Despite the fact that over the last couple of months there have been several reports of U.S. cattle infected with Mad Cow’s Disease, the USDA intends to ramp down its testing of American cattle herds, not ramp it up.

In one of the most bizarre quotes we’ve read recently, the Forbes article writes: “Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns pointed out testing is not a food safety measure. Rather, it’s a way to find out the prevalence of the disease.”

Wait a second, bozo. Finding out the prevalence of the disease is a food safety measure. It prevents you from selling infected cattle; consequently, it prevents us from eating it and developing horrific brain disorders. We grant that Mad Cow hysteria is just that — a largely overblown threat. Still, it is absolutely imperative for public safety and consumer’s ease-of-mind that there be strict safeguards in place that continuously test a significant statistical sample for the disease and prevent any suspected cattle from being sold. Cutting back on testing just when fears are starting to reignite is a disastrous decision; hand-waving and saying testing is not a “food safety measure” is both insulting and insane.

Government to Scale Back Mad Cow Testing [Forbes]

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