UNITED STATES-DOWNER COWS AND THE PRESIDENT.
March gave animal rights groups, meat lovers, and cows alike a reason to celebrate. In an effort to improve the safety of meat used for human consumption, President Obama announced a new federal ban against the slaughter of downed cows. In 2003, the USDA placed a ban on the use of downed animals for food after Mad Cow Disease was found in a downed cow that was processed for meat. However, the laws put in place had many loopholes that allowed slaughterhouses to continue the practice anyway.
Due to the conditions at most factory farms, cows raised there can suffer from extreme illnesses. Factory farms attempt to produce and sell as many animals as possible, which often leads to inhumane and unhealthy treatment of the animals. Cows are crowded into small areas or cages, forced to eat unhealthy food and antibiotics, and are rarely given adequate veterinary care. Cows may become so sick that they are unable to walk or stand, these are considered ’downed cows’.
Even if a cow is sick, it is still sent to the slaughterhouse where it will be killed for meat. If it is a downed animal, workers will use whatever method, no matter how cruel, to get the animal into the slaughterhouse. Some of these methods involve using cattle prods, dragging them with ropes, and even pushing them in with forklifts.
While this treatment of already suffering animals is enough cause for concern, it could be a much bigger problem for consumers. The meat from these ill animals is being processed and sold for food across the country. Sick and downed animals can carry diseases like Mad Cow Disease and E. coli. Research found that 15 of the 19 cases of Mad Cow Disease in the United States involved a downed cow.
In January 2008, the Humane Society of the United States performed an undercover investigation of the Hallmark/Westland Slaughterhouse in Chino , CA . The investigation showed extremely ill animals, unable to move, being cruelly tortured by workers as they forced them into the slaughterhouses. It also exposed the fact that sick and dying animals unfit for human consumption were being processed for meat, some of which reportedly was headed for use in school lunch programs around the country. The investigation resulted in criminal charges, and a recall of over 143 million pounds of beef processed at the plant. The largest beef recall in U.S. History.
Along with the federal ban on all downed cows being used for meat, President Obama also announced the formation of a Food Safety Working Group to look into current food safety laws. Obama also called for more food safety workers and inspectors at the USDA. These are big steps to protect consumers and improve conditions for the animals as well.