California Slaugher House Abusing Cows

[Spartanvet4cows]

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http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/30/undercover.slaughter.video/index.html

As someone who is going into food animal medicine, I am appalled by this behavior. Not only is this horrible for these poor cows at the end of their lives, it's dangerous! It is a very clear violation of animal welfare, and USDA regulations for the handling of downer cows. I hope that the parties responsible are put in prison, I really do.
*sigh* One more thing to feed the PETA fire....that's the last thing food animal producers needed!

 

[OSJ]

I saw that this morning. It's terrible. Reminds me why I am a vegetarian! There was a link to a video on the story I read, but I haven't watched it yet.

 

[krodriguez]

Poor cows. I wonder how common this is. In 1997 when Gail Eisnitz wrote "Slaughterhouse" it seemed like it was everywhere. I wonder what things are like now. Food animal vets, what do you think?

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Aw, that's terrible in so many ways. Not only the poor cows 🙁, but the food animal vets who have to deal with the people who sink their teeth into such terrible but rare things and say it happens everywhere.

I have the utmost, utmost respect for food animal vets and vets-to-be - you guys have a tough job, not just in general but in terms of all of the "politics" surrounding it.

 

[Spartanvet4cows]

Yeah, it's tough. Because, really, this is a rare occurrence. I've been to a slaughter facility, and many of my friends have been to different ones, and they have never seen anything even remotely like this. The late 90's saw some MAJOR overhauling when it comes to animal welfare in slaughter houses. Temple Grandin has been an amazing asset, and has helped redesign facilities to reduce stress on the animals. Rules have been put in place that less than 5% of animals may vocalize during the stunning process, that "hot stuns" have to be minimized in swine facilities, and an animal must not regain consciousness before it has exsanguinated completely. A USDA inspector needs to be present for the slaughter of all meat animals, and unforunately it looks like there was a major oversight at this facility.

 

[PiddlingFish]

I hate that the article is mainly about saving the poor poor children from the unsafe meat. 🙄 Sure, they may mention the abuse, but it's all about the safety of the meat.

I guess no one cares about the additional abuse the animals have to go through before they're killed.

 

[piratevet]

Is there a vet in that farm or slauther house? Why didn't he/she stop it? In my country vets are present all the time and most of them wouldn't allow this.

 

[krodriguez]

I hate that the article is mainly about saving the poor poor children from the unsafe meat. 🙄 Sure, they may mention the abuse, but it's all about the safety of the meat.

I guess no one cares about the additional abuse the animals have to go through before they're killed.

I agree but in the end if we have to scare the public about the safety of their children in order to get the animal abuse to stop I'm willing to go that route. I've read about how it was so hard to expose stories like this in the past because news organizations thought the public didn't want to hear it and it looks that is CNN's logic too since they focus on the kids. I guess that's why organizations like the Humane Farming Association started putting these videos and exposes out there themselves which led to a lot of reforms in the 90's like one of other posters was saying. It's sad that the animals aren't the focus but I'm glad these abuses are still being publicized so that the companies that do have these problems are punished.

 

[laurafinn]

It's great to see CNN publicize stuff like this - it is the quickest way to turn inhumane practices around, because it puts pressure on producers and gets laws strengthened. I actually don't mind most of what PETA does that much, I have to say (the horror! - please don't burn me at the stake). Groups on the fringes push the mainstream ever so slightly in their direction, and in the case of animal welfare, this is a good thing.

 

[runnerDC]

I hate this too, I really do. But realize that this is a powerful angle to speak from to get more people to care about this issue. If what is going to get action to help these animals is talking about this issue from a meat safety perspective first and an abuse perspective second, at least it will still work toward the common goal of ending these practices.

I hate that the article is mainly about saving the poor poor children from the unsafe meat. 🙄 Sure, they may mention the abuse, but it's all about the safety of the meat.

I guess no one cares about the additional abuse the animals have to go through before they're killed.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Does anyone know why the HSUS took so long to report this?


To quote the agriculture secretary Ed Schafer

"It is unfortunate that the Humane Society of the United States did not present this information to us when these alleged violations occurred in the fall of 2007. Had we known at the time the alleged violations occurred, we would have initiated our investigation sooner, and taken appropriate actions at that time."

and AVMA Executive VP Dr.DeHaven: "It is regrettable that the HSUS did not share this information earlier to prevent the likely suffering of additional animals at the facility in question."

To the question about veterinarians, yes, we do have veterinarians and inspectors come in to processing plants at regular intervals, sometimes announced and sometimes un-annouced, to check things out and report back to the USDA. But I do not believe there are ones there 24/7 - just not enough people want to get into food animal medicine. There is a severe lack of willing vets in that area, which is sad because I feel that both animal welfare and food safety could definitely benefit.

from the AVMA website:
The AVMA recognizes that veterinarians employed in food supply and food safety are dedicated professionals who strive every day to ensure safety and quality of our nations' food supply. This disturbing video emphasizes the need for improved veterinary oversight of animal handling and slaughter, and underscores the importance of resolving workforce shortages that could compromise our country's food supply.

Sure, they may mention the abuse, but it's all about the safety of the meat.

Of course animal abuse is important. But food safety is extremely important as well. I agree the article is slanted, but they are both valid concerns. It isn't just "scaring people into caring about abuse." Tainted food is VERY scary. BSE and vCJD anyone?

 

[shocker682]

This was a very difficult video to watch. I have seen many slaughter plants and not come across such cruelty. These workers simply don't care. It's hard enough seeing workers who simply don't KNOW enough about proper animal handling and movement --- but to see the malicious actions of these individuals --- man...

Although I believe this level of abuse is relatively isolated, slaughterhouses still have a long way to go to improve animal welfare. Part of the problem is the high rate of attrition among workers, especially the ones involved in cattle movement and killing. Another impeding force is the lack of knowledge of animal behaviour and handling. Really, this is an uphill battle. I believe that the average agricultural animal has a good life, however it's welfare is significantly compromised over the last hours of it's life. This must change. Temple Grandin has really pointed the industry in the right direction, now we have to ensure universal compliance (easier said than done --- who wants to work for the USDA???).

 

[VAgirl]

Of course animal abuse is important. But food safety is extremely important as well. I agree the article is slanted, but they are both valid concerns. It isn't just "scaring people into caring about abuse." Tainted food is VERY scary. BSE and vCJD anyone?

Absolutely. This is a very important point to make. And the number of things that can affect the safety of the food supply is much broader than the relatively rare BSE, though that is certainly a concern.

I went to an agroterrorism conference a few years back and one of the speakers on the first day right before lunch said, "I thought the best way to drive home how important the safety and availability of our food supply is would be to not provide lunch to all of you today." Long pause. "We didn't do that, of course, but you get the idea."

 

[VAgirl]

(easier said than done --- who wants to work for the USDA???).

 

[wivet2011]

This from NBC15.com today.



"The U.S. Department of Agriculture is calling back 143 million pounds of frozen beef from a Southern California slaughterhouse that's being investigated for mistreating cattle.
The action tops a 1999 ban of 35 million pounds of ready-to-eat meats.
USDA says the recall will affect beef products dating to February 1st, 2006, that came from Westland/Hallmark Meat Company, based in Chino, California. The company supplies meat to the federal school lunch program and to some major fast-food chains.
Federal officials suspended operations at Westland/Hallmark after an undercover video surfaced showing crippled and sick animals being shoved with forklifts.
Two former employees have been charged with animal cruelty. No charges have been filed against Westland, but an investigation by federal authorities continues.
Federal regulations call for keeping downed cattle out of the food supply because they may pose a higher risk of contamination from E. coli, salmonella or mad cow disease."
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

 

[mistifical]

My concern is that it seemed like there were so many downed cows. I have practically no food animal experience, so I really don't know what would be considered "normal" and of course nobody knows what over what time span these videos were shot. But in the last segment there are about a dozen cows down on the ground in the background. If there are so many unhealthy cows at the slaughterhouse, you have to question just how healthy the "healthy" ones are.

 

[Bill59]

I didn't see the video and don't know any details, but I suspect most of the downers were dairy cows. Beef cattle usually go to slaughter at a young age and are typically healthy. They're raised for this so as soon as they are grown they're slaughtered because waiting just increases cost for the producer.

On the other hand, dairy cows are usually milked as long as they keep producing, that is, until they are too sick or old. At that point, the producer has to do something with them and sending them to slaughter is a way to get at least some money. But sometimes they are down or close to it by the time they get to the slaughter plant. Those animals aren't supposed to enter the human food supply but like every business there are a few sleazy folks only concerned with making a buck that cause the problems.

 

[sofficat]

Holy cow (sorry- no pun intended), that last cow in the video was plantigrade! A COW! I have never seen that in a large animal before. If you want to see a tibial nerve damaged cow, go to time 43 seconds in the video. Very sad but interesting.

 

[sofficat]

found it... it is tibial nerve damage (at least in small animal it is)