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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2001
    Location
    London, Britannia.
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    3,077

    Arrow News :: Food aid for Hurricane Katrina victims witheld, could be "burned".

    Article extract >>

    Mad cow policies hold up U.K. food donations
    September 21, 2005


    JACKSONVILLE, Ark.-- British ready-to-eat meals donated for Hurricane Katrina victims are stuck on shelves at an air base in Arkansas because of strict U.S. regulations put in place after a mad cow disease scare.

    Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville, which has been the hub for all international Katrina aid, has received 1,842 tons of goods from dozens of countries since the hurricane hit the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29.

    The meals containing British meat cannot be used because U.S. regulations prohibit the importation of British beef and poultry. The prohibition was put in place after the degenerative disease that affects the central nervous system was found in British cattle. A human form of the disease can be deadly.

    "We have an obligation to hold the food we're distributing to evacuees to the same standards we maintain for all Americans on a daily basis," U.S. Agriculture Department spokeswoman Terri Teuber said Tuesday. "We are not saying these MREs are unfit or unsafe. We're saying they don't meet the importation standards, and they are being set aside."

    It was unknown what would happen to the meat products in the British MREs, Teuber said.

    She said the number of British meals involved was not available and that some of the MREs without meat were distributed.

    She also said officials were looking for ways to use other British food and goods that have made their way to the Gulf Coast.

    "We are grateful for the donations, and they are being put to very good use," Teuber said.

    In all, some 400,000 MREs have been donated by foreign countries, said Army Major Paul Swiergosz, a Defense Department spokesman.

    End extract <<

    Source :: http://www.suntimes.com/output/hurricane/madcow21.html


    I've heard that food aid from some other countries has been held back also; including many gallons of Pear Juice from Israel and other food aid from the likes of Spain and Germany i think.

    There have been rumblings about this here in Britain for a couple of days now in some of the media. I wasn't aware that such restrictions were still in place in the Statesm or that they extended to poultry.

    It makes you wonder why we flew it over in the first place, obviously some people have not done the right checks before hand.

    Are such sentiments still held by members of the public in America and elsewhere??

    British food and agriculture standards from a health and safety point of view are probably now some of the tightest and safest globally. I hear wer'e ahead of the game in some areas.

    Hmm , such a shame as when i heard we'd sent these ration packs, i was pleased becuase Britian was finally making an active and visible contribution to the aid effort, i was happy and hopeful that they would be of use to the survivors.

    Opinions?? Comments??

    Critic,
    Last edited by Critic; 09-21-2005 at 11:24 PM.
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  2. #2
    I have seen that report before, and hope the red tape is cleared up soon. I suspect it will be, as it is getting broader coverage.

    I still cannot give blood, as I lived in Europe for almost a 1/3rd of my life... and someting about angry bovine things.

    But I hope it all gets sorted soon.
    Don't you walk thru my words
    You got to show some respect
    Don't you walk thru my words
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Dallas
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    740
    Those people really need to eat, and be healthy. Hope and pray for everything to be Ok.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
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    My hopes and prayers goes to them....

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2000
    Location
    Tacoma, Washington
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    9,576
    I tend to agree with the idea. I spent most of my life in Australia which has an amazingly heavy level of intolerance to imported goods. Australia is an island so has a natural border against 'bad things' getting in. As a result they tend to partol incoming goods very strictly. The result is a very clean exportable product that can be guanteed 'disease free'.

    Australia has a long record of living with things that have gotten in.. rabbits and cane toads as a good example.

    While I understand the need to get people fed, I'm suprised that people find it a problem that they're making sure that 'bad things' aren't introduced while proper inspections are taken care of.
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