Healthier meat & dairy

Current controversies
Pastured meat and dairy
Hormones and antibiotics
rBGH
Factory farming
Country of origin labeling (COOL)
PCC's quality standards
Links & resources

Mad cow disease/BSE

Research shows that Mad Cow Disease, properly known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), is caused by including infected animal protein in livestock feed.

There have been three confirmed cases of U.S. cows with BSE and 13 cases reported in Canada — which is of particular concern because Canadian cattle are flowing over the border into Washington state without meeting state health inspection requirements. (PCC urged Governor Gregoire to stop this practice.)

U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration rules still continue to allow rendered meat, blood and bone meal from slaughterhouses in livestock feed.

Common sense solutions to mad cow are provided for by the USDA Organic Standards, and by PCC's meat and poultry product quality standards.