Humane Society discloses video of animal cruelty
The Daily Aztec (San Diego State U.)
Stephen J. Hedges
Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: National News
"In this one, we feel there is a very, very remote possibility of anyone suffering any health consequences from the consumption of this product," said Richard Raymond, Under Secretary for Food Safety. The primary reason for the recall, Raymond said, was that an ongoing investigation has shown that the Hallmark plant violated USDA rules regarding the treatment of downer cattle -- animals that arrive at the slaughter plant but cannot stand up because of an illness or injury.
Schafer and other USDA officials said that it was "extremely unlikely" that the downer cattle slaughtered by Hallmark/Westland carried BSE (mad cow disease). Raymond said that USDA has tested 750,000 cattle for BSE and only discovered two cases. However, the USDA recently scaled back the level of BSE testing it conducts, citing a lack of BSE cases. The USDA recall follows the disclosure last month of a video secretly taped by the Humane Society of the United States. The video showed Hallmark/Westland plant workers prodding downer cattle to get them to stand, and moving downer cattle with machinery such as forklifts.
Wayne Pacelle, the Humane Society's president and chief executive officer, said the USDA recall would not have occurred if his group had not made the undercover video.
"This is 100 percent the trigger," Pacelle said of his group's video. "No one knew there was any problem at this plant."
A California prosecutor filed animal cruelty charges against two former Hallmark/Westland plant workers last week based on an investigation prompted by the video. Pacelle said that the recall could grow, given the fact that Hallmark meat was used in the production of other food products. Beef industry officials condemned the treatment of the downer cattle at the Hallmark/Westland plant. But they said the recall does not mean the nation's meat supply is unhealthy.
"This recall is happening out of an abundance of caution because the company did not follow regulations for non-ambulatory cattle," said James Reagan, chairman of the Beef Industry Food Safety Council. "We can say that the beef supply in the U.S. is safe. The ban on non-ambulatory or downer cattle is one of the many steps to produce safe beef, but it is not the only step."
Schafer and other USDA officials said that it was "extremely unlikely" that the downer cattle slaughtered by Hallmark/Westland carried BSE (mad cow disease). Raymond said that USDA has tested 750,000 cattle for BSE and only discovered two cases. However, the USDA recently scaled back the level of BSE testing it conducts, citing a lack of BSE cases. The USDA recall follows the disclosure last month of a video secretly taped by the Humane Society of the United States. The video showed Hallmark/Westland plant workers prodding downer cattle to get them to stand, and moving downer cattle with machinery such as forklifts.
Wayne Pacelle, the Humane Society's president and chief executive officer, said the USDA recall would not have occurred if his group had not made the undercover video.
"This is 100 percent the trigger," Pacelle said of his group's video. "No one knew there was any problem at this plant."
A California prosecutor filed animal cruelty charges against two former Hallmark/Westland plant workers last week based on an investigation prompted by the video. Pacelle said that the recall could grow, given the fact that Hallmark meat was used in the production of other food products. Beef industry officials condemned the treatment of the downer cattle at the Hallmark/Westland plant. But they said the recall does not mean the nation's meat supply is unhealthy.
"This recall is happening out of an abundance of caution because the company did not follow regulations for non-ambulatory cattle," said James Reagan, chairman of the Beef Industry Food Safety Council. "We can say that the beef supply in the U.S. is safe. The ban on non-ambulatory or downer cattle is one of the many steps to produce safe beef, but it is not the only step."
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