Kinship Circle - 2008-06-27 - KC Updates - 05 - Downers

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11. No Downers. No Exceptions. Not Enough?

DATE: 5/20/08
FROM: hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2008/05/usda-downers.html

LEFT: The HSUS, A downer cow left to suffer at auction.

RIGHT: Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer now supports a total ban. Associated Press

EDITED FOR LENGTH

Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced his agency would implement a no-downer policy for cattle in the United States... It's a direct reaction to the undercover hidden camera investigation The HSUS conducted at the Hallmark/Westland slaughter plant in Chino, Calif...

The loophole in the current rule, which allows USDA inspectors to approve downer cattle for slaughter if they've passed a first inspection, was a bad policy... It provided incentive for cash-hungry farmers and dealers to bring ailing animals to slaughterhouses, and plant workers to use cruel tactics to rouse downers, in the hopes that they would pass inspection...

This time, the policy must be crafted and executed properly...
* USDA said it would take a couple months to implement the rule. We are concerned about this unnecessary delay...
* A ban on slaughtering downed cows is critically important policy, but it's not enough. We need specific federal criminal prohibitions for mistreatment of cattle and other livestock -- such as repeated and sustained use of electric shock on animals, ramming them with heavy machinery, or using high-pressure water hoses in their mouths to simulate drowning...
* A no-downer policy should apply to pigs and other livestock.
* We also need video cameras installed at plants. USDA inspectors must review the videotape...

SEE ALSO:

USDA to Ban 'Downer' Beef / Agency Seeks to Allay Nation's Fears About Food Supply

New ag rule closing downer cow slaughter exception

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES:

LETTER: I'm Mad. Downer Ban? USDA Says Forget It
www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?Lette...

LETTER: USDA-Certified Cruel: Downers Dragged, Shocked, Rammed
www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter_new.asp?Lette...

FACT SHEET: www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/DownedOnTheFarmPHOTOS.pdf

FACT SHEET: www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/HortonHearsACow.pdf

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