Why don't farmers who have cattle with Jones just kill them?

Question

Why do most farmers keep them till they are half dead then, sell them for meat? That is gross, isn't there some kinda FDA law against selling Jones meat? To me it seems if the it runs through the cows blood, wouldn't you think it could pass something to a human?

Answer 1

Try reading the article.  It is a good place to start understanding Johnes Disease in cattle.

http://extension.missouri.edu/xplor/aggu...

Answer 2

anyone that eats cows are eating disease period!!!  Cows are injected with all sorts of poisons and stuff you would never put into your body.  But you do everytime you eat a hamburger or steak.  Look at the research.

Answer 3

Please clarify "Jones". I have not heard of that term. In the U.S., many cattle are sold to "tank" that is, cancer-eye, downers or lungers are sold to process for byproducts. It's a very sad sight, as many could have been properly care for and sold in much better condition.

Thanks for clarifying. In reviewing your additional details, perhaps you mean Brucellosis.

Johnes disease is an intestinal disease of cattle, which is related to the bacterium in human tuberculosis.

Brucellosis is  a disease in cattle that causes spontaneous abortion in cattle and can transmutate to humans causing undulant fever with possible spontaneous abortion in human females. If Brucellosis is found in tested cattle, they are required by law, to be destroyed. Johnes diseased cattle, I do not believe they have mandatory removal=, only sequestered herds.

Either way, a very destructive disease, to farmers and the economy.

Answer 4

I'm a small farmer.  I raise meat goats.  Goats can get Johnes Disease also (any ruminant actually can get the disease).

The beef cattle farmers do not actually see much Johnes Disease.  Mostly it's a problem in the dairy cattle.

Of course when a dairy cow ends her life, she ends up as hamburger.

I don't supose you've ever been on a large dairy farm, have you?  When the farmer is milking 700-1000 dairy cows, frankly, he doesn't spend a lot of time looking over the body condition of each one.  He's too busy.  He work at least 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

If a cow is doing poorly, he sends her off to butcher.  He doesn't test for Johnes Disease.  There's no law that says he has to, even though it's proven that johnes disease survives pasturization and is in our commercial milk.

The main problem with Johnes Disease is the long period of time before the animal starts to show signs of doing poorly.  It can be several years.  In the mean time, the animal is infecting others.

This is one of the reasons I run a mostly closed herd, only introducing a new healthy buck every 4 years or so.  This helps keeps disease out of my herd.

If you are concerned about it, DO NOT lobby for new laws.  The new laws enacted only s***w the small farmer, and leave the mega corperations free to carry on as they always have.  

Instead purchase your dairy and meat products from small, local farmers.  Chances are very good that the small farmer is taking EXCELENT care of his stock.  The loss of just one or two animals for the small farmer can be a very painful financial loss.  They tend to take much better care of their animals if for no other reason than financial.

As for passing it onto humans....well it probably affects us somehow, they just haven't yet connected it.  By the way if they ever do, you can expect your beef, lamb and dairy prices to shoot through the roof.  I would expect milk to be $10 a gallon (or more) if/when they connect it.

~Garnet

Homesteading/Farming over 20 years

Answer 5

Cattle with Jones? I can no reference to what you are talking about. Perhaps the term "Jones" has a different connotation where you are, but it means nothing to me.

Answer 6

I think you must be talking about "Johnes".. pronounced "yahh knees"

Well to answer your question, the farmer doesn't suspect the cow has it til it starts loosing weight!Then a blood test will confirm it! It is a very rare disease, a lot of cows get it and just die and the farmer thinks it just died of being "wormy" or a poor do'er.

It isn't "supposed" to make humans sick.... it can still be used for leather and other byproducts, and cheap cuts of meat like hamburger.

Answer 7

Since it is caused by a living pathogen that can be killed by cooking, it is relatively safe to eat it if it is cooked properly.  They probably use most of it for pet foods since they are cooked very well.