USDA Criticized for Not Knowing About Horrific Abuse of Cattle at Slaughterhouse
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U.S. Senate Appropriations subcommittee held a hearing yesterday on the Hallmark/Westland recall of 143 million pounds of meat. Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI) lambasted Secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Edward Schafer, for his agency's failure to know about the animal abuse at the Chino, California slaughter house.
Sen. Kohl pointed out USDA had five inspectors assigned to the Chino plant, yet it was an employee working undercover for HSUS that captured on video the cruelty of slaughterhouse employees towards downed or non-ambulatory animals.
Sen. Kohl asked the Secretary Schafer, "Why don't you have a system that uncovers this inhumane treatment of animals?"
Sen. Kohl pointed out what should have been obvious, that the USDA or FSIS inspectors could have installed surveillance cameras or made unannounced visits. Of course, they could simply have looked around. It's not like Hallmark/Westland was hiding any of this abuse.
The primary focus of the hearing was on the safety of the nation's meat supply. Mr. Schafer denied there was a food safety issue. He insisted it was not necessary to stop the slaughter of all downed cows.
According to the current regulations, the FSIS will determine on a case by case basis whether animals that have passed inspection but then become non-ambulatory, may be slaughtered and used for human food. 9 CFR §309.3
Call on Secretary Schafer to take seriously the horrific animal abuse at the Chino slaughter house and other facilities. Urge him to require veterinary treatment or humane euthanasia for downed animals, not death in a slaughter house. For more on the abuse at the Hallmark/Westland facility and the ensuing charges filed, click here.
Secy. Edward T. Schafer
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250
(202) 720-3631
Also, it's time to pass the Downed Animal Safety and Protection Act. Click here to read more about this bill and how you can help pass it.
Help pass the bill that would end the worst factory farming abuses for animals used in food products sold to the federal government. Click here for more information.