Personal Injury Law

What"s Behind Schafer's Ban On "Downer" Cows?

Something happened this year between Feb. 29 and May 20 to change Ed Schafer's mind about "downer" cows.  In a span of just 13 weeks, the Secretary of Agriculture went from holding the United States Department of Agriculture line about veterinarians-on-duty being able to clear some "downer" cows for a trip to the "knock box" to a total ban.

The Humane Society of the United States is taking the victory lap for the ban.   It was their video taken inside the Chino, CA slaughter house that led to the largest beef recall in U.S. history.  

We're not buying it.   All of that was known when Schafer did his original "downer" defense as was reported under this headline in the Seattle Times: Ag secretary resists banning downer cattle.
Like we said, that was 13 weeks ago on this leap year's bonus day.

Today, the Seattle Times put Schafer's new policy under this headline: Ban on slaughter of downer cows announced

To give the man his due, here from the Seattle Times, is the closest the Ag Secretary comes to explaining his policy switch.

Schafer said no such violations have been found at other slaughterhouses. He said the rule change was not being done for public-health reasons but should increase consumer confidence by eliminating confusion about the handling of downers.

"I don't think we can justify the confusion that takes place in the consumer's mind," Schafer said.

He also said the change should improve handling of cows by cattle producers and slaughterhouses "as there will no longer be any market for cattle that are too weak to rise or walk on their own."

The change would affect a small number of cows. Of 34 million cows slaughtered in 2007, about 2,700 fell down after the initial veterinary inspection and were reinspected, Schafer said.

Of those, less than 1,000 were approved to go to slaughter, he said.

Here's what we really think.  

The only thing big enough to turn this crank at USDA in the span of the last 13 weeks is South Korea.   The re-entry of U.S. beef to South Korea will increase sales by at least 15 percent.   The consumers that Ed Schafer is really worried about are the ones in South Korea who fear U.S. beef will bring Mad Cow disease to the Asian country.  Those protests have held up the deal, and USDA is far more worried about that than a few hundred "downer" cows.

UPDATE:  Our opinion would not surprise anyone reading Asian news tonight.  Consider this from  DongA.com

Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said the new rule is an example of how high U.S. standards have grown to protect beef consumers in and outside the United States.

Full post as published by Mad Cow Blog on May 21, 2008 (boomark / email).