More Research - Pedigrees

[Woodmagic]

BSE is the nigger in the woodpile, and the infuriating thing is that although we are tied up in all the corresponding precautionary regulations, the Dexter breed is the only one of any size that has never gone down with it, and in my opinion is almost certainly immune.
Every animal that is to go for human consumption has to be tested for BSE, and kept isolated until it is cleared, only the biggest abattoirs can afford such facilities, so it is killing off the smaller local ones, necessitating longer and longer journeys for the poor animal. There are folks fighting against this for the very reasons you suggest, unfortunately the officials sitting behind the desks have no idea of farming, and our government has little sympathy with agriculture.
. Customers are prepared to pay a premium for Dexter meat which is above average, in flavour, texture, and more recently the latest fashion, unpolysaturated fats, and many small Dexter owners have made a modest profit, rearing a few steers, and selling the meat retail, now the new regulations are killing this business off. The government aim is to get the mass produced Holstein cross beef back into Europe, although some European countries are now showing signs of BSE infection, putting them on a par with our own, which has dramatically declined.

[Kathy Millar]

Inger, I'm in Canada, and my province is just bringing in legislation that will make it illegal to SELL any meat unless it has been slaughtered at an inspected facility. Yes, this has been brought about by the ignorant, paranoid government and its concern with the export market. No concern for the small farm or local food production. Canada is not YET as regulated as the UK but we are headed down that road. Canadians can still kill their own animals (no age restrictions) and still bury deadstock on their own property. Because the big commercial farms have the big, rich organizations behind them, they can afford big, rich lobbiests to hassle the government to put in such restrictive regulations as it will surely get rid of the little guy. So between the corporate factory farms and the government, small farms are becoming critically endangered.

Kathy