Mad About "Mad Cow" Testing

Creekstone Premium Beef wants to test all their cows before they are slaughtered for mad cow disease, reports Reuters. Perhap a bit of overkill, but if Creekstone wants to pay for it, who would stand in their way? Actually, the US Department of Agriculture and competitors are.

According to Reuters:

Critics in the cattle industry said Creekstone is trying to hijack food safety regulations for financial advantage. The American Meat Institute, representing meatpackers, said BSE testing almost always is a government function worldwide.

So what? If Creekstone thinks it can make a buck by offering consumers what they think is more safety, they should be allowed to go for it. This is no different than the way organic farmers make a buck off of consumers who erroneously think that their products are safer and more nutritious.