I worked for TV back in these days s and we interviewed some Industry lobbyists. The common blabla as the camera was on. Typically, they tell you the entire story if the camera is off. And those stories are quite complex without Good-Bad - that’s why it’s too complicated for a 20 sec news shot.

They told us that the industry is feeding dead animals to cow’s because of the needed minerals and the costs. They can easily replace it by natural minerals, but that would raise the costs of meat. And consumers mainly choose by price. I think it’s too easy to blame the customers only. The industry is responsible as well.

I learnt two points: The industry won’t change and it will happen again - with different names and issues.

Second point: I‘m part of the issue as well and if I change my way of living, it’s better for animals and nature.

(And: As journalist you become cynical after a while. What you see in TV is a fraction of reality. Reality is just too complex for TV)

In contrast to Britain and Europe, American farmers are still allowed to feed cattle and other farm animals ground-up waste from other animals including birds.

Sorry US, you're on your own there.

They fed ground up chickens to cows, then fed ground up cows to chickens, who went back to the cows = prions. Run the cycle on repeat until there's enough prions in the cows to burn holes in their brains, until the solid muscle matter is literally like a kitchen sponge = mad cow disease.

Prions are a super spicy protein from cannibalism. Unfortunately, any animal can make them, and prions are hard as fuck to kill, surviving a week exposed to the elements on a surface and will transfer species.

We call Mad Cow, Kuru in humans.

Cannibalism is baaaaad

God i remember that. People went: what can we doooo? We just have to eat meat, but carefully.
I was too young to just realise you can just not eat it.