Bush administration on the wrong side of an issue, again

For me, this story says it all about my frustrations with the Bush administration. They are going to wade into the free market...to prevent a company from doing a safety test on all of its products.

The Bush administration said Tuesday it will fight to keep meatpackers from testing all their animals for mad cow disease.

The Agriculture Department tests less than 1% of slaughtered cows for the disease, which can be fatal to humans who eat tainted beef. But Kansas-based Creekstone Farms Premium Beef wants to test all of its cows.

Larger meat companies feared that move because, if Creekstone tested its meat and advertised it as safe, they might have to perform the expensive test, too.

A federal judge ruled in March that such tests must be allowed. The ruling was to take effect June 1, but the Agriculture Department said Tuesday it would appeal — effectively delaying the testing until the court challenge plays out.

If Creekstone Farms tests all of their animals, it will be far from compulsory for other beef producers to follow suit. Will it give Creekstone Farms a marketing advantage? Certainly. Will their beef cost more and also have a higher margin? Most definitely. Will there still be a huge market for cheaper, less-frequently tested beef? You bet your rump roast. Not only is the Bush Administration acting very unconservatively by wading into this free market issue, it also looks stupid for trying to keep a company from doing product safety testing on all of its meat.