AR-News: Cows' poisoning an accident

[jim robertson]

Cows' poisoning an accident
Toxic material apparently leaked inside Enumclaw barn, FBI says

By LEWIS KAMB
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

It wasn't an act of eco-terrorism, the bitter fruit of a nasty labor dispute 
or the byproduct of sinister motives of any kind.

In fact, the sticky, toxic goo that sickened and killed several dairy cows 
on an Enumclaw farm earlier this month -- leading to a joint investigation 
by local, state and federal authorities -- came from a much more innocent 
culprit:

A corroded container.

"Our investigation has determined there was no crime involved," Robbie 
Burroughs, spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Seattle, 
said yesterday.

"It looks like there was some material that was stored in the barn, corroded 
through (its container) and probably dripped down on the cows."

Members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force were preparing to close their case 
yesterday on the poisoning of farmer John Koopman's dairy cows.

Koopman found a reddish-black substance on the backs of some of his cows 
while milking early June 6.

The gooey substance blistered and burned the skin of several of his animals 
-- ultimately killing three cows and making seven others sick. Out of 
caution, Koopman dumped tens of thousands of gallons of milk, and for a time 
a voluntary hold was placed on milk from any cow in his herd of 330, healthy 
or not.

A task force of federal investigators -- including members of the FBI, Food 
and Drug Administration, Agriculture Department and the Department of 
Homeland Security -- joined local sheriff's deputies and local and state 
health and agriculture officials to investigate the poisoning incident.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/179778_cows28.html