Originally published June 19 2005
Mad cow news threatens to slaughter beef stocks
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A cow, previously said to be Mad Cow Disease-free, has tested positive for the disease under more intense testing, and MarketWatch.com reports this has negatively affected beef stocks such as Tyson, Wendy's and Outback Steakhouse.
On Friday, the Department of Agriculture said that a sample from a cow that had been cleared last year as free of BSE -- more popularly known as mad-cow disease -- generated a possible positive under more intensive testing.
More than 375,000 animals from a targeted cattle population have undergone a rapid BSE test since last June, and the USDA said three of them tested inconclusive and were subjected to additional tests.
Of those three, one "came back reactive," the USDA said.
Shares of Tyson Foods (TSN: news, chart, profile), the world's largest meat company, lost one cent to $18.36 and rival Smithfield (SFD: news, chart, profile) slipped 12 cents to $27.94.
On the restaurant side, hamburger giant McDonald's (MCD: news, chart, profile) fell 15 cents to $29.38 while Wendy's (WEN: news, chart, profile) gave up 1.6% to $47.15 and Outback Steakhouse (OSI: news, chart, profile) eased 17 cents to $44.42.
In a note to investors, Wachovia's Jonathan Feeney said the test result is "not as big of a deal as it looks."
Beef numbers are "at risk for Tyson and likely to stay bad for Smithfield....
This is a positive test that will be re-examined -- but as always with mad cow, perception is much more important than reality."
That perception could be a blow to the USDA's credibility, he added, and could hurt Tyson and Smithfield because it will put talks over the resumption of beef exports "likely on hold indefinitely."
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml