The precedent problem...

There are many cattlemen in disagreement with the voluntary BSE testing appeal decision by the USDA. One is our own Steve Cornett.

Your reporter remains skeptical about USDA’s refusal to allow voluntary BSE testing. As has been argued before, it’s not that voluntary testing is needed or the expense justified.

That’s not the question.

It’s a matter of the proper role of government and the fact that, from a public relations angle, this looks awful. [More]

This semi-science matter may be linked in the USDA's policy thinking to analogous issues with BST-labels for milk. Allowing marketing differentiation based on the consumer's health perceptions and not the regulator's is profoundly new territory. It may be the USDA is appealing just to say "Hey, we did all we could - blame the courts", when beef industry honchos complain.

As the music industry is finding out, consumers are getting pretty uppity these days.

I think Steve is pointing the right way on this one.