A rancher in Trabuco Canyon, California, said the demand for unvaccinated beef has exploded as he remains one of the few remaining in the country refusing to vaccinate their cattle.
Frank Fitzpatrick, the owner, and rancher of 5 Bar Beef in south Orange County, said his practice is getting more difficult as government regulations increase.
While not vaccinating cattle is still legal, the practice remains rare.
Fitzpatrick said that not vaccinating his cows has rendered his business a rare market commodity, driving huge demand.
“I’d quit if I didn’t make so much money off it,” Fitzpatrick told The Epoch Times.
“But [many] people don’t trust any vaccines [ranchers] treat the cows with after COVID-19,” he added.
Fitzpatrick said he does not vaccinate his cows against illnesses including black leg, botulism, tetanus, or others.
The rancher has 700 to 900 cows raised using “holistic planned grazing,” each cow is fed a 100 percent grass diet outdoors, and the demand for unvaccinated beef has his business thriving.
When asked about vaccines and cattle, Fitzpatrick said he prefers to err on the side of caution.
“The truth is we just don’t know even a fraction of what ingredients can do to our bodies,” he said.
“We just have no idea. So I refuse to vaccinate my cows, and they’ve turned out to be some of the best cows in the entire country,” he added.
His ranch, which spans 900 acres, has only lost four cows to disease in the past 40 years despite not vaccinating.
“[Disease] just hasn’t been an issue. My cows are healthy, and the beef is great for your health,” Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick added that California regulations against meat producers have grown “too much” in recent decades, pushing out smaller meat producers and allowing bigger producers to dominate more than 80 percent of the market.
According to Fitzpatrick, such regulations include increasing the mandatory minimum number of cows required for slaughter at plants from a small handful to 44 heads minimum.
He adds that the Department of Agriculture also pressures slaughterhouses financially, requiring them to build separate bathroom facilities for federal inspectors and other costly regulations that hurt small meat producers.
USDA regulations say the practice is to ensure that cross-contamination from shared bathrooms doesn’t taint the products during inspections
“There is a systematic attempt to shut down animal product processing in California,” Mr. Fitzpatrick said.
“As the government becomes more regulatory, people become less ambitious in creating businesses, and they’re driving the little guys out of business. The USDA is doing it to perpetuate their bureaucracy.”
He also slammed the agriculture department’s recent approval of lab-grown meat as an example of such “bureaucracy.”
“Lab-grown meat is beyond arrogance,” he said.
“They grow meat cells the same way cancer cells grow in the body. There’s no way that’s safe.”
READ: Irish Gvt to Slaughter 200,000 “Farting” Cows to Fight “Climate Change”
