Gentocin

On February 27th, 2002, I printed the first letter from a
whistleblower:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/notmilk/message/834

The second letter from my whistleblowing friend, a
courageous man caught in a no-win situation, was received on
October 6, 2002:

Whistleblower's letter
____________________________________________________

Dear Notmilkman,

Several months ago I sent you a long Whistleblower message
telling about the illegal use of LS-50 in dairy cows in
Wisconsin and Colorado, not to mention the dairy, in South
Carolina, which used pure Chlorine to mask high SCC counts
in a milk tank for milk used in human consumption. Following
that you kindly published the piece -- carefully omitting
all the names I had mentioned of the quilty -- and also said
that you had provided these names to the relevant
authorities.

I thought that now you may like to know that since then
absolutely nothing has happened to change the status quo of
the use of those drugs or practices by the parties I had
mentioned to you. Not one of them has been investigated,
fined or even warned. No-one has contacted me to check on my
facts and story -- so, it would seem that their actions are
actually being condoned by the USDA, FDA and other health
and environmental bodies. Odd indeed. So much for blowing
the Whistle.

Here's the latest info that may interest your readers and
which you may once again want to explore further: In
Colorado, on the dairy farm of (NAME WITHHELD BY THE
NOTMILKMAN, AUTHORITIES NOTIFIED) there are several
practices which the public need to hear about. Perhaps this
time something will actually be done about it.

Despite repeated warnings from their local Vet, (NAME
WITHHELD) continues to use the drug Gentocin in the
treatment of mastitis on their milking cows. The vet has
warned them that this drug is not labelled for use in dairy
animals, especially lactating animals, but (THE UNNAMED
FARMER), -- a ranking member of the Republican Party (he was
MC at the Republican Congress in Colorado Springs earlier
this year), and a leading figure on the Weld County
governing body -- simply laughs it off and says that
inspectors no longer visit his farm. When asked what he
would do if he was aware that someone was using an illegal
drug on dairy cows (THE UNNAMED FARMER'S) comment was:

"Well it would all depend on how many people it was
hurting." How has he managed to not have inspectors visiting
his dairy? Could it have something to do with his poltical
ties? I do know that whenever he has problems with the INS
and his continued use of a labor force composed entirely --
except for one milker -- of illegal and undocumented Mexican
workers he does have a direct link into Senator (THE
SENATOR'S NAME WITHHELD) office. These then are just a few
of the illegal and unethical actions being carried out by
the (NAME WITHHELD) Dairy and Farming operation in Colorado
-- a dairy farm run by people who put themselves up as
paragons of Christian virtue in the community. Are these the
sort of people that ordinary Americans have chosen to lead
them and produce their food?
_______________________________________________________




Time For Us To Clean Up Their Act

America has a problem. Our food is tainted by antibiotics.
Laws are in place to protect us, but enforcement of safety
issues plays second fiddle to political and financial
considerations.

Who is at risk? You, your children, your friends and
relatives. Anybody who takes a sip of milk or piece of pizza
or bite of milk chocolate.

Gentocin (sounds like gentle sin) is an antibiotic residue
that remains within animal flesh and body fluids for 18
months. That is why its use is strictly prohibited in farm
animals intended for America's food supply.

I wrote a column about a book (Killers Within) that detailed
emerging bacterial strains which cannot be killed by
antibiotics because of a long history of use, misuse, and
abuse.

http://notmilk.com/thekillers.html

Recognizing similar problems, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has developed and is coordinating the
National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS),
along with the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). In
essence, what we have is a formula that does not work: NARMS
= FDA + USDA + CDC.

Gentocin is commonly given to cows to treat mastitis. The
American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), a 5,000
member organization of veterinarians who treat cow diseases,
has requested that all use of gentocin in food animals
cease. Their request is comical. It is against the law to
use this antibiotic, yet licensed veterinarians continue to
prescribe it.

I recently learned that CDC tested one Pennsylvania
slaughterhouse and determined that of all antibiotics found
in tested samples, Gentocin had been found in nearly 38% of
residues. CDC has a national testing program, and when
antibiotics are found, 30% of the time it's Gentocin.

Violation of antibiotic residue laws is so widespread, that
enforcement of current laws would immediatly close America's
milk and meat industries. In his letter, the whistleblower
wrote:

"In Colorado...despite repeated warnings from their local
vet, (a dairy farm) continues to use the drug Gentocin in
the treatment of mastitis on their milking cows. The vet has
warned them that this drug is not labelled for use in dairy
animals, especially lactating animals, but (the
farmer)...simply laughs it off and says that inspectors no
longer visit his farm."

I sent an EMAIL to FDA asking: "Does anybody read or respond
to this email address?" Within five minutes, I received this
response: "Are you the same Robert Cohen from notmilk.com?"

cvmhomep@cvm.fda.gov




Let me tell you about Catch 22. If a bomber pilot suffered a
nervous breakdown during World War II after flying numerous
death defying missions, and claimed that he could no longer
fly, he was told that the only way a pilot could be relieved
from duty was to be diagnosed by a psychiatrist as crazy,
but since a request not to fly was clearly a sign of sanity,
that in itself was evidence that the pilot must continue
flying. In fact, pilots who continued to fearlessly drop
bombs while flak filled the sky were truly insane, but since
they never requested to be relieved from duty they would
continue to fly their missions.

Saul Heller wrote:

"There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which
specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of
dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a
rational mind.

"Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was
ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and
would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly
more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he
had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't
have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to.
Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity
of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.


  'That's some catch, that Catch-22,' he observed. 'It's the
best there is,' Doc Daneeka agreed."

Gentocin residues, remain within the flesh of treated
animals for up to 18 months. FDA does not permit the use of
Gentocin for animals that may enter our food chain.

Unfortunately, veterinarians are permitted to prescribe
Gentocin, despite the fact that it's not permitted.

Unfortunately, unscrupulous dairy farmers can treat their
milking cows with Gentocin, and nobody is on the farm to
test the milk because cows being milked that day are not
being sent to slaughterhouses...that day. Tomorrow is a
different matter, but that is not the dairy farmer's
concern.

FDA knows about this, but does not test cows in
slaughterhouses, USDA does. USDA does not regulate drugs for
milking cows.

Anybody see a serious flaw in the system? It's a Catch-22,
all right, and like Yossarian (Saul Heller's heroic pilot),
you've got to be crazy to drink the milk or eat the meat.

If you eat chicken, are you safe? Last year, 13 billion
pounds of rendered cow parts were ground up and fed to
chickens. Got antibiotics?

This is just one farmer. One farm. Eighty-thousand more to
go. What gets injected into 9.3 million dairy cows at 4:00
AM? When are the cows loaded onto a truck and shipped to
slaughter? Six months or a year after the last injection?

Which of the ten billion farm animals will be tested by
USDA? What part of the animal will be tested? Gentocin is
stored in the kidneys and breaks down into other dangerous
substances. Residues can be found in the lungs. Do
inspectors test the top round or rib steaks? Different
percentages are to be found in different tissues.

A prohibited drug, prescribed by veterinarians. A dangerous
drug, eaten by humans. Is there nothing that can be done to
make the system work?

Of course there is. Can anybody guess the simple solution?

Bypass FDA. Bypass USDA and CDC and NIH and all of the
government agencies with conflicts of interest that allow
one Catch-22 after another to compromise our safety.

Eat a plant-based diet, and your body will thank you.

SUCCESS!

Quarantine Anitbiotic-treated Cows

It is against the law for milking cows to be treated with
Gentocin, but a Colorado Veterinarian is doing so, and he is
being protected by one man who could make a difference, but
chooses not to. Bureaucrats are often do-nothings, by
definition. My award for do-nothing of the year goes to Dan
Trimberger whose actions betray the meat-eating children of
the state of Colorodo. Mr. Trimberger should be banished to
a dairy farm and given a large shovel and broom to clean up
the mess he's helped to create. His phone: 303-692-2035. His
EMAIL:

dan.trimberger@state.co.us

I've also spoken to his boss, Barbara Hruska. She informs me
that Colorado is complying with the law. I submit that they
are not. She claims that her jurisdiction ends because the
cows are not used for meat. I claim that they will be sent
to slaughterhouses tomorrow, or next week, or next month.
She claims that this is an issue for USDA. USDA claims that
the cows are not yet under their jurisdiction because they
are being milked, and not being used for meat.

Is this ridiculous?

Veterinarians who prescribe such medication as Lauren
Sandburg is doing on this farm have absolutely no
conscience. Dr. Sandburg is well aware that residues from
this dangerous antibiotic remain in the animal's flesh for
18 months. Dr. Sandburg's phone number is 970-587-2697. Dr.
Sandburg has not returned my phone calls, but I am certain
that he's getting the message.

The animals MUST be quarantined.

The latest letter from my whistleblowing friend:
__________________________________________________

Dear Notmilkman,

I'm stunned! So, despite Gentocin being banned for use in
lactating animals it is okay if a vet prescribes it for use
in mastitis in lactating animals?

Robert, is there any point at all in people like me even
risking the effort of bringing things like this to the
attention of the American public? How sad, how very tragic
that someone risks so much in doing what is right only to
have it ignored. I'm disappointed to say the least, Robert -
- not with you, but with the powers-that-be that could have
stopped poisoning Americans but have decided to rather let
them be poisoned.

They are milking somewhere around 400+ cows at this dairy.
They also run a beef feedlot of Holstein steers. Except for
one milker all their other staff are undocumented Mexican
laborers which they exploit terribly in terms of wages and
time. But that is another issue -- one for the INS most
likely; especially as they have repeatedly committed fraud
and perjury on US Dept of Justice INS papers and
questionnaires.

Gentocin is mixed with sterile water in an infusion which is
injected into the mastitis quarter of the lactating cow;
immediately after milking her. In addition to this they also
infuse lactating cows who have a uterus infection with
Oxycure 100 (an Oxytetracycline drug) directly into the
uterus. When these animals with these infections are found
in the milking herd -- usually in their Pen 2 -- the cows
are infused with this antibiotic into the uterus --and then
simply left in the milking string. This means that the milk
goes directly into the bulk tank and onto the consumers.
Now, although this is not allowed, (Farmer's names deleted)
thinking is that because the dosage of the oxycure 100 is so
low (between 30-60cc Oxycure 100 per infusion) the
antibiotic will be diluted with the volume of milk and go
un-noticed by the authorities.

This Ends The Whistleblower's Latest Letter
___________________________________________________

It is illegal to inject food animals with the powerful
antibiotic, Gentocin.

Each year, 35% of the 9.2 million cows being milked in
America are sent to slaughterhouses.

Gentocin remains in the animal's flesh for 18 months after
treatment.

Thirty percent of the antibiotic residues detected in
America's slaughterhouses is Gentocin.

Veterinarians prescribing Gentocin should have their
licences suspended.

Farmers injecting Gentocin into their dairy cows should have
their animals quarantined for 18 months after the final
injection.

We are at a crossroad, folks. Keep sending letters to FDA:

cvmhomep@cvm.fda.gov

I have also shared this information with:

INS Colorado District Office
303-371-3841 Ext. 300

Do you know of a friend or family member with one or more of these milk-related problems? Do them a huge favor and forward the URL or this entire file to them.