Since the mid-1990s, The HSUS has been working hard to stop as a matter of public policy the abuse of downer cattle -- animals too sick or injured to walk. And on Saturday, March 14, 2009, President Obama himself announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture was officially putting a stop to non-ambulatory cattle being mishandled in order to get them into slaughter plants. He made the announcement along with two top selections for the Food and Drug Administration and a series of other statements about food safety.
In his weekly address, President Barack Obama said that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will close the loophole allowing downers to be used for food. He called food safety "something I take seriously, not just as your President, but as a parent."
The president also formed a new Food Safety Working Group to look into food safety laws and recommend improvements, and ordered the Food and Drug Administration to employ more food inspectors.
The abuse of downed dairy cows commanded the national spotlight after an HSUS investigation documented the horrific practices at Westland/Hallmark Meat Packing Co. The investigation findings were released January 30, 2008.
Before releasing the latest documentation of downer abuses, The HSUS briefed then-Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer about the latest abuses and renewed a request that the USDA act immediately to ban processing any downed cattle for food.
The HSUS also urged the USDA to extend the ban to the 1,200-plus livestock markets and auctions that operate around the nation, and require that operators of those facilities and slaughter plants immediately and humanely euthanize downer cattle upon identifying them in that non-ambulatory state.
Yesterday, the USDA issued the largest recall of beef in U.S. history, the latest action in response to The Humane Society of the United States' groundbreaking undercover investigation of a dairy cow slaughter plant in Southern California.
I cannot even begin to tell you how disgusted I am by this situation. This farm abuse is so intense I just don't even know how these people sleep at night. To have cows so sick they cannot even stand up and walk around. I am in shock, this is criminal!
Specifically these cows had lost the ability to walk since passing pre-processing inspections were slaughtered without an inspector having examined them for chronic illness -- a practice he said violated federal regulations and had been going on for at least two years.
These cows didn't get this way on their own. They have been kicked, beaten, dragged with chains, conscious cows hanging upside down, shocked with electric prods...I just can't even go on. The photo included here makes my stomach sick, but it was the least graphic of the others...
It's important to keep downed cattle out of the food supply because they also may pose a higher risk of contamination from E. coli or salmonella because the animals tend to wallow in feces and have weaker immune systems, according to AP.
To help make a difference please write a letter and send it to the Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Edward Schafer. Make sure to mention how proper oversight from the USDA is ABSOLUTELY necessary all of the time and not just when someone pleads for an investigation. Gosh!
When Mr. Schafer received the nomination for this job, in October of 2007, he said to President Bush, "I thank you again for the opportunity to serve the people of the United States, and if confirmed, I will do my very best to promote, preserve and enhance the mission of the United States Department of Agriculture."
We need to make sure he stands by this statement.
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., USDA's Postal Service mailing address is:
U.S. Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, DC 20250
Mr. Schafer's e-mail address is: Edward.W.Schafer@usda.gov
