Sunday, July 23, 2006

Should Cows be Mad?


Steve Poltz from way down under, thinks cows are mad at him. Go listen why. If you watched “The Meatrix” I think you will understand why.

From food gathering to factory farming in 2 million years. That is quite a trip. It seems like humanity is in a quest to degrade the nutritional value of the planet. However regarding Mad Cow Disease, I thought it was a thing of the past. It seems that officials at the USDA think along the same line. A few days ago the USDA reported plans to reduce testing by 90 percent. Why? It’s a mystery.

I keep thinking, if they do not test for a 100% how can anybody be sure he or she will not end up like Steve Poltz? It is just a thought. Maybe I am wrong and should not be concerned at all, because I do not crave burgers anymore. However there are people I am concerned about.

The philosophy that led to Mad Cows, started with improving the yield of the land with all kinds of harmful chemicals. So in countries like mine, where there is very little organic produce at the stores and very little control of how chemicals are used, consumers should be concerned.

A farmer I met in Panama´s highlands, years ago told me to stay away from these products: tomatoes, cabbage and parsley. Why? I asked. His answer: To make it to the supermarket they needed to be loaded with pesticides while they are growing.

So it is not only the cows, chickens, pigs, the veggies too are getting a dose of "more is better" philosophy.

Although it is more important what comes out of our mouths, we should still be concerned about what goes into them. The quality of our lives depends on it.

No comments: