Secret Filming by the Humane Society Leads to Shutdown of LA Slaughterhouse

The United States has numerous state and federal laws that prohibit the slaughter of 'downed' animals for human consumption. This is to prevent both the spread of disease, especially mad cow disease. The term 'downer' refers to any animal too weak to stand on its own. The USDA has regular inspections of the nation's slaughterhouses to prevent this, but an undercover agent for the Humane Society who worked at a slaughterhouse called Hallmark Meat Packing was able to film how they got around the regulations. The video (which can be seen here along with other very graphic Humane Society videos) recorded several horrific scenes of employees using inhumane devices such as electric shocks and forklifts to get the cattle to stand long enough to pass inspection.

According to the LA Times, the anonymous agent said federal inspectors were lax in conducting the screening for non-ambulatory cattle. The screening requires that cows walk from one pen to the next and back to prove that they are not sick or immobile. "It would take two or three of us to get the cow to stand in front of the inspector, on wobbly legs, and he would say 'That's fine,' " said the activist, who said such incidents happened about once a week during his six weeks at the plant...

The activist said another pitfall in the system was the handling of cattle that collapsed after the pre-slaughter inspection. According to the final ruling on downer cows issued last year by the inspection service, slaughterhouse employees are obligated to notify the inspector for a reevaluation if cattle become unable to stand or walk after inspection.

"When you read these rules and apply it to the practical workings of these plants, they're just absolutely not going to do that," the activist said.

A week after the Humane Society posted the video on its site and news organizations such as the Washington Post reported on it, the USDA ordered inspections to stop at the plant, effectively shutting it down. The slaughterhouse had been providing meat to the school lunch program.

The Washington Post article explains One reason that regulations call for keeping downers -- cows that cannot stand up -- out of the food supply is that they may harbor bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease. It is caused by a virus-like infectious particle that can cause a fatal brain disease in people.

Another is because such animals have, in many cases, been wallowing in feces, posing added risks of E. coli and salmonella contamination.

The Humane Society and other groups have for years urged Congress to pass legislation that would tighten oversight at slaughterhouses...

Mad cow disease is extremely rare in the United States, but of the 15 cases documented in North America -- most of them in Canada -- the vast majority have been traced to downer cattle. When the United States had its first case a few years ago, 44 nations closed their borders to U.S. beef...costing the nation billions of dollars.

Further reading about mad cow disease:
Wikipedia
The New York Times
Organic Consumers Association