Mad Cow Disease in the US

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The US meat industry is scrambling to contain the damage caused by last week's discovery of a single instance of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy--or Mad Cow Disease. Officials say the sick animal was traced to a herd in Alberta, Canada. The detection has led to a recall of 10,000 pounds of meat in eight US states and the US territory of Guam. Critics in the US, including Democratic presidential hopefuls, say more needs to be done to make the industry safe. Meantime, a USDA team is trying to persuade officials in Japan to reverse a ban on American beef, part of a multi-national boycott which threatens to cost the meat industry billions of dollars. Guest host Jim Moret speaks with members of the dairy and meat industries, a consumer advocate, food safety expert and agricultural economist about the health concerns arising from BSE and how the US meat industry is coping with the fallout. Making News: International Emergency Efforts Arrive in Iran The death toll from last week's devastating earthquake in Bam stands at more than 25,000, and officials fear that fatalities could climb as high as 40,000, roughly half that city-s residents. Over the weekend, more than 1,400 international relief workers arrived in the Iranian city, where more than 70 percent of the buildings were leveled by the 6.5 magnitude trembler. Nazila Fathi's story about emergency efforts appears in today's New York Times. Reporter's Notebook: French Tobacco Company Not Liable for Smoker's Death French President Jacques Chirac, a former chain smoker, has declared a -war on tobacco.- High taxes are one of his weapons, and that-s led to street protests by tobacco-shop owners. Now, that country's highest court has ruled that a cancer death from smoking is not the fault of a cigarette manufacturer, but the personal responsibility of the smoker. Debra Ollivier has lived in France and reported extensively on its culture.
The US meat industry is scrambling to contain the damage caused by last week's discovery of a single instance of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy--or Mad Cow Disease. Officials say the sick animal was traced to a herd in Alberta, Canada. The detection has led to a recall of 10,000 pounds of meat in eight US states and the US territory of Guam. Critics in the US, including Democratic presidential hopefuls, say more needs to be done to make the industry safe. Meantime, a USDA team is trying to persuade officials in Japan to reverse a ban on American beef, part of a multi-national boycott which threatens to cost the meat industry billions of dollars. Guest host Jim Moret speaks with members of the dairy and meat industries, a consumer advocate, food safety expert and agricultural economist about the health concerns arising from BSE and how the US meat industry is coping with the fallout.
  • Making News: International Emergency Efforts Arrive in Iran
    The death toll from last week's devastating earthquake in Bam stands at more than 25,000, and officials fear that fatalities could climb as high as 40,000, roughly half that city-s residents. Over the weekend, more than 1,400 international relief workers arrived in the Iranian city, where more than 70 percent of the buildings were leveled by the 6.5 magnitude trembler. Nazila Fathi's story about emergency efforts appears in today's New York Times.
  • Reporter's Notebook: French Tobacco Company Not Liable for Smoker's Death
    French President Jacques Chirac, a former chain smoker, has declared a -war on tobacco.- High taxes are one of his weapons, and that-s led to street protests by tobacco-shop owners. Now, that country's highest court has ruled that a cancer death from smoking is not the fault of a cigarette manufacturer, but the personal responsibility of the smoker. Debra Ollivier has lived in France and reported extensively on its culture.
Guest Jim Moret has had an extensive career in both local and national television news reporting over the past 20 years, including nearly a decade at CNN. In addition he co-anchored CNN's The World Today, served as frequent guest host on Larry King Live and Burden of Proof. Recently, Moret appeared in the film, A Mighty Wind, and TV dramas such as The Practice and The West Wing. He has been a member of the California bar since 1981.

Fathi's article on rescue efforts in Iran

US Centers for Disease Control on BSE and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

US Department of Agriculture on BSE

Altadis on recent lawsuit

Credits

Host:

Warren Olney