Cynthia_Smoot's Blog

It took a long, long time, but finally, the USDA is banning ALL downed cattle from slaughterhouses in the United States.  This is largely a result of last winter's shocking HSUS undercover video showing cattle too weak or sick to stand being poked and prodded....water shot up their noses... even a forklift trying to lift one to get it to the chute. In making the announcement, Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer emphasized that this is all about food safety, especially keeping  BSE or "mad cow" disease out of the beef supply.  But he also said that "by reducing the incentive to send weak and marginal cattle to slaughter, it will reduce the likelihood that those animals will be subjected to inhumane handling at processing plants."  Now let's not wait months to enact the new rule (thus giving time for the industry to come up with a loophole). Let's do away with downers today.