Editorial for Wednesday — January 07, 2004

• Mad-cow disease and Kaua’i

Mad-cow disease and Kaua’i

In recent weeks, the threat of mad- cow disease from the meat of Mainland cattle has made many a Kaua’i beef-eater think twice before biting into a steak.

One solution to this quandary is to eat local beef that feeds on pasture grass.

Kaua’i pastures in Kapahi, Kipu, Kalaheo and other areas offer year-round grazing for cattle-raisers. This tradition goes back to the days when cowboys were brought from Baja California in the mid-1800s. Kaua’i’s plantation managers and town residents relied on local beef for decades before refrigerated beef was available. William Hyde Rice and others imported top cattle stock to develop dairy herds, as well as grass-fed cattle.

Mad-cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is believed to come from feed given to cattle in feed lots. This type of cattle production is avoided when grass-fed beef is raised on Kaua’i.

Local cuts of beef are available at several family-run grocery stores across the island. While the taste and in some cases the look of the local beef may be a bit different from Mainland beef imported to Kaua’i, the beef can be prepared and cooked to taste.

With the surge in concern over mad- cow disease infecting American beef, local cattle-raisers have an opening to let consumers know about their product. Larger distribution of the Kaua’i beef would likely lead to more consumers buying the product.

However, a steady supply of local beef is limited due to the lack of slaughterhouses on Kaua’i.

Cattle-raisers are moving on both of these fronts. They gathered last night in Lihu’e from across the island to discuss how to better market beef, and to gain support in creating the infrastructure needed to boost Kaua’i beef production. Hopefully, their efforts will succeed.