Sun, Apr-11-04, 19:33
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Butter Tastes Better
Posts: 5,201
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Plan: Atkins OWL / IF-23/1 /BFL
Stats: 100/100/100
BF:
Progress: 34%
Location: SF Bay Area
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Finger pointed at Atkins for rise in cattle rustling
http://news.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=411792004
Finger pointed at Atkins for rise in cattle rustling
CRAIG BROWN
THE Atkins diet has been blamed for many things: kidney damage, high cholesterol, diabetes, even bad breath. Cattle rustling has now been added.
The unorthodox diet’s popularity - with its emphasis on high protein foods such as steak - has resulted in rising US beef prices. American police in rural areas have claimed the eating fad appears to be creating a generation of rustlers who steal and sell cattle, particularly newborn calves not yet branded.
"It's getting worse," said Frank Swiggart, a detective for the Merced County Sheriff's Office in California's San Joaquin Valley, which has a high concentration of cattle ranches and dairy farms.
"The incentive is really there because of the beef prices. And it’s not just a few random guys out there doing this. We’re finding organised rustling rings."
A calf stolen shortly after birth can fetch about £272 ($500). Some ranchers are now installing lights and more fences on their properties, while others are hiring overnight security guards and moving their cattle pens away from roadsides.
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