AR-NEWS Digest 678

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Washington Post Op-Ed 
     by "Linda J. Howard" 
  2) (UK) Ape Alliance Formed to Aid Gorillas
     by allen schubert 
  3) Vilas - last minute calls
     by paulbog@jefnet.com (Rick Bogle)
  4) Tulsa Group Participates in Spay Day USA
     by Snugglezzz 
  5) [UK] Labour at bay as the countryside comes to town
     by David J Knowles 
  6) [UK] Police return dog to owner after six years
     by David J Knowles 
  7) UW's monkey business
     by paulbog@jefnet.com (Rick Bogle)
  8) Purina Hosts Star-Studded Pet Party at Mann's Chinese Theatre
     by Vegetarian Resource Center 
  9) Equine Advocates Web Site
     by bstagno@ix.netcom.com (Barbara Stagno)
 10) (UK) Brits To End Blood Plasma Products
     by allen schubert 
 11) BABOONS, SAFETY IN XENOTRANSPLANTATION
     by bunny 
 12) BSE, MEAT HYGIENE RULES - EUROPEAN UNION
     by bunny 
Date: Sat, 28 Feb 1998 08:20:03 -0800
From: "Linda J. Howard" 
To: "AR NEWS" 
Cc: "FARM" 
Subject: Washington Post Op-Ed 
Message-ID: <01bd4464$b9502e60$c439accf@default>
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     charset="iso-8859-1"
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Meat and Speech

Saturday, February 28, 1998; Page A12

THE DEFAMATION case brought against Oprah Winfrey by Texas cattlemen fell
apart pretty quickly after a judge set aside the nonsense about "veggie
libel." The Thursday decision, in which the talk show host was cleared of
business defamation charges stemming from a 1996 show in which she and a
guest had discussed meat safety and threats of "mad cow disease," was a
fairly orthodox reaffirmation of free speech doctrine: The host and her
guest Howard Lyman were found not to have "recklessly disregarded" the truth
in discussing the possible hazard, even if, as beef industry witnesses
testified, the meat supply is in fact safe. But the verdict should end
neither the vigorous discussion of food-safety issues nor the problem that
the new perishable-products libel laws pose in the 13 states where they have
been passed -- the threat that someone less able to mount a defense than Ms.
Winfrey will be brought up on charges of defaming a product under the new
laws, which lower the "reckless disregard" standard to mere factual
inaccuracy and -- as many have warned -- unacceptably weaken the protections
afforded vigorous debate.

The unsuccessful plaintiffs, who said they will appeal, also argued that
they benefited from a trial that got their safety message out -- a fair
position, to be sure, but one that should not be allowed to stand as the
only legally safe stance in food-safety debates. "Mad cow" claims aside,
there remain pressing food-safety questions that ought to be aired more, not
less, as a result of this momentary spotlight. There is, for instance, the
possibility of increased risk to meat (and food generally) as packaging and
shipping become more international. More food is imported every year, and
though safety regulations apply to incoming food as well as that processed
here, the task is commensurately more complex. There is also the topic
beloved of Ms. Winfrey's guest and co-defendant, Mr. Lyman, whose
organization, the Humane Society, remains keen to air its concerns about the
infectious potential of raising poultry and other animals in cramped or
factory-farm conditions -- a good subject for public airing whatever you
think of the larger pro-vegetarian thrust of Mr. Lyman's argument.

Finally, there is the new federal meat safety inspection system, which
requires a broad shift from federal inspectors watching every slaughterhouse
and packing line to packers policing, reporting and analyzing their own
processes -- a promising and necessary shift but one that is likely to
involve growing pains. The Government Accountability Project, a
whistle-blowers' support organization, has been fielding complaints about
lax follow-up in some of these early stages. Such problems, too, can be
fixed -- as long as there is disclosure, scrutiny and vigorous debate on
this and other food-safety issues.

© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company





Date: Sat, 28 Feb 1998 09:48:04 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (UK) Ape Alliance Formed to Aid Gorillas
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19980228094801.006f2f9c@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from Associated Press http://wire.ap.org
------------------------------------------
 02/26/1998 18:19 EST

 Ape Alliance Formed to Aid Gorillas

 By AUDREY WOODS
 Associated Press Writer

 LONDON (AP) -- Animal protection groups, alarmed by the number of
 gorillas and chimpanzees being killed in the tropical forests of Africa,
 joined forces Thursday to fight commercial hunting of the threatened
 species.

 While tourists photograph the remote mountain gorillas of Rwanda -- made
 famous by the movie ``Gorillas in the Mist'' -- the newly created Ape
 Alliance says lowland gorillas from neighboring countries are being
 served up for dinner, not just in mud huts but on china plates in
 restaurants.

 ``It's my firm belief that if action is not taken now, there will be no
 viable populations of great apes living in the wild within 50 years,''
 said Jane Goodall, the world's leading expert on chimpanzees, who has
 joined the London-based campaign.

 Goodall appeared with representatives of some of the 34 wildlife
 conservation groups at a news conference to open their campaign against
 hunting apes.

 Figures in this illegal trade are not readily available, the alliance
 said, but one estimate in the north of Congo is that up to 600 lowland
 gorillas are killed each year for the market.

 The total gorilla population in West and central Africa is estimated at
 115,000.

 The alliance emphasized it understood that local people wanted to
 continue hunting and eating the forest game -- known as bushmeat.

 The concern is the huge increase in killing that has arisen because of
 the growth of big multinational logging enterprises in the hardwood
 forests. New logging roads provide access to areas that were once nearly
 impenetrable animal habitats --and now the hunters have guns.

 The trucks make it easy for logging workers to transport the animals they
 have killed to big towns where the meat brings high prices.

 What was once subsistence hunting is now commercial, the Alliance said,
 illustrating the point with photographs of gorilla arms and smoked
 chimpanzee at meat markets in major towns and cities across central and
 West Africa.

 The World Wide Fund for Nature says bushmeat from West and central Africa
 shows up on menus from Cameroon to Congo and even Brussels and Paris.

 Ian Redmond, head of the Ape Alliance, wants logging companies to accept
 a code of conduct to end the slaughter of apes.

 ``We're not looking for a change in any law,'' Redmond said. ``It's
 already illegal.''

 In most cases the animals are protected by the countries concerned, but
 the governments don't have the resources to stop illegal trade.

 ``At the very least, timber companies must ensure their workers obey the
 law,'' he said.

 In Gabon, an estimated 20,000 chimpanzees have been wiped out as a result
 of the logging, the alliance says. There are an estimated 200,000
 chimpanzees in 20 African countries.

 The alliance is appealing to consumers and retailers not to buy timber
 products from forests that have not been certified as environmentally
 responsible by groups such as the Forest Stewardship Council.

Date: Sat, 28 Feb 1998 09:23:32 -0600
From: paulbog@jefnet.com (Rick Bogle)
To: "AR-News Post" 
Subject: Vilas - last minute calls
Message-ID: <19980228092619519.AAC133@paulbog.jefnet.com>
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The deadline for a county decision on whether to accept responsibility for
the Vilas Zoo Monkeys is March 2. The primate center says it is ready to
sent them to Tulane immediately.

Talks continue behind closed doors.

Please take a few minutes and call the Wisconsin Board of Regents. Politely
urge them to accept the offer from Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio to
take the Vilas rhesus monkeys.

Here's the deal: The Alliance for Animals will make a $10,000 down payment
and the sanctuary will immediately begin construction on housing for the
monkeys. They expect to be ready for them within six weeks, at the latest.

In addition, Wild Animal Orphanage, is willing to hold the Alliance for
Animals responsible for the remainder of the one time cost of $50,000. 

This costs the University of Wisconsin nothing.  Please call now. Time is
running out. 

Johnathon Barry
608 527 2026

John Benson
608 266 1771

Patrick Boyle
608 238 8876
pgboyle@facstaff.wisc.edu

JoAnn Brandes
414  631 4676
jbrandes@acj.com

Bradley DeBraska
414 273 2515

Alfred De Simone
414 694 7899

Michael Grebe
414 297 5614

Kathleen Hempel
608 262 2324

Ruth James 
608 822 3509

Sheldon Luhar
414 291 9000

Virginia MacNeal
414 351 3325

Toby Marcovich
715 394 6624

Fred Mohs
608 256 1978

San Orr, Jr.
715 845 9201

Gerard A. Randall, Jr.
414 278 4216

Jay Smith
608 238 2855

Grant Staszak
715 425 3514





Date: Sat, 28 Feb 1998 10:53:25 EST
From: Snugglezzz 
To: ar-news@Envirolink.org
Subject: Tulsa Group Participates in Spay Day USA
Message-ID: <8ad8a9ee.34f832f7@aol.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

In Tulsa, OK, USA: Animal Coalition of Tulsa (ACT), of which Animal Rescue
Foundation (ARF) is one of the founding organizations, arranged for over 20
local vets to offer feline spays/neuters @ $25.00 and K-9 sterilizations @
$35.00. Thanks to Rusty Lang and The Tulsa World Newspaper, all the
participating clinics have already filled their quota of at least 10. One vet
in particular has scheduled 53 cat sterilizations for this past week!

Sincerely,

Elaine Lee,
Animal Rescue Foundation 
Email:  ELee153@AOL.com

 - Sherrill 
Date: Sat, 28 Feb 1998 08:44:29
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Labour at bay as the countryside comes to town
Message-ID: <3.0.3.16.19980228084429.35576c5e@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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>From The Electronic Telegraph - Saturday, February 28th, 1998

Labour at bay as the countryside comes to town
By George Jones and David Brown 

THE Government was in disarray last night over tomorrow's Countryside
March, with ministers giving conflicting views about Labour's attitude to
the rally.

It was confirmed that Michael Meacher, the environment minister, would be
taking part to demonstrate support for the countryside.

But Downing Street was forced to disown comments by a junior agriculture
minister, Elliot Morley. He had claimed no one from the Government would
join the march because it was "confused" in its objectives and might be
funded by "American gun money".

Mr Morley told the BBC's Farming Today that the blood sports lobby and the
Tories were attempting to "hijack" the protest in London.

"If we were represented officially on this march, then it would be
demonstrated as Government support for blood sports," said Mr Morley, who
is a long-standing opponent of foxhunting. On Wednesday, Jack Cunningham,
the Agriculture Minister, said Mr Morley would be going on the march. But
officials admitted yesterday that had been a mistake.

Downing Street acknowledged it did not have any evidence that the American
gun lobby was funding the march. Officials said Mr Morley had been speaking
in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the Government.

They said the Government would be represented by Mr Meacher, who would take
part in the march across London, while Lord Donoughue, a junior agriculture
minister, would attend a breakfast.

William Hague and Paddy Ashdown will join the march. But Tony Blair is
staying away as are all members of the Cabinet.

The march is expected to attract more than 150,000 people -  more than
attended last June's Countryside Rally in Hyde Park - protesting about
Government policies on foxhunting, farming, the "right to roam" over
private land, and housebuilding on green belt land.

The Countryside Alliance last night dismissed Government claims that the
march had been "hijacked" by the supporters of fox hunting. "We are a
pro-hunting lobby. How can we hijack
our own march?" said Janet George, the alliance's chief press officer.

Fishermen are to join the march to show that they have much in common with
the problems faced by farmers and other rural businesses. Trawler skippers
will accompany a coachload of demonstrators sent by the Dart Vale and South
Pool Harrier pack based near Totnes, Devon.

But two of the most influential bodies in the countryside have refused to
take part. The National Trust said that while it supported some of the aims
of the demonstration, it could not participate in a "political" gathering.

The Council for the Protection of Rural England said it would not take part
because the "root cause" of the march was the preservation of hunting. Tony
Burton, assistant director in
charge of policy, said: "We do not believe that driving a wedge between
town and country is the right way to deal with these problems."

© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1998. 

Date: Sat, 28 Feb 1998 08:59:35
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Police return dog to owner after six years
Message-ID: <3.0.3.16.19980228085935.3557555c@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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>From The Electronic Telegraph - Saturday, February 28th, 1998

Police return dog to owner after six years
By Aisling Irwin 

A DYING dog, whose six and a half year confinement in police kennels was
highlighted by campaigners against the Dangerous Dogs Act, was reunited
with his owner yesterday.

Judd, a mastiff-terrier cross, emerged from Banstead police station,
Surrey, at 4pm yesterday. He was given a neutering operation on Tuesday, a
condition of his release.

The dog, muzzled and on a lead, was reunited with his owner, Gary Dunne, of
Stoke Newington, north London, before being driven away.

Judd, who has a malignant growth on his spine, came to symbolise the plight
of hundreds of dogs who have been kept in secure kennels as a result of the
hastily-drafted Dangerous Dogs Act. The campaign against the Act has united
dog breeders, lawyers and animal welfare experts.

Judd, who has cost the taxpayer £160,000 in legal fees and £40,000 for
kennelling, was seized by police while being walked by Mr Dunne.

© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1998. 

Date: Sat, 28 Feb 1998 16:20:17 -0600
From: paulbog@jefnet.com (Rick Bogle)
To: "AR-News Post" 
Subject: UW's monkey business
Message-ID: <19980228162145651.AAB187@paulbog.jefnet.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
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Capital Times, Madison Wisconsin
Editorial Page
February 28, 1998

Views of The Capital Times
UW's monkey business

     Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk has crafted a Solomon-like solution to
the question of how to keep at least some of the Henry Vilas Zoo monkeys in
Madison.  As with any compromise, no one will be completely satisfied.
     Animal rights activists and area schoolchildren, who have campaigned to
keep all the monkeys, will be disappointed with the plan to send 100 rhesus
monkeys to a sancturary in Texas.  But San Antonio's Wild Animal Orphanage
is a far more reasonable destination than one alternative:  the Tulane
University research lab, where the monkeys would be targeted for invasive
experiments.
     And, under Falk's plan, 50 stump-tail macaques would remain at the zoo and
be kept in a renovated monkey house.  For the macaques, this is a far
superior solution to a proposed scheme to ship the monkeys to an
as-yet-nonexistent "reserve" in cash-starved Thailand.
     Falk has even come up with a plan to have the county contribute a
significant amount of money-at least $35,000 a year- to help pay for care
of the monkeys.  And she has agreed to work with Wisconsin first lady Sue
Ann Thompson and others to raise private money to advance the project.
     All that is now needed is what should have been there from the start: a
commitment by the University of Wisconsin to contribute to the long-term
care of the monkeys.
     The university's responsibility to make that commitment is well accepted
by all honest players in this debate. After all, the school's Primate
Research Center brought the monkeys to Wisconsin and used them for decades
as tools to generate millions of dollars in research grants until last
year, when revelations about the Primate Center's violation of agreements
not to do invasive research sparked a controversy.
     Now, UW officials seem to be determined to get rid of the monkeys, even if
that means unloading them to uncertain futures in the laboratories of
Louisiana and the uncertainties of Thailand.
     UW officials claim not to understand why everyone from the schoolchildren
of Dane County to Gov. Tommy Thompson is so upset with the plan to transfer
all the monkeys.  They shouldn't be.
     Wisconsin believes in responsibility.  The UW took responsibility for
these monkeys a long time ago.  That responsibility did not end when the
extremely well-funded Primate Center ran into trouble with a particular
funding source.
     Falk has come up with a good plan.  The university should accept it. 
Anything less will doom the monkeys and signal that the UW has become a
less humane and less responsible institution than we all still want to
believe it is.

Date: Sat, 28 Feb 1998 20:15:54 -0500
From: Vegetarian Resource Center 
To: AR-NEWS@envirolink.Org
Subject: Purina Hosts Star-Studded Pet Party at Mann's Chinese Theatre
Message-ID: <199803010123.BAA27908@mail-out-4.tiac.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Purina Hosts Star-Studded Pet Party at Mann's Chinese Theatre

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- In addition to burly bodyguards, cats and
dogs accompanied their celebrity owners today to an event at Mann's Chinese
Theatre in Hollywood.

The pets joined their VIP owners to help spread the word about the benefits of
adopting humane society animals on behalf of the Purina Pets For People
Program(R), a national pet adoption program dedicated to saving the lives of
homeless cats and dogs.

Celebrity guests included Swoosie Kurtz, the award-winning actress who co-
starred with Jim Carey in the number-one hit "Liar, Liar," and her cat Baby
Rose; Zachery Ty Bryan, Brad on "Home Improvement," and his dog Ozzie;
Jonathan Lipnicki of "Jerry Maguire," and his dog Edgar; Jerry Mathers, the
"Beav" from "Leave it to Beaver," and his dog Wally; and Maui, better known as
"Murray" the dog on "Mad About You."

Prints' of a Special Kind  

Mann's Chinese Theatre is renowned for hosting ceremonies honoring Hollywood's
favorite stars, but on this special day, the celebrities' furry friends were
honored as well.  After the stars and their pets strutted their stuff down a
red carpet runway, guests looked on as each dynamic duo cast their commitment
to shelter animal adoption in stone.  The celebrities stamped their hand- and
paw-prints into cement blocks.

The blocks will be added to the Pawprint Wall of Fame, a specially designated
wall outside the SPCA LA.  The wall is a constant reminder of the love animal
shelter animals bring to our lives.

Sad, but True  

According to a recent study commissioned by Purina Pet Products, most
Americans are unaware of the high number of pets that live in animal welfare
organizations.

"Purina created the Pets For People Program to help find homes for these
animals and reduce the number of cats and dogs that are euthanized every
year," says Brian Kilcommons, renowned pet expert and author of "Mutts:
America's Dogs" and "Tales from The Bark Side."  "Since the program was
founded in 1984, it has helped place more than 90,000 shelter cats and dogs
into loving homes and donated more than $10.5 million to participating humane
societies across the country."

SOURCE  Ralston Purina  
CO:  Ralston Purina
ST:  California,
IN:
SU:
02/28/98 09:00 EST http://www.prnewswire.com

Date: Sat, 28 Feb 1998 21:15:08 -0600 (CST)
From: bstagno@ix.netcom.com (Barbara Stagno)
To: chickadee-1@envirolink.org
Subject: Equine Advocates Web Site
Message-ID: <199803010315.VAA13612@dfw-ix1.ix.netcom.com>

Check out the new website for Equine Adovcates

http://www.dojo.ie/realgood/equineadvocates/

Equine Advocates has just issued a new brochure on Premarin, the drug, 
and the industry that produces it. The brochure is available on the 
website.

Also, for anyone interested in helping: Equine Advocates recently 
suffered a huge loss of about $3,000. On February 18, NBC Extra aired a 
program on Premarin that was produced with the help of Equine Advocates 
and their undercover investigation of a Premarin farm

In preparation for the show, and anticipating that hundreds of 
thousands of woman might want information on alternatives to Premarin 
after viewing the show, Equine Advocates installed a special 800 phone 
line, a website, and printed up several thousand brochures on Premarin. 
However, when the show actually aired, a technical difficulty prevented 
the network from displaying the 800 number.

The result was that Equine Advocates totally lost the opportunity to 
reach the public or to make use of the information they had prepared at 
considerable cost, especially for this opportunity.

Anyone wishing to help should make donations for any size, no matter 
how small, to: 

Equine Advocates, Inc
Suite 185
76-04 Main Street
Flushing, NY  11367

Also contact them if you are able to distribute large quantities of the 
brochure, particularly if you have access to women's health clinics or 
related areas.

Thank you.
Date: Sat, 28 Feb 1998 23:20:19 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (UK) Brits To End Blood Plasma Products
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19980228232016.006fd1d4@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from Associated Press http://wire.ap.org
-----------------------------------
 02/28/1998 14:28 EST

 Brits To End Blood Plasma Products

 LONDON (AP) -- The government has ordered an end to the use of British
 blood in 33 products because of a ``hypothetical'' risk that they could
 transmit the human version of mad cow disease.

 The affected products -- used to treat burns, tetanus and a wide range of
 other medical problems -- are made from plasma, the fluid in which blood
 cells are suspended.

 The move, announced Thursday, follows the discovery last year that some
 blood donors had later been diagnosed as having a new variant of
 Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, an incurable and fatal disease which attacks
 the brain.

 The government's scientific advisers have said that the new form of the
 illness probably originated from bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad
 cow disease.

 The European Union has banned British beef exports because of fear of the
 disease. Twenty-three people have died in Britain from the new variant
 since 1995, including 10 victims last year.

 There were 42 other deaths last year in Britain from other forms of
 Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which have not been associated with beef.

 Health Secretary Frank Dobson said the withdrawal of British blood
 products was precautionary, and there is no evidence the new variant can
 be transmitted by blood or blood products.

 ``The risk remains only hypothetical,'' Dobson said. ``But we must
 proceed on the principle that it is better to be safe than sorry.''

Date: Sun, 1 Mar 1998 12:39:13 +0800
From: bunny 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: BABOONS, SAFETY IN XENOTRANSPLANTATION
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19980301123116.29df0018@wantree.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
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For your information


BABOONS, SAFETY IN XENOTRANSPLANTATION (03)
*******************************************
A ProMED-mail post

[see also:
Baboons, safety in xenotransplantation (02)            980225205457
Baboons, safety in xenotransplantation: RFI            980223214935]

Date: Thu, 26 Feb 1998 11:41:38 -0500
From: Jonathan Allan 


Recently, a U.S. Public Health Service meeting was held in Bethesda in
which newly revised guidelines for xenotransplantation were presented.
Unfortunately, the guidelines have not dealt with the issue of species
differences in regard to infectious disease risks. As the guidelines
currently stand, there is no difference between baboons and pigs as donors
for xenotransplantation. My public comments addressing this issue have
focused on inherent risk differences between baboons and pigs. Without
addressing these differences, other countries are likely to begin
developing baboons as donors for xenotransplantation which could have
global consequences. While the FDA is assuming responsibility for
regulating xenotransplantation via INDs, rather vague guidelines means that
transplant surgeons in other countries will have a green light to use
baboons for transplantation raising the spectre of transmitting simian
viruses to humans. Furthermore, diagnostic tests to screen for most of the
baboon viruses are still being developed and there is no list of agents
that should be excluded.

I would strongly urge that nonhuman primates not be developed as a donor
species for human transplantation at the present moment because of the
relatively large and unknown risks associated with these procedures.
Implicit in the use of baboons or other nonhuman primates is the fact that
they carry an inordinate number of herpesviruses and retroviruses. Based on
current technologies it is virtually impossible to provide a clean animal
for use in humans. Recent studies indicate that baboons harbor several
endogenous retroviruses, one of which is remarkably similar to a virus that
causes simian AIDS. This virus is apparently expressed in baboons and
antibodies have been detected to this endogenous type D virus (3). What
this means is that we cannot expect to safely provide baboons for these
procedures due to both known and unknown persistent viruses harbored by
nonhuman primates.

In fact, this "request for information" underscores the problems associated
with the PHS guidelines in their present form. If we want to protect public
health then PHS needs to more clearly address the inherent risks associated
with nonhuman primates and take a leadership role in ensuring public's
safety.i would urge anyone with similar concerns to contact Dr. Amy
Patterson (e-mail:pattersona@A1.cber.fda.gov) at the FDA and express those
concerns.

References:

1. Broussard, S.R. et al. (1997) Characterization of New Simian Foamy
Viruses (SFV) from African Nonhuman Primates. Virology  237:349-359.

2. Van der Kuyl et al.,(1997) Complete nucleotide sequence of simian
endogenous Type D retrovirus with intact genome organization: evidence for
ancestry to simian retrovirus and baboon endogenous virus. J. Virol.
71:3666-3676.

3. Grant, R.F., et al., (1995) Characterization of infectious type D
retrovius from baboons. Virology 207:292-296.

4. Van der Kuyl, A.C., et al.,(1995) Distribution of baboon endogenous
virus among species of African monkeys suggest multiple ancient
cross-species transmissions in shared habitats. J Virol 69:7877-7887.

5. Allan, J.S. (1996) Public health concerns take center stage in Nuffield
Council on Bioethics' Xenotransplantation Report. Science and Engineering
Ethics 2(2): 486-490.

6. Allan, J.S. (1996) (commentary) Xenotransplantation: Prevention versus
Progress. Nature Medicine 2:18-21.

7. Allan, J.S. (1996) Xenotransplantation and Possible Emerging Infectious
Diseases. Molecular Diagnosis 1(3):  1-8.

8. Moné, J.,et al.,(1992) Simian T-cell leukemia virus type 1 infection in
captive baboons.  AIDS Res. Human Retroviruses 8(9): 1667-1675.

--
Jonathan S. Allan, D.V.M.
Department of Virology and Immunology
Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research
San Antonio, Texas 78228
1(210) 670-3275
e-mail: jallan@icarus.sfbr.org
=====================================================================
========
                   /`\   /`\    Rabbit Information Service,
Tom, Tom,         (/\ \-/ /\)   P.O.Box 30,
The piper's son,     )6 6(      Riverton,
Saved a pig        >{= Y =}<    Western Australia 6148
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So none could eat  (_)   (_)    email: rabbit@wantree.com.au
The pig so sweet    |  .  |  
Together they ran   |     |}    http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
Down the street.    \_/^\_/    (Rabbit Information Service website updated
                                frequently)                                

Jesus was most likely a vegetarian... why aren't you? Go to
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4620/essene.htm
for more information.

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
       - Voltaire

Date: Sun, 1 Mar 1998 12:42:02 +0800
From: bunny 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: BSE, MEAT HYGIENE RULES - EUROPEAN UNION
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BSE, MEAT HYGIENE RULES - EUROPEAN UNION 
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Date: Thu, 26 Feb 1998 16:02:27 GMT

from the Telegraph (26 February)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
EU adopts two-tiered danger list over BSE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Toby Helm in Brussels and David Brown

BRITAIN and six other European Union countries have been put on a BSE
"danger list" under controversial plans announced by Brussels yesterday.

The others are the Republic of Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland,
Portugal and France, all of which have admitted to cases of BSE in cattle
born and bred there. The remaining eight EU member states will effectively
be declared "BSE free". They will not have to enforce the tough meat hygiene
rules already in force in this country because any cases of BSE confirmed by
their vets have occurred in imported animals.

In a move which raised the political spectre of a double-tier among member
states - in defiance of the EU's self-proclaimed policy of equality for all
- Germany, Austria, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Greece and Spain would
be able to apply for exemptions from the requirements.

This would effectively give them BSE-free status, even though there are
fears among many veterinary experts that the true number of BSE cases has
been grossly under-reported on the Continent. The proposals form part of a
new regional approach by the European Commission to dealing with mad cow
disease.

The abandonment of an EU-wide strategy follows heavy pressure from Germany,
which has pushed for "BSE-free" status before it will consider voting for
any easing of the worldwide ban on British beef exports. The move is seen as
a trade-off to placate German farmers and consumer groups.

The plans accompanied a decision by Brussels to postpone until next year the
full imposition of hygiene rules for meat, including a ban on beef on the
bone, which Britain has insisted should be adopted across the whole of the
EU immediately.

Irish officials in Brussels said the new scheme could have a devastating
effect on their country's beef exports. "We will be classed officially as a
danger zone which is hardly great marketing," said a source.

Critics of the scheme also said it would reduce the willingness of countries
to reveal their first cases of BSE. British officials in Brussels said the
Government was considering supporting the regional  approach to the meat
hygiene rules in the hope that it would help to accelerate progress towards
lifting the ban.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
end of Telegraph report
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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