grade. Also look for burger labeled ground chuck(stuff that is ground from a specific muscle, rather than pieces and parts) You can't get infected from eating the "whole muscle" cuts, only spinal and brain tissue.
Best idea, go to your local cattleman where you can view the health conditions yourself and buy a beef for your freezer.
