Cow Udder Doping Scandal Hits Australia

Where will this madness end???
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Cow Udder Doping Scandal Hits Australia

Tue Aug 10, 4:54 PM ET


BRISBANE, Australia - In an unlikely Australian doping scandal, four
people have been banned from an agricultural show for injecting
performance enhancing substances into cows' udders to enlarge them,
officials said Tuesday.


Two cow owners and two groomers, who were not named, have been
disqualified and excluded from competition for so-called "udder
tampering" at the Royal Queensland Show in the eastern city of
Brisbane, show official Vivian Edwards said.

Police also said a 22-year-old man will appear in the Brisbane
Magistrates Court later this month charged with failing to dispose of
a syringe used in the same doping scandal.

Other farmers are suspected of having glued show cows' teats shut to
stop milk leakage — a problem that has apparently plagued Australia's
highly competitive agricultural show circuit for years.

At many shows, dairy cows are judged on their general appearance, but
also the size and shape of their udders. Owners often spend hours
before the competitions shampooing and meticulously preening the
animals before parading them in front of judges.

Edwards said although this was the first time any participant had been
banned from the show's dairy section, rumors and complaints of udder
tampering have long been rife.