ARGENTINE CATTLE TRADERS BID ON HERD AT LINIERS MARKET FOR FEATURE MADCOW, 2001-01-23 (photo)

Argentine cattle traders (top) bid on a new herd at the Liniers market, the world's largest cattle market where 30,000 heads are auctioned off each week for domestic sale, January 23, 2001. In spite of being one of the few cattle herds still safe from mad cow disease (BSE), famed Argentine beef, grazed on the lush pastures of the sprawling Pampas and not the remains of other cows, still hasn't been able to shake off the European stigma. With panic spiraling as new BSE cases crop up across Europe, many consumers just don't want beef, regardless of where it's from, and that has punished Argentine beef exporters and left many on the verge of bankruptcy. RR