In Light of Largest Beef Recall in US History, Farm Sanctuary Asks, ''Why Not Pork?''

19/02/08 The largest meat recall in U.S. history (143 million pounds of beef from the Hallmark/Westland slaughter plant) has awakened national concerns over food safety, while shedding light on an ongoing practice of the meat packing industry – downed animals, those too sick, diseased or weak to stand, are entering the human food supply. No laws or government agency policies currently prevent downed pigs, sheep, goats or other livestock from going to slaughter for human consumption.

For more than 20 years, through its No Downers Campaign, Farm Sanctuary has documented abuse of non-ambulatory animals and worked for passage of the first laws in this country to end the marketing of downed cattle. The nation’s leading farm animal protection organization is reiterating its call for the passage of The Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act (HR 661 S 394) which would ban the slaughter of all downed animals, including pigs, sheep and other livestock. Farm Sanctuary is also calling on the USDA to close the current loophole that allows some downed cattle to continue to go to slaughter, and to prevent diseased animals from being used for human food.

Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, who has investigated stockyards and slaughterhouses documenting violations of USDA policy, the federal Methods of Humane Slaughter Act and state anti-cruelty laws for 22 years, stated, “We’ve had scores, if not hundreds, of phone calls, letters and emails with the USDA over the years related specifically to downed animal concerns and their reaction is about as predictable as the cruelty witnessed at Hallmark/Westland.”

Julie Janovsky, Farm Sanctuary’s director of campaigns, stated, “If it takes a recall of 143 million pounds of beef to change policy, then so be it, but the USDA hasn’t protected our nation’s children who already ate the burgers, and who continue to eat other downed animal products. We can only hope that Congress’ reaction to public outrage is swift and thorough. Legislation is in play with the Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act. It’s time to enact it.”

Farm Sanctuary has rescued 226 cattle since its inception (146 through the New York shelter and 80 through the California shelter.) Of these, 79 were downed animals rescued during investigations at stockyards and slaughterhouses throughout the U.S.

Jeff Lydon, executive director at Farm Sanctuary added, “I wish we were as shocked as the USDA claims to be by these blatant acts of animal cruelty inflicted at the Chino slaughterhouse, but our experience with these facilities suggests that continued violations under the current system are inevitable.”