Komputer for Alle 1998 #6/1998 CD 6 (Gul).iso/web/ffa/wwwenv~1.org/arrs/digest/news59~3.htm/text0000.txt

Text File | 1998-04-02 | 64.1 KB | 1,485 lines

from CNN custom news http://www.cnn.com
------------------------------------
Luxembourg Reports First Case of Mad Cow Disease

Reuters
02-DEC-97

BRUSSELS, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Luxembourg on Tuesday reported the first case
of mad cow disease in the country, at least the fifth European Union member
state to be hit by the brain-wasting illness which could also affect humans.

The disease was found in a cow ``which had not been entirely in order,'' an
Agriculture Ministry official told Reuters by telephone from Luxembourg.
Laboratory tests in Luxembourg and Britain established the animal had mad
cow disease.

Tests were carried out on some 85 animals from the farm where the cow was
from in Gevenich in the Mosel province, and at another farm which had owned
the animal prreviously.

All animals would be slaughtered. A spokesman for the Luxembourg veterinary
service said the four-and-a-half year old animal was slaughtered after it
showed symptoms ``which could point to BSE. Tests then showed rabies
(another nervous disease) could be ruled out.''

Samples from the cow's brain were sent to the European Reference Laboratory
for BSE in Weybridge, England, after lab tests in Luxembourg confirmed on
November 26 the cow had BSE.

The ministry was told on Monday night that Weybridge found BSE as well.

The spokesman said the ministry was now investigating where the feed for
the cow -- one of the possible causes of BSE -- had come from, although
that might be hard to establish in view of the four to five years'
incubation time for BSE.

He declined to confirm media reports that the feed had been bought in
Belgium or come from the Netherlands where cases of BSE have also been found.

He also did not want to comment when asked whether it could be ruled out
that meat from the cow had entered the human food chain.

The EU slapped a world ban on UK beef exports in March 1996, after the
British government announced a possible link between BSE (Bovine Spongiform
Encephalopathy) or mad cow disease and its human brain-wasting form CJD
(Creutzfeld Jakob Disease). Cases of suspected BSE have been found in the
Netherlands, France and Belgium.
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 1997 02:18:26 -0500 (EST)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Cc: [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail]
Subject: SIGN-ON TO EU FUR BAN LETTER
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>


       **LAST CHANCE TO SUPPORT THE EU LEGHOLD TRAP FUR BAN**

The Animal Protection Institute (API) and the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI)
are asking organizations to sign on to the following letter urging the
European Union Foreign Affairs Ministers to vote NO on the fraudulent U.S.
trapping proposal.

On Monday December 1, 1997 the European Union (EU) caved into political
pressure and announced that it has accepted a "compromise" proposal from the
U.S. that will allow trappers in the United States to continue using
steel-jaw leghold traps for at least another six years.  This proposal is
much weaker than the already heavily criticized agreement reached with Canada
and Russia.

It is believed that the EU accepted the weak proposal because of continued
threats from the U.S. to challenge the regulation as an illegal trade
restriction under GATT.

The agreement is non-binding which means it is up to the individual state
game departments to implement the terms of the agreement.  With no regulatory
force behind the it, there is no stipulation that states must actually
require trappers to stop using leghold traps.

WE HAVE A CHANCE TO BLOCK THIS AGREEMENT!  On Monday the EU Foreign Affairs
Committee will vote on the agreement in Europe.  Austria, Belgium and the UK
oppose the U.S. trapping proposal.  If we can convince just one additional
major EU nation to vote against the agreement this would ensure a blocking
minority.

PLEASE SIGN YOUR ORGANIZATION ON TO THE FOLLOWING LETTER
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE:

Please provide the following information:

Name of organization
Number of members your organization represents
Contact Person
Email Address or phone number

Please provide information to either:

Camilla Fox (API)                                    OR             Ben White
(AWI)
Email:  [e-mail]                                    Email:
[e-mail]
Phone:  [phone]                                             Phone:
 [phone]
Fax:  [phone]                                                   Fax:
 [phone]

THANK YOU!!
______________________________________________

The Honorable-----------------
Minister of Foreign Affairs

Re:  Opposition to U.S. Trapping Proposal Set for a Vote on Dec. 8

Dear Minister----------------:

On behalf of the organizations listed at the end of this letter, we
respectfully request that you reject the trapping proposal offered by the
U.S. Government. We strongly object to the excruciating pain caused by all
leghold traps, and the proposal does not mandate any significant change in
trapping practices to reduce the trauma.

As you know, the U.S. Federal Government has stated repeatedly that it does
not have the authority to regulate trapping in each of the fifty states.
Therefore, it would be up to the state game departments to implement the
terms of the Agreed Minute and Side Letter. These documents, which comprise
the U.S. offer, are full of loopholes which the state authorities are poised
to exploit.

"Conventional" leghold restraining traps can continue to be used after 6
years because of the numerous derogations. Further, any state game department
can allow use of leghold traps if it claims these traps are necessary.

The current U.S. proposal is weaker than the proposal offered in October
(calling for a phase out of leghold traps in 4 years) which was determined to
be unacceptable to the Commission and Council of Ministers! It is not
equivalent to the Canada/ Russia Agreement and will not stop the terrible
suffering caused to millions of animals annually in leghold traps.

Please uphold the intent of Regulation 3254/91 by voting "no" on the
fraudulent U.S. trapping proposal.

Sincerely,



Date: Wed, 03 Dec 97 03:02:01 -0800
From: "Paul Wiener" <[e-mail]>
To: "AR-News (to post)" <[e-mail]>
Cc: "Jullia K. Alvares and Joe Abella" <[e-mail]>,
        "Kathie Maffitt" <[e-mail]>,
        "Valerie Card" <[e-mail]>,
        "Sanya and Andy Dunn" <[e-mail]>,
        "Marcia Turney" <[e-mail]>,
        "Chris and Bill Harmon" <[e-mail]>
Subject: US-Ca: Man Receives 16 Month Jail Term for Training & Fighting Dogs
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

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I had to type the following from a low quality fax of a press release. Some
of the letters were barely legible. I am especially uncertain about the
name of the District Attorney involved and his phone and fax numbers. I
apologize for any errors caused by this, or careless typing on my part. If
you have trouble contacting any of the parties involved, please contact me
by private e-mail at [e-mail] and I will try to get better
contact information for
you.

- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- -----------------

PRESS RELEASE

Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley, Inc.
703 West Highland Avenue
San Bernardino, CA  92405

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brian M. Cronin, Executive Director, Humane Society of San Bernardino
Valley, Inc.
909/882-2934  Fax: [phone] -or-
Kurt C. Delle, Deupty District Attorney, District Attorneys' Office, County
of San Bernardino
909/387-8309  Fax: [phone]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

     Man Receives 16 Month Jail Term for Training & Fighting Dogs

San Bernardino California, December 2, 1997--Today, in San Bernardino
County District Court, Jerome Sanders plead guilty to penal code 597.5 -
Training & Fighting Dogs. This court action concluded an investigation that
started back in July 1997 and stemmed from a complaint received by the San
Bernardino Department of Animal Control.

When Animal Control officers arrived to investigate a complaint of vicious
dogs running at large on the quiet North Blackstone Road in San Bernardino,
they could not have envisioned what they would find. The officers found two
aggressive pit bull terriers and were able to impound one of the two dogs.
Officers followed the other dog to a residence where they thought both dogs
lived. Upon approaching the front door, the officers noticed there was a
box on the front porch with several pieces of animal parts in it. They
described the parts as bones and flesh. No one was home at the time, and
the officers proceeded to try to apprehend the other dog that had wandered
onto the property. The officers went into the back yard, where they noticed
three additional pit bull terriers. They also noticed in plain sight, a dog
treadmill, a weighing scale and a small animal carrier in the back yard.
With these findings, the officers became suspicious that this location may
be used for training dogs to fight.

The Animal Control Officers contacted both the Humane Society of San
Bernardino Valley and the San Bernardino Police Department, Vice Division,
to determine how to proceed. The three agencies, in a cooperative effort
decided to return to the property in an effort to make contact with the
animals' owners. Yolanda Sanders identified herself as the dogs' owner and
permitted the investigating team to check on the condition of the dogs at
this location. While this team was checking the condition of the dogs, they
found a second treadmill which appeared to be used for training the dogs; a
collapsible dog fighting pit, which consisted of red painted wood hinged
together; blood stained carpeting used for the floor of the fighting pit;
pieces of wood called "break sticks" which are commonly used to separate
dogs that have been fighting; and numerous other items that are
traditionally used during dog fighting events.

As the investigation proceeded, it was determined that both Yolanda Sanders
and her husband Jerome Sanders were the owners of the dogs as well as the
miscellaneous dog fighting equipment found at their home located on North
Blackstone Road in San Bernardino.

Mr. Jerome Sanders plead guilty today to one felony count  of Training and
Fighting Dogs. He received a 16 month jail term, which is one of the
longest jail terms imposed for this type of offense in our area. He will
have to pay $556 dollars in fines and restitution, and has been ordered to
relinquish the dogs involved to animal control. Mrs. Yolanda Sanders has
also plead guilty to the same offense, and she will be sentenced on January
21, 1998.

"This is one example of how animal abuse and/or neglect is becoming less
acceptable in our community," stated Brian Cronin, Executive Director for
the Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley. "In this cooperative effort we
(the Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley, City of San Bernardino Animal
Control, San Bernardino Police Department Vice Division, and the District
Attorneys' Office) were all able to work together to prosecute those who
have intentionally abused these animals. This sentence, being one of the
most severe to be imposed, is a testament of how people in our community
will no longer accept or tolerate animal abuse."

The Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley is a private non-profit
organization offering animal protection services to both the two legged and
four legged residents of the San Bernardino community. If you notice anyone
abusing or mistreating an animal, or if you would like to support the
Humane Society's animal protection efforts, please call the Humane Society
at 909/882-2934 or write to Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley, 763
West Highland Avenue, San Bernardino, CA 92405
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Date: Wed, 03 Dec 1997 07:31:40 -0500
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Anti-Fur Protestor Posts Bail
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from CNN http://www.cnn.com
------------------------------
New Jersey State News
Reuters
03-DEC-97

Anti-Fur Protestor Posts Bail

(EATONTOWN) -- An animal rights activist has posted 250- dollars bail and
ended a hunger strike at a New Jersey jail. Andrew Nicosia of Hewlett, New
York, was arrested last Friday at the Monmouth Mall in Eatontown during a
protest against the use of fur. He began refusing food and water as soon as
he was incarcerated in the Monmouth County Jail.
Date: Wed, 03 Dec 1997 10:05:39 -0800
From: Elisa Bob <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Live Kill Poll
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

On San Francisco's Chinatown web site there's an opinion poll on live
animal markets.  The address is:  http://www.sfchinatown.com.  Scroll
down to "Opinion Poll," vote "Yes," and click on "Submit" in answer to
the following question:

     "The fresh-kill debate is raging in San Francisco.  Should
Chinatown food merchants be PREVENTED from selling live food for
slaughter?"

So far, the "No" votes are leading by a large margin.
Date: Wed, 03 Dec 1997 13:20:27 -0500
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: EU Targets U.S. Gene-Modified Foods
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from Associated Press http://wire.ap.org
--------------------------------------
 12/03/1997 12:10 EST

 EU Targets U.S. Gene-Modified Foods

 BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- The European Union wants to require labels on
 food containing genetically modified soybeans and corn from the United
 States.

 The group's executive office made the proposal Wednesday and, if approved
 by the 15 member nations, the labels could start showing up in February.

 The genetically modified soybeans are produced by chemicals giant
 Monsanto Co., of St. Louis, and the corn is developed by the Swiss firm
 Novartis, although American farmers have begun cultivating it.

 The EU proposal includes strict scientific criteria to determine if food
 has been genetically modified.

 It also would require warning labels on foods in which the presence of
 genetically modified soybeans and corn cannot be excluded.

 Officials said the proposal would likely affect thousands of processed
 food products, ranging from chocolate to sauces to baby food.

 Soybeans are contained in about 60 percent of processed foods. The United
 States, which opposes the strict labeling of genetically modified foods,
 exports 15 percent of its soybean crop to EU nations.

 Even though genetically altered produce is legal in most of the world,
 some environmental and consumer groups worry that the food products could
 reduce the effectiveness of antibiotic medicines.
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 1997 14:24:21 -0400
From: Angela M Miller <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (CAN) Circus Bylaw Requested
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Last night (Dec 2/97), a presentation was made to Council members of
Halifax Regional Municipality (Nova Scotia, Canada) to request a bylaw to
prohibit circuses with animals.  Staff will be preparing a report to present
to Council for their consideration.  Please send letters of support for
a bylaw to:
Mayor Walter Fitzgerald
& Councillors
Halifax Regional Municipality
PO Box 1749
Halifax NS  Canada  B3J 3A5
Fax: [phone]
Phone:  [phone]
email:  [e-mail]

Your help with this would be greatly appreciated.  There are presently 3
municipalities in Nova Scotia that have implemented a bylaw to prohibit
circuses with animals, and we hope Halifax will join this list!!  If you
require any further information, please send a private email to: TAPA
(Taking Action to Protect Animals)  [e-mail]
Date: Wed, 03 Dec 1997 16:12:18 -0500
From: Mesia Quartano <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Virtual pet craze prompts Vietnamese to get real
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Virtual pet craze prompts Vietnamese to get real

Asia's craze for Japanese virtual pets, known as Tamagotchi, has taken a
new twist in Vietnam
where schoolchildren are ditching high technology and high costs in
favor of the real thing. A Ho
Chi Minh City newspaper said Wednesday booming sales to children of tiny
newly hatched birds,
which it said were disrupting classes in the southern city. Just like
the hand-held Japanese computer
game, the pet grows and tweets when it needs attention or food -- and
dies if neglected. The tiny
birds cost around 25 cents each. The local price of the electronic
alternative is around $30.

⌐ 1997 InfoBeat, Inc.


Date: Wed, 03 Dec 1997 16:07:30 -0500
From: Patrick Nolan <[e-mail]>
To: ar-news <[e-mail]>
Subject: Press Release re: trapping
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Animal Welfare Institute

For Immediate Release                                  Contact:  Cathy
Liss
December 3, 1997                                         [phone]

Clinton-Gore Administration Sets a Cruel Trap for the European Union

A European Union ban on import of fur from the United States lasted less
than 12 hours before the Europeans fell into a trap set by the
Clinton-Gore Administration.  The ban was implemented under the terms of
a 1991 E.U. law prohibiting import of fur from countries which fail to
change their cruel trapping practices.  The ban was lifted after the
E.U. was strong-armed by the Clinton-Gore Administration who threatened
a trade dispute.  The U.S. negotiators offered written assurances that
trapping methods in the U.S. will be changed within six years.  However,
careful examination of the U.S. trapping proposal reveals that it will
permit torturous trapping practices to remain virtually unchanged.
     In a further twist, the current U.S. proposal is substantially
weaker than a proposal presented to and rejected by the E.U.  in early
October.  This earlier proposal stated that trapping practices would
change in four years, rather than six.  Apparently, the European
Ambassadors, who voted to stop the fur ban on Monday, Dec. 1, were duped
into believing the proposal was stronger, but did not have opportunity
to scrutinize the U.S. proposal.
     Steel jaw leghold traps, devices which tear through the animalsÆ
flesh, breaking bones and severing tendons and ligaments, are at issue.
The E.U. sought to bring an end to use of these barbaric traps with
their landmark law.  Polls reveal that three-quarters of Americans agree
with the E.U. that leghold traps should be prohibited.  Yet, in direct
contradiction to overwhelming public opinion, the Clinton-Gore
Administration has spent years in backroom negotiations, lobbying at
taxpayer expense, in support of leghold traps.  President Clinton has
said the fur industry is  an important source of employment for many
Americans .  However, according to the Commerce Department, there are
only 2,099 individuals who earn a living by hunting and/or trapping.
     On December 8, the European Foreign Affairs Council is scheduled to
vote on the fraudulent U.S. trapping proposal.  If the proposal is
accepted, American trappers will be exempted from the fur ban--and free
to subject the millions of animals trapped every year to the
excruciating pain of steel jaw leghold traps.

                                  -30-

Note:  Photographs, video footage, public opinion polls and text of the
U.S. proposal available upon request.

Date: Wed, 3 Dec 1997 20:46:28 +0000
From: "Miggi" <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] - BSE / CJD News
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT

A friend just passed this on.

> Wednesday December 3, 2:54 PM GMT
>
> Britain to advise against on-bone beef eating
>
> LONDON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The British government is to advise consumers
> against the eating of on-the-bone beef such as
> t-bone steaks, and ribs, Agriculture Minister Jack Cunningham said on
> Wednesday.
>
> He said he would make a statement to parliament later today after advice
> from the government's advisers on mad cow disease
> that there was a slight risk of contaminated material getting into the
> human food chain from these products.
>
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 97 20:08:35 UT
From: "Stephen Wells" <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: help, please
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Hello All,
     Our tiny group of animal people here in Anchorage desperately needs your
help.  For several months we have been working hard on the local "goose
issue:"  US Fish and Wildlife Service wants to start killing  730 geese a year
next summer.  They haven't researched or tried any non-lethal methods of
"goose control."  Not only did we do that for them, and present them with a
well-researched citizen's plan for non-lethal goose control, but we also put
the very valid question in their heads that perhaps goose "control" isn't even
necessary in the first place.
We were making headway, and were even close to getting them to agree to, at
least, not start killing next year so non-lethal methods could be tried and
further population studies conducted.  Then the Anchorage Daily News got
involved.  This is by far the biggest paper in the state and has, from the
first editorial, supported the killing of geese without ever researching or
presenting "our side."  Their writings on geese have culminated in the below
column by Mike Doogan.  He is popular enough, and his column written just mean
enough, that we may have just lost everything.
     If you have an extra five minutes, please write a letter to the editor of The
Anchorage Daily News (e-mail below).  Even if you are unfamiliar with the
nation-wide debate over killing Canada geese, at the very least, please write
in a sentence or two addressing Mr. Doogan's fifth paragraph, where he states
that animals don't have feelings.  I consider that to be the most damaging
thing in his whole piece.
     I have sent him a very courteous reply, a copy of Why Vegan, a brief summary
of the philosophical arguments against animal exploitation, and a copy of our
citizen's non-lethal plan (which he knew about but didn't bother to read first
or mention in his column).  Again, if you have the time to support us on this,
I can't thank you enough.  Letters from "outside" have a powerful effect here,
but unfortunately, usually come from anti-animal people (the NRA, etc.).
Sincerely,
Alex bury.

Anchorage Daily News
P.O. Box 149001
Anchorage, AK  99514
(907)  257-4200
fax:  [phone]

e-mail for letters to the editor (please include your full name, city you're
writing from, and phone number for possible confirmation):  [e-mail]

Mike Doogan
(907)  257-4350
[e-mail]

Patrick Dougherty, Mike Doogan's boss
(907)  257-4303
[e-mail]



SOLUTION FOR THE CITY'S GOOSE PROBLEM IS A GOOD GUMBO RECIPE
by Mike Doogan, Anchorage Daily News Columnist
Tuesday, December 2, 1997

     Every time I hear people arguing about geese in anchorage, I have the same
reaction.  I'm listening to somebody yak or reading another letter to the
editor and I think:  You know, all this talk about food is making me hungry.
Then I go have a snack.
     I can't help myself.  It's my upbringing.  If you grew up in Alaska, you do
not think of  geese as sentient fellow creatures.  You think of geese as
dinner.  If large numbers of Canada geese had crowded into any Alaska town in
the 1950's, the only public debate would have been over who had the best
recipe for stuffing.
     Here and now, the facts seem to be these.  More Canada geese come to
Anchorage every spring; last year, 4,500 showed up.  They are at least a
nuisance, leading strings of goslings across busy city streets and pooping
everywhere.  They are at most a threat to human life, because they are big
birds and they sometimes get sucked into jet engines, which tends to make the
jet engines quit working.
     As a result, a group of wildlife experts is designing a plan to reduce the
number of geese.  One proposal is to kill a bunch each year and collect eggs
so they don't hatch.  Quite sensibly, both the birds and the eggs would be
used for food.  This has set off the extremely tender-hearted, whose rallying
cry seems to be "geese have feelings, too."
     Well, they don't, actually, at least not feelings as we understand them.  All
this talk about what wonderful parents and faithful spouses geese are is just
another example of the pathetic fallacy, the mistake of ascribing human
characteristics to animals.  It's one thing to read that mistake in vegan
literature, quite another to try to make it the basis of public policy.  In
Anchorage, Canada geese are a problem, and they should be dealt with as
efficiently and cheaply as possible.
     If that means wringing their necks and turning the carcasses over to food
banks, so be it.  I can tell you from personal experience that geese have lots
of tasty dark meat.  The eggs would no doubt cook up into dandy omelets, too.
And the down could go into new pillows for Brother Francis.  Talk about your
win-win situation.
     The excessively sensitive propose a different solution.  They want us to get
rid of nice lawns and mowed playing fields, to use big noisemakers and
automated scarecrows.  I don't have any problem with the lawn idea.  If my
neighbors let theirs go to seed, mine wouldn't stick out quite so much.  But
that long grass might make it tough to play softball or soccer.  Are people
really going to give up those sports so some geese don't have to be killed?
     The real problem with these methods, though, is that they are more expensive
and iffier.  How interested are we in spending more public money so a handful
of radical salad-heads feels better?  Particularly if that makes it more
likely a jetliner full of people will fall our of the sky.
     Look, I don't mind the more evolved trying to make me a better person.  I
just don't think we should let their tender hearts stand in the way of
sensible public policy.
     The truth is, there's no end to worrying about the feelings of food.  If you
listen hard enough, I expect you can hear carrots scream as you peel them.
Think about it.  If some giant picked you up and started scraping your skin
off, you'd scream, wouldn't you?  Stands to reason, so would a carrot.  Why,
the shrieking of a cornfield being harvested must assault the sensitive ear
like the soundtrack of a slasher movie.
     What's left?  solar-powered people?  Doubtful.  So I'm perfectly happy to
support a policy of limited goosecide. Heck, I'd even be willing to donate my
dynamite recipe for goose gumbo.





Date: Wed, 3 Dec 1997 18:08:59 -0500 (EST)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Re:  "Strong linkage between gaming industry and racetracks"
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Subj:Powerful Panels to Headline American Gaming & Lodging...
Date:97-12-03 14:03:41 EST
From:AOL News
BCC: LMANHEIM

Powerful Panels to Headline American Gaming & Lodging Summit; Cutting-edge
Seminars Address Current Events in Gaming and Lodging Industries

    LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 3, 1997--Each year, the
American Gaming & Lodging Summit presents a series of seminars that
address the most current issues in the gaming and lodging industries
today.  The Summit gathers the experts in their fields to explain the
recent developments and to make predictions on the future direction
of those issues.

    This year's American Gaming & Lodging Summit, to be held Dec.
8-10, 1997 at the Las Vegas Hilton, presents a wide variety of
seminars and workshops designed to prepare the professionals in the
lodging and gaming industries for the next year and beyond.

[I've snipped out a bunch of stuff here which would not have been of interest
to a-r's]


    "Parimutuel Partners" reveals the increasingly strong linkage
between the gaming industry and racetracks.  Experts from Iowa,
Arkansas, Louisiana and Arizona will explain how slot machines have
been the salvation of many of America's most troubled tracks.

    Delivering keynote speeches at the American Gaming & Lodging
Summit will be: Sheldon Adelson, developer of The Venetian Casino
Resort in Las Vegas; Frank Fahrenkopf, President and CEO, American
Gaming Association; Arthur Goldberg, President of the gaming
division, Hilton Hotels Inc.; Bjorn Hanson, Senior Managing Director
of the hospitality and lodging division of Coopers & Lybrand; Robert
Johnson, Chairman, Black Entertainment Television; Paul Nussbaum,
Chairman of Patriot American Hospitality; Terry Lanni, Chairman and
CEO of MGM Grand Inc., Glenn Schaeffer, President and CFO of Circus
Circus Enterprises Inc.; Barry Sternlicht, Chairman and CEO, Starwood
Lodging Trust; and Sen. Robert Torricelli (D-N.J.).

    Barron Hilton, the chairman of Hilton Hotels, will be honored
with the American Gaming & Lodging Summit's prestigious "Lifetime
Achievement Award" at the Keynote Luncheon on Dec. 10.

    For more information on press credentials to the American Gaming

& Lodging Summit, call [phone].

CONTACT:

Casino Journal Publishing Group

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Date: Wed, 03 Dec 1997 19:24:04 -0500
From: Mesia Quartano <[e-mail]>
To: "[e-mail]" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (US) Pennsylvania Ranch Paradise for Deer Hunters
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
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Pa. Ranch Paradise for Deer Hunters
(AP Online; 12/01/97)

 By MICHAEL RAPHAEL  Associated Press Writer

   JULIAN, Pa. (AP)   Don Beaver has created just the thing for deer
hunters
who don't have the time or patience to sit in the woods for days, hoping
a buck
happens to wander by. He calls it Paradise Ranch.

   If you love deer and have the checkbook to back it up, the 777-acre
tract is
heaven on Earth. The fenced resort in the foothills of the Alleghenies
is
crawling with deer, and not just any deer   animals up to 350 pounds
that are
the result of carefully monitored and selected breeding.

   "The goal was to make the place world class," Beaver said. "It's the
kind of
stuff you dream about as a kid."

   More than 150 deer live in the central Pennsylvania resort, eating
from feed
stations and alfalfa fields. Another 150 pace inside nine breeding
pastures,
where scientists try to match genetic traits to breed bulky bucks.

   Beaver has every intention of keeping the herd strong and growing.

   At the state-of-the-art breeding center, a computer automatically
releases
fresh food spiked with vitamins. Each deer has its DNA mapped, with the
goal of
eventually taking the guesswork out of breeding.

   The careful planning is intended to benefit hunters, who on an
average
hunting day will see 20 to 30 mature bucks. Few go home empty-handed.

   The story is different outside Paradise Ranch.

   Close to a million hunters were expected to search the Pennsylvania
woods
today, when deer season opens. Not all will even see a deer and fewer
will
shoot one heavier than 140 pounds. The state's buck season lasts just
two
weeks, while Paradise Ranch is open six months each year.

   Beaver has hunted for 33 years. As a teen-ager he could spend a week
looking
for the best clearing, then sit in the shadows for days before finding
the
right target.

   Today, with six prospering businesses, he rarely has time for more
than a
weekend of hunting, and he believes other businessmen share his desire
for
recreational efficiency.

   Paradise Ranch is there to make sure such weekends aren't wasted.
Private
guides lead hunters through the ridges and hollows, around the streams
and
ponds to the blinds where they can wait for the trophy buck of their
choice.

   A four-day stay, including one buck, top-shelf accommodations and
meals
costs $4,900   and that's only for the average-sized bucks. Bagging a
big
animal costs extra.

   The deal comes with a guarantee: Leave without bagging a buck and
come back
next hunting season for free.

   "Guys will go up to Canada three, four times, spend a week out in the
middle
of nowhere, not knowing where they're going and not see a single buck,"
Beaver
said. "If I can get them the big bucks and then give the camaraderie,
I'm
pretty excited about my chances."

   Beaver has run into opposition. Several people have written angry
letters
and he's found threatening messages on his answering machine. Animal
rights
groups denounce the operation as little more than hunting fish in a
barrel.

   "There's no sense of fair chance when you have penned-in animals,"
said
Heidi Prescott, the national director of the Fund for Animals. "There's
something rather sick about that."

   Beaver defends Paradise Ranch by pointing out that his deer have a
wide
range to roam.

   "I've always done things people haven't done before," Beaver said. "I
guess
I'm used to the criticism."

   Hunters certainly aren't complaining.

   Lee Taylor, publisher of Texas Trophy Hunters Magazine and the holder
of
several world deer records, proclaimed Paradise Ranch one of the two
best
locations in the country for whitetail.

   "They'll come from all over the world here," he said.

   No matter the success with growing animals ever bigger, Beaver
promises to
keep the numbers reasonable.

   "I could put 700 deer in here and have them crawling all around us,"
Beaver
said. "But I'd rather make you wait half an hour, get your feet a little
cold
first. I wouldn't want it to be too easy. What would be the point?"

{APWire:Domestic-1201.24}   12/01/97


Date: Wed, 3 Dec 1997 20:11:37 EST
From: BanFurNow <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Neiman Marcus Action Alert
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
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Animal Liberation of Texas
A.L.T.
P. O. Box 820872
Dallas, TX  75382
972-664-6760

Action Alert
Neiman Marcus Anti-fur campaign

Animal Liberation of Texas (ALT) has targeted Neiman Marcus for an
aggressive anti-fur campaign.  Neiman Marcus doesn't want consumers to know
that animals are gassed, anally electrocuted, and even have their necks
broken so they can fill their stores with fur trimmed coats.  Neiman Marcus
does not want consumers to know they sell wild caught furs from animals
like raccoon's and beavers that had their paws crushed in steel leghold
traps.

On Sat. Sept. 27 in Dallas, Texas, a Neiman Marcus security guard was
arrested and jailed for assault and battery when he and another security
guard choked, and beat two peaceful animal protection advocates after they
followed them for nearly a mile to their car.  One young female activist
was sent to the emergency room with a concussion, blurry vision, ongoing
black outs, and various scrapes and bruises.  She did nothing but
distribute flyers identifying Neiman Marcus as a fur seller.

Animal Liberation of Texas will continue to campaign against Neiman Marcus
despite their violent intimidation tactics on non-violent activists.
A.L.T. is working with Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT) to provide
consistent pressure to shut down Neiman's  fur salons nationwide.

Please write and/or call Neiman Marcus executives and tell them that you
will not tolerate the killing of animals for vanity, or the beating of
animal protection advocates.

Gerald Sampson,
President and CEO
Neiman Marcus
1618 Main Street
Dallas, TX 75201
214-573-5786   Phone
214-573-4904   Fax
1-800-937-9146
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 1997 20:46:52 -0500 (EST)
From: "A. Hogan" <[e-mail]>
To: Ilene Rachford <[e-mail]>
Cc: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Need Anti-Fur Org in MD
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Compassion Over Killing (COK) is an excellent, established DC-MD-VA
grassroots activist group that often focuses on anti-fur demos led by Peter, Paul, and Miyun. She
can be e-mailed via [e-mail]. --ar

On Mon, 1 Dec 1997, Ilene Rachford wrote:

> Hello, all,
>
> I just received a request for an anti-fur group in the MD area. Can
> anyone help?
>
> Thanks,
> Ilene
>
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 1997 23:00:12 +0000 (GMT)
From: Pat Fish <[e-mail]>
Cc: [e-mail]
Subject: RFI: Nude Skaters Stage Protest Against Fur (lawsuit?)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

On Tue, 2 Dec 1997, Vegetarian Resource Center wrote:

>.c The Associated Press
>..snip...
>Two animal rights activists shed their clothes at Rockefeller Center's ice
>skating rink Tuesday as part of a holiday protest against fur coats by the
>People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
>
>Prosecutors decided the protesters had not shown enough skin to violate
>public nudity laws.

Reports said they had been arrested and detained, but then released.  Since
July 1992, women in New York State have have the same right to go top-free
as men (which wasn't legal till the earlier part of this century).

If press reports are accurate, and the two were detained, isn't that an
unlawful arrest?  What legal grounds were used to stop the protestors?  What
legal challenge is being taken to protect their rights?  NYS is one of the
only states where women can also shed their shirts.  If the this latest
detention goes unchallenged, it may set a bad precedent.

Pat Fish (in NYS)

Date: Wed, 03 Dec 1997 18:24:37
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] BSE/CJD update
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

The British government has banned the sale of all beef sold on the bone.
This includes things such as T-bone steaks, brisket and other unboned beef
cuts.

CBC Newsworld showed footage of British Prime Minister Tony Blair adressing
the Commons about the ban. He said that although he realised the problems
that British beef producers had faced since the link between BSE and the
human equivalent (CJD) was announced, he could not ignore the advice of the
Chief Medical Officer.

The ban was placed to eliminate the risk of BSE being transmitted through
bone marrow. Research has shown there is at least a small risk of this. The
ban applies to both domestic and imported beef.

Beef sales in the UK are said to have recovered to their pre-BSE crisis
levels, although the prices at both slaughterhouses and retail butchers are
still much lower. How much the latest ban will affect sales is not known.

It would appear, however, that Prof. Richard Lacey was correct - the cow is
being banned one bit at a time.

David J Knowles


Date: Thu, 4 Dec 1997 00:20:25 +0000 (GMT)
From: Pat Fish <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Paper Says Fur Is Back (replies needed)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

{{Count how many times the "revival" is expressed matter-of-factly, while
  opposing views are merely "claims".}}

    FUR'S IN VOGUE AGAIN
    Animal activists, clothing designers draw battle lines waiting for
    consumers to choose
    By JULIA FERRANTE  Observer-Dispatch

      If you've flipped through the latest issues of Vogue magazine, caught
a glimpse of what's on the runways or even gone through the dress-wear
section of a nearby mall, you may have noticed something different:

    Fur.

      Mink, pink, faux and fox, fur has re-emerged prominently on the
market. The question is: Are people buying it? The answer depends on whom
you ask.

      The fur trend is like none other in fashion. For some, it evokes
pride, elegance and success. For others, it represents cruel death, selfish
vanity and a shun of social responsibility.

      "Fur is *definitely* coming back. Many designers are showing it and
some are getting heat for it," said Elena Hart, spokeswoman for the Fashion
Association, retail promoters in Manhattan. {{What the reporter fails to
mention is that most of the top designers dropped fur-- fur is being used by
less-established designers looking for publicity/controversy.}}

      Jenny Woods, spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals in Virginia *claim* the trend is being cultivated by furriers and
the fashion press.
      "Every year the fur (promoters) are saying, Fur is coming back.' We
are saying No, it's not,"' Woods said. "The furriers may put a happy face on
for the season, but things are not that great."

      While most attribute the decline in fur sales to a weak economy, warm
winters, and anti-fur protests, the *resurgence* of fur among designers
appears to be a combination of retro 1980s opulence and a backlash to what
many considered excessive anti-fur activism.

     [[PICTURED (Full-color image over 1 foot tall): Tall, thin, blonde
woman in sunglasses wearing full-length fur coat. Text reads "Runways have
recently seen a resurgence in the use of fur like this Valentino
double-breasted mink coat.  Photo courtesy of the Fur Information Council of
America.]]

      Some are reacting to the overall agendas of PETA and other activists,
which include opposition to leather and the use of animals for medical
research.{{Divide and conquer tactic noted.}}  PETA also is against fake fur
that looks like real fur. {{I've seen fake fur for sale in PETA's catalogs,
so this must be wrong.}}

      Frank J. Sergi of Frank J. Sergi Furs in Utica, which sells, repairs
and remodels fur, rejected the anti-fur movement when activists began
throwing paint and dead animals at people who wore fur, he said.  He owns a
Japanese mink-lined coat.  {{Any reporter should know he rejected it when
he went into the fur business, not when people protested.  Didn't the FICA
actually say in brochures that people need not worry about paint-throwers?
Why does the reporter fail to quote this?}}

      "I think people are getting wise to it," Sergi said. "People who
feared remarks and hesitated to wear fur are realizing this is a free
country. They can wear what they want. I love animals, too, but not the way
they're going on about it."

      Bette Nobles of Sauquoit, on the other hand, chooses not to wear fur.
    "I probably wouldn't want to wear it because I don't like to think about
all those animals," Nobles said.  {{The reporter never says who Nobles is or
why her opinion matters.  The reporter never contacted *any* local AR
people, though she interviewed a local furrier.}}

      David Wolfe of The Donegar Group, fashion analysts and trend
forecasters in Manhattan, attributed the shift in perception to an overall
return to "conspicuous consumption."

"The beginning of the '90s were all about social responsibility, giving up
smoking, being (politically correct)," Wolfe said. "People are just tired of
it. Now they're smoking cigars, drinking martinis, wearing fur and stiletto
heels."

      Leon Hall of the Fashion Association said many are tired of being
attacked for wearing and showing fur.  "You shouldn't be able to tell me
about religion, sexual preference or what I wear or what I eat," Hall said.
"It's a terrible thing to walk down the street for fear someone would throw
paint on your coat."

      But not everyone is following the fad.  {{Aha. so fur is back.}}

      Atoosa Behnegar, a fashion editor at Cosmopolitan magazine, said as a
rule, the magazine does not shoot pictures of fur.

      "There are so many fake fur options now, there's not really a need to
show it," Behnegar said. "Our readers can certainly get that look without
it."

      PETA opposes fur on the grounds that animals in captivity are
mistreated and that breeding animals for fur is wrong.  PETA claims minks
are being strangled to a slow death, chinchillas are dying by genital
electrocution and foxes are dying by anal electrocution.  {{Note how the
reporter avoids the trapping issue, and runs glam-pics of furs, but runs no
photos from AR groups showing the non-glam side of fur.}}

     The Fur Information Council of America denies the allegations.

      "That is not at all standard practice in our industry. If it does
happen, we don't know about. it," said Executive Director Carol Wynne. "They
are killed by lethal injection or carbon monoxide. Sure, maybe it did happen
in other countries. In the  U.S., it's not standard."

      While the Fashion Association doesn't oppose fur, Hart noted that the
growth in the industry is relative. "What you have to remember is you are
measuring growth against a very, very slow percentage. They are still a long
way from the boom of the 80s ," Hart said.

      The fur market peaked in 1987 with $1.8 billion in sales, FICA
reported. Sales fell to $987 million in 1991. Last year, they rose back up
to $1.25 billion.

      New York leads the United States in fur sales, followed by Chicago.
Fur tends to sell more in colder cities, but some southern states bring in
large sales as well, Wynne said.

      Women 35-44 buy the the most fur, followed by younger women, 24-35.
Men's fur represents less than 5 percent of U.S. sales, FICA says.

      PETA disputes the figures. "We never rely on the fur industry figures
because they rely on killing for their industry. If they are not opposed to
killing, they must not be opposed to lying to promote their industry," Woods
said.

      Years of anti-fur protesting has left its mark on consumers, upsetting
people on both sides of the issue.

      Margaret Gregorka of the Town of Ohio, for instance, will never wear
fur again, she said. She put her black mink dress coat in a closet 30 years
ago, after she read newspaper articles about animals that were bred for fur.

      "I'd feel guilty if I ever wore that coat," Gregorka said. "It is
beautiful. The material is from Italy and it was a gift from my (late)
husband. I felt so elegant in it. But I would never wear anything that they
had to kill animals for."  {{Once again, the local anti-fur interviewee is
not a an activist, but some unknown person, whose significance is never
explained.}}

      Hart predicts the fad will fade, as all fashions do.

      "Everybody in fashion is looking for the next thing," Hart said. "Fur
looks fresh because it hasn't been seen in fashion magazines for so long.
Before it was against fur, now it's pro fur. It's all a cycle. The cycle now
is for it."


PART II of article...

TITLE:    Faux fur leads ''80's 'glam' revival

      The *return of fur* comes hand in hand with the nostalgic wave toward
the 1980s. But a new variety of styles certainly contributes to the
prevalence of styles on the market.

      Fur has come in and out of vogue as fashion became more and less
elegant. It was in style in the 1920s, the post-war 1950s and the 1980s,
noted Elena Hart, spokeswoman for the Fashion Association in Manhattan.

      Fur has become less expensive, largely due to the drastic drop in
sales during the early 1990s. But it also is being shown in a number of new
fashions: sportswear, business suits, boxer shorts, lingerie and even
children's fashions.  {{No mention of trim or pet-toys is made.}}

      Perhaps the most powerful influence are super-models {{such as?}} who
are wearing fur on the runways and magazines that feature it.
"Vogue" featured fur on its cover in September. Women's Wear
Daily, a fashion newspaper, also runs fur advertisements. {{It should be
noted that this newspaper, the Observer Dispatch, runs fur ads, and their
sports section runs trapper meets, announces Cooperative Extension
4-H fur-sales, trapping classes, etc.}}

      Faux fur is emerging in a number of new styles and in crazy colors:
baby blue, pink, purple and yellow.

      JCPenney nationally is showing business suits with fur cuffs, leopard
prints and "different glam touches," in real and fake fur, Hart noted.

      Ironically, the children's movie "101 Dalmatians," which teaches a
lesson against killing for vanity, helped prompt the faux fur trend.
     The Children's Place, based in New Jersey, is featuring faux fur at the
top of its holiday fashion line this season.

    The options include a red fleece coat lined and accented with black-and
white spotted fake fur.
      Similar prints are showing up in women's winter coats and on cuffs of
business suits.
      "A lot of the faux fur has that Dalmatian look" Hart said. "It has an
entertainment, Diva quality. All people in all walks of life are wearing
it."

    -Julia Ferrante
      [[PICTURED: Baby in dalmation style fur outfir waves.  Text reads: "In
an ironic twist, the children's movie "101 Dalmatians" has inspired a
faux-fur fashion trend. The Children's Place has used the Dalmatian print in
some of its holiday outfits. Photo courtesy The Children's Place"

    To reply to the Observer Dispatch newspaper (please submit an editorial
including your name, address and # for confirmation):

    Phone:    [phone]                    Observer Dispatch
    In NYS: 1-800-765-8491                    221 Oriskany Plaza
    FAX:      [phone]                    Utica, NY 13501
    EMAIL: [e-mail]

 I spoke to the reporter after the story, and she seemed mildly
anti-fur.  The slant of the article was probably due to her ignorance of the
issues, lack of professionalism, or bad hacking by her editors.  Please send
op-ed replies that focus on facts, and pointing out how unbalanced
the article and photos were.  Following this story, there were several
opinion pieces defending trappers, hunters, fishers and so on.


Date: Wed, 03 Dec 1997 23:35:09 -0400
From: [e-mail] (Lawrence Pinsky)
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Birds Cost 25 cents
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
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Virtual Pet Craze Prompts Vietnamese to Get Real
Dec 3 (Reuters) - Asia's craze for Japanese virtual pets
known as Tamagotchi, has taken a new twist in Vietnam
where schoolchildren are ditching high technology and high
costs in favour of the real thing.
A Ho Chi Minh City newspaper reported on Wednesday booming
sales to children of tiny newly hatched birds, which it said
were disrupting classes in the southern city.
Just like the hand-held Japanese computer game, the pet
grows and tweets when it needs attention or food -- and dies
if neglected.
Novel concept. The tiny birds cost around 25 cents each. The
local price of the electronic alternative is around $30.

Date: Wed, 03 Dec 1997 20:35:57
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Risk-assessment system 'relies too much on science'
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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[Gives some information on how testing is done.]

>From The Electronic Telegraph - Thursday, December 4th, 1997

Risk-assessment system 'relies too much on science'
By Aisling Irwin, Science Correspondent

MOVES to ban the sale of beef-on-the-bone disclose severe flaws in the
system for assessing the risks of BSE, it was claimed yesterday.

The approach is based purely on science and takes no account of cultural
factors or public perception of risk, according to Prof John Durant,
professor of the public understanding of science at Imperial College, London.

He said: "This is a morale-sapping, confidence-sapping process tailor-made
to lead to a decline in public confidence in the whole system. The science
has had too much weight placed on it."

Members of Seac, the government's advisory body on the disease, have had
"the fate of a multi-million-pound industry on their shoulders" when all
they were qualified to do was give technical advice. Meanwhile, government
has felt the need to take Seac's advice unfiltered by advisers from other
fields.

"In the most extreme episodes, this case has been farcical," said Prof
Durant. The BSE issue was unsuited to the system because the evidence had
never been very sound.

Other scientists privately agreed yesterday that methods for testing
whether BSE infection is present in cow tissue are still "crude". Yet the
system reacts to each new piece of scientific evidence. "If you make public
policy dependent on the changing circumstances of scientific
research it means it will have to keep changing unpredictably with every
new finding," said Prof Durant. "The system needs a complete overhaul. The
whole way in which advice is being given to government about this issue has
been exposed and found wanting. It is no one person's fault."

He called for public consultation on what should be done about BSE and for
the country to establish the principles on which it wants to make such
decisions.

The membership of Seac should be broadened to include people who are
familiar with public anxieties and risk perception, and other
non-scientists. Seac should also broaden the methods it uses to come to
conclusions.

Yesterday's announcement followed experiments at the Central Veterinary
Laboratory in West Byfleet, Surrey, where scientists deliberately infect
cattle with BSE. Every four months they kill three and inject their tissues
into the brains of mice to see whether they develop the
disease.

Normally, they would expect to find the infection in the brain, spinal
cord, the end of the gut and the eye. All these cattle parts were removed
from the human food chain years ago. But the latest experiments have found
the infection in the dorsal root ganglia in the vertebrae, the bone marrow
and in the "trigeminal ganglion" found in the skull.

The scientists have therefore recommended that these parts of the cow
should be removed from the food chain as well - hence the need to remove
bone from beef. The trigeminal ganglion is already excluded from the food
chain.

There are many caveats to the findings. First, the research, although by
eminent scientists, has not yet been published. It has been submitted to
the journal The Veterinary Record. Second, the experimental cows developed
infections in their dorsal root ganglia and bone marrow only when they were
more than 30 months old. Cattle that old are already destroyed.
Third, the experimental cows developed infections only if scientists gave
them very heavy doses of BSE.

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Wed, 03 Dec 1997 20:28:46
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Beef crisis as meat on the bone banned
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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Here's more detail on this topic.

>From The Electronic Telegraph - Thursday, December 4th, 1997

Beef crisis as meat on the bone banned
By George Jones and Aisling Irwin

THE Government imposed a ban on the sale of all cuts of beef on the bone
yesterday in the wake of evidence showing that the agent that causes mad
cow disease and its human equivalent, Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease, could be
transmitted through the spinal column and bone marrow of cattle.

It will mean that T-bone steaks, roast ribs of beef and oxtail will no
longer be sold across the counter or served in restaurants. New
restrictions will be placed on the manufacture of stock cubes and soups.
But the Government has decided against removing existing supplies of stock
cubes and oxtail soup from the shelves of shops and supermarkets
because the risk was "very small".

Announcing the new curbs, Jack Cunningham, the Minister of Agriculture,
insisted that British beef was still safe to eat and said the ban was a
precautionary measure to "protect consumer confidence". The restrictions
are expected to be in place within a week. In the meantime, Mr Cunningham
said consumers could decide for themselves whether to take
the small risk of eating meat on the bone.

Tesco and Sainsbury supermarket chains immediately announced that they had
removed all bone-in beef from cattle over six months old from their shelves.

The ban is a severe blow to the meat industry at a time when public
confidence in beef was returning after a series of scares over BSE and CJD.
Welsh farmers who have already blockaded ports to stop imports of cheap
Irish beef yesterday threatened to extend their protest to supermarkets and
distribution warehouses.

The new restrictions were imposed within hours of the Government's expert
advisers, the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (Seac),
reporting that BSE "infectivity" had been found within nervous tissue in
spinal column bones, which would be left with the bone when the meat was
cut off the spine.

Scientists have also given warning that BSE may be found in the bone marrow
in cattle at a late stage of the disease. According to Seac,experimental
animals showed the infectivity only after receiving "a heavy dose of
infected bovine tissue".

It was present only in cattle aged over 30 months - beyond the age at which
they are allowed to be used for meat for human consumption. Seac scientists
calculated that only six animals which could pose a risk from the  new
source of infectivity were likely to enter the food chain this year.

They also stressed that there was absolutely no evidence that muscle, meat
or blood could transmit the BSE agent. The committee's findings leaked out
yesterday morning and were broadcast on television before Mr Cunningham
could make a statement in the Commons.

Mr Cunningham disclosed that he had opted for the toughest safeguards
recommended by his advisers - requiring that no beef with the bone in  from
cattle over six months old should be sold to the consumer.

He said that after taking advice from the Sir Kenneth Calman, the
Government's Chief Medical Officer, he had concluded that it would not be
acceptable to allow tissues shown to transmit BSE to remain within the
human food chain. The requirement to "debone" beef will apply to all meat,
whether from British farmers or imported supplies.

Deboning will be able to take place in cutting plants, butchers' shops,
catering establishments or other commercial premises. Bones will not be
allowed to be sold, given to consumers or used in the preparation of food -
as the cooking process, such as boiling a bone to make soup or stock, might
release infectious tissue.

Manufacturers will not be allowed to make soup, stock cubes and gelatin
using the bone from British cattle over six months old. Mr Cunningham said
the Government saw no need to remove oxtail soup from the shelves - despite
banning further sales of oxtail - because the infected tissue was not found
in the tail of cattle. The new restrictions will not apply to pet
foods.

Since the initial disclosures of the link between BSE and the new variant
CJD, the Government has made a series of restrictions, which have raised
fears that the BSE agent may be present in more parts of cattle than first
thought.

Only five per cent of beef is consumed on the bone at present, but the new
curbs are likely to dash any prospect of an early lifting of the worldwide
ban on British beef, imposed 20 months ago. The Labour Government is
continuing a ú4 billion programme started by its
predecessors to eradicate BSE from the British herd by 2001, with thousands
of cattle over 30 months old being slaughtered.

Tony Blair confirmed yesterday that the Government was preparing to
announce a full inquiry into the handling of the BSE crisis, including how
the disease was allowed to develop through the use of animal material in
cattle feed.

In the Commons, Mr Blair came under pressure to consider compensation for
farmers. Paddy Ashdown, the Liberal Democrat leader, described the ban as a
"bitter, terrible blow" for the beef industry.

Mr Blair said he understood the plight of the beef farmers and "how great a
blow" the latest announcement was. But he gave no hint of additional
government help for farmers.

One beef farmer, Richard Barter, who has 127 cattle at Bovey Tracey, south
Devon, said it could be "the end of the line". "I am completely gutted, the
cost of boning is going to be put back on to the farmer. We are not making
any money now, how are we going to cope?"

Anthony Gibson, south west regional director of the National Farmers'
Union, said it was a a body blow to an industry already on its knees. The
impact of the new precautions on a depressed market made the case for
support for the beef industry "unanswerable".

Protesting beef farmers succeeded in turning back four lorries, carrying
around 30 tons of Irish beef each, that had arrived at Stranraer from Larne
yesterday.

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.



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