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Are you talking about the salmonella problems? The FDA had worked up salmonella prevention regulations in the past couple of years to be enacted starting this year. They went into effect right about the same time that the outbreak cropped up with the Iowa farm. The new rules allowed them to go onto the farm, inspect, and fine the producer for not following their brand new rules, which probably wouldn't have prevented the outbreak anyway, since the outbreak was traced to a batch of infected meat and bone meal being used for feed, which is a mode of contamination that isn't even addressed in the new FDA rules...
It doesn't effect the back yard producer at all, since the rules only pertain to those with more than 3000 hens.
I read here somewhere about recent cases of ill treatment of poultry in big company premises in the US.
The UK seems to have a problem with the law not doing its job. Some years ago, a group of us at a week long conference in a good hotel became ill. The hotel manager wasn't inclined to do anything so I asked for the local Government Health Inspector to be called. We and the hotel staff were swabbed and, a month later, someone called at our homes for other samples to see whether we still had the problem. I spoke to the Inspector on the 'phone early during this period and he said that there was a problem with salmonella in the poultry industry and pointed out that we had eaten buffet lunches that included mayonnaise, eggs and chicken. He was quite clear in his description of the danger with those foods. I heard nothing after that but, having refused to pay the hotel bill until we knew the source of the sickness, I was under pressure to get this resolved. I called the Inspector and reminded him that he had suggested we had salmonella. He reacted angrily, denied having said it, denied that it was salmonella and claimed that a member of the party must have brought a virus to the conference. A few weeks later, a member of the British Cabinet in Downing Street, Edwina Curry the Health Minister no less, told us all that there was a salmonella problem in the poultry industry and it had been covered up. For her honesty she was sacked.
More recently, one of Britain's biggest turkey producers, whose marketing led one to believe the birds were all reared in Britain in a rural setting, was caught importing diseased birds from Eastern Europe. Were there no checks on them coming in to the country? Also, an animal rights group filmed some of his night worker playing football with live turkeys. The manager put in front of cameras to lie the company's way out of the problem failed and lost his job. The company was fined but carried on.
Sometimes, only public opinion and outcry will bring an appropriate outcome.
Omniskies, if the government serves those who complain and protest, then all that the consumers of home produced food need to do is shout loudest. Somehow, I don't think it's that simple. Is it votes that count or the promise of good jobs after the political gravy train is over?
Are you talking about the salmonella problems? The FDA had worked up salmonella prevention regulations in the past couple of years to be enacted starting this year. They went into effect right about the same time that the outbreak cropped up with the Iowa farm. The new rules allowed them to go onto the farm, inspect, and fine the producer for not following their brand new rules, which probably wouldn't have prevented the outbreak anyway, since the outbreak was traced to a batch of infected meat and bone meal being used for feed, which is a mode of contamination that isn't even addressed in the new FDA rules...
It doesn't effect the back yard producer at all, since the rules only pertain to those with more than 3000 hens.
I read here somewhere about recent cases of ill treatment of poultry in big company premises in the US.
The UK seems to have a problem with the law not doing its job. Some years ago, a group of us at a week long conference in a good hotel became ill. The hotel manager wasn't inclined to do anything so I asked for the local Government Health Inspector to be called. We and the hotel staff were swabbed and, a month later, someone called at our homes for other samples to see whether we still had the problem. I spoke to the Inspector on the 'phone early during this period and he said that there was a problem with salmonella in the poultry industry and pointed out that we had eaten buffet lunches that included mayonnaise, eggs and chicken. He was quite clear in his description of the danger with those foods. I heard nothing after that but, having refused to pay the hotel bill until we knew the source of the sickness, I was under pressure to get this resolved. I called the Inspector and reminded him that he had suggested we had salmonella. He reacted angrily, denied having said it, denied that it was salmonella and claimed that a member of the party must have brought a virus to the conference. A few weeks later, a member of the British Cabinet in Downing Street, Edwina Curry the Health Minister no less, told us all that there was a salmonella problem in the poultry industry and it had been covered up. For her honesty she was sacked.
More recently, one of Britain's biggest turkey producers, whose marketing led one to believe the birds were all reared in Britain in a rural setting, was caught importing diseased birds from Eastern Europe. Were there no checks on them coming in to the country? Also, an animal rights group filmed some of his night worker playing football with live turkeys. The manager put in front of cameras to lie the company's way out of the problem failed and lost his job. The company was fined but carried on.
Sometimes, only public opinion and outcry will bring an appropriate outcome.
Omniskies, if the government serves those who complain and protest, then all that the consumers of home produced food need to do is shout loudest. Somehow, I don't think it's that simple. Is it votes that count or the promise of good jobs after the political gravy train is over?
