Meat plant owner absent on Capitol Hill
2008-02-27
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Under current rules, inspectors are supposed to weed out "downer" cows -- those that cannot stand on their own upon their arrival at slaughterhouses. But when cows fall to the ground after inspection, they must be inspected a second time before they can be slaughtered for food.
Westland/Hallmark's failure to call for second inspections of cows that had gone down while awaiting slaughter is what triggered the recall, Agriculture Department officials have said.
Dr. Michael Greger of the Humane Society of the United States said downer cows that don't pass inspection often wind up in pet food. They yield much less revenue than those that remain standing.
The financial incentive for plant operators and employees, then, is to force hurt and sick cows to stand by any means necessary, rather than put them down, Greger said.
"A truly comprehensive ban on meat from downer animals is needed," he said.
Greger urged lawmakers to support the Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act, a bill that would ban processing downed animals.
That, he said, would take away the incentive for plant workers to prolong the life of a suffering animal.
Instead, he said, all downer cows could be euthanized and used for pet food or other products that don't involve human consumption.
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