Personal Injury Law

The Arizona Republic Says "Inspect the System"

Editorial writers at The Arizona Republic Sunday gave their readers a lot to think about when it comes to food safety and preventing Mad Cow disease.

They said our belief that food is safe and our assumption that animals are treated humanely were both dashed by the Chino slaughterhouse scandal that led to the largest beef recall in U.S. history.

The fact that all of this came to light, not from our Federal food inspectors, but from the Humane Society of the United States caused the AR to call for  " a sustained effort to structure a food-safety inspection system that is up to the challenges presented by modern factory farming and emerging food-borne health threats."

The AR editorial speaks specifically to the issue of "downer" animals and the risk of Mad Cow disease.  It says:

The animal-protection group's surreptitiously filmed video shows workers abusing non-ambulatory animals in an effort to get them onto their feet for slaughter. Cows too weak to stand were kicked, smacked in the eye with a paddle and shocked repeatedly. Some were taken to slaughter by forklift.

Federal regulations ban most "downer" cows from the food supply because an animal that is too sick to walk is more likely to carry mad-cow disease or other contamination. Inspectors should have excluded these animals from the slaughter. But, according to society investigators, inspections were done on a set schedule. That meant violations could take place when no one was watching.

What's more, the federal law banning downer cattle has huge loopholes, says Wayne Pacelle, president of the society. It does not even cover downer pigs, sheep or goats, although two proposals in Congress, S 394 and HR 661, cover these animals.

The full AR editorial can be found here.

Full post as published by Mad Cow Blog on February 24, 2008 (boomark / email).