The patients rapidly lose the ability to talk or walk. So far, French authorities have documented 183 cases of cattle infected with BSE, while beef consumption has plummeted 40 percent in France. In an attempt to shore up consumer confidence, the French government issued a ban last week on the use of animal proteins in feed for poultry, farm-reared fish, and pigs. As of Today, By Government Order, French Cows Will Once Again Be Herbivores. The newspaper also published a long report on stock-breeding in South America.
Argentine cattle run around all day on the juicy grass of the pampas.
French authorities are touting their plan as the most rigorous system of controls against mad cow disease in the world. But the government has failed to restore consumer confidence, and indeed the announced measures seem to have had the opposite effect. Added to the plunge in domestic consumption are embargoes on French beef declared this week by Austria, Egypt, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Morocco and Russia. France also promised the European Union Monday that it would not export animal meal. France produces around one billion tonnes a year, which must now either be burnt or stockpiled.