Soc.Culture.Jewish Newsgroups Frequently Asked Questions and Answers URL: www.scjfaq.org/faq/06-14.html

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Question 6.14:
Would the laws of Kashrut prevent Mad Cow Disease?

Mad Cow disease is believed to result from the consumption of cattle that have been fed food that unwittingly included tissue of diseased beef. The laws of Kashrut do not forbid feeding cattle food containing beef products (although Judaism would prohibit knowingly feeding the cattle diseased food). Additionally, the methods used in kosher slaughter reduce the likelihood that prions would spread (specifically, an article (http://www.cspinet.org/new/madcowpr.htm) from CPSI indicates that many slaughterhouses "stun" cattle with a pneumatic gun that instantly renders them brain dead, but the practice can spread brain tissue throughout the animal, and thus provides a potential route for "Mad Cow Disease" to enter the nation's food supply. This practice is mandated by law—except for kosher slaughter.

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