Mysterious Mass Cattle Deaths May Be Caused By Random Grass Mutation
A mysterious mass death of a herd of cattle has prompted a federal investigation in Central Texas.
Preliminary test results are blaming the deaths on the grass the cows were eating when they got sick.
The cows dropped dead several weeks ago on a ranch in Elgin, just east of Austin.
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The grass is a genetically modified form of Bermuda known as Tifton 85...
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Dr. Gary Warner, an Elgin veterinarian who specializes in cattle, conducted the 15 necropsy. Preliminary tests revealed the Tifton 85 grass, which has been here for years, had suddenly started producing cyanide gas, poisoning the cattle.
"Coming off the drought that we had the last two years, we're concerned it was a combination of events that led us to this," said Warner. "The problem is, we don't know, and there needs to be some caution exercised until we know more about the situation."
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What is even more worrisome - other farmers have tested their Tifton 85 grass, and several in Bastrop County have found their fields are also toxic with cyanide, although no other cattle have died.
GMOs should be safety tested before they hit the market says AMA
The American Medical Association called for mandatory pre-market safety testing of genetically engineered foods as part of a revised policy voted on at the AMA's meeting in Chicago Tuesday.
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On Tuesday, however, Monsanto spokesman Tom Helscher would not say whether or not the company supports mandatory pre-market testing, only that the current voluntary consultation process “is working,” he wrote to the Tribune.
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Tuesday afternoon FDA officials would not say whether the department supported mandatory testing.
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The policy change happens as nearly 1 million petitioners await an FDA response on labeling genetically engineered foods and just five months before Californians vote on a ballot initiative to require mandatory labeling in the state.
