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Cattle, like the Texas Long-Horn pictured above, are raised and slaughtered in many parts of the world for human consumption. The manner in which cattle are raised and the way that they are slaughtered are of special concern to some people. For meat-eaters, beef is a wonderfully tasty treat. There are meat substitutes which taste like beef, sometimes better, widely available. Which ever side you come down on there are several facts which are above dispute:
- Many people like Beef;
- Because it is popular, the raising, slaughter, processing, and preparation of beef is a significant factor in many economies (especially the USA, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, and the People’s Republic of China);
- In the USA many producers have their beef graded under a voluntary USDA program which they pay for -- the highest grade of meat (prime) is given to the meat which is the highest in marbling -- the highest in fat -- it is, not the best for you;
- In many countries beef is supposed to be inspected to ensure that it is safe to consume. In the USA the most effective way of ensuring that beef is safe to eat is the uniformity of the stock from which it is taken. Relying on USDA meat inspection is problematic -- meat inspectors are over worked and underpaid; and
- Countries with mad-cow cases are almost universally those which use feed-lot operations extensively.
There are innumerable ways to prepare beef. Perhaps the best is a slab cooked over an open flame.
Mad Cow Disease (Bovine spongiform encephalopathy) emerged in 1984 and since that time several countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States have had documented cases of the condition. The condition is most easily spread by eating the brains, spinal cord, or the digestive tract of infected animals. The practice of feeding offal to living cattle is now more strictly controlled than it has been in the past. The disease agent is a prion protein which is almost impossible to deal with.
A number of states, including Iowa, Missouri, and Utah have made it a crime to report on public safety issues at feed lots and slaughter houses (Ag-Gag laws). Beef processed or raised in those states should be treated with suspicion.