Three California Republicans representing the agricultural Central Valley have asked Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to reopen a meat-packing plant that was shut down after “extremists” posted video purporting to show plant workers mistreating livestock.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended operations at the Central Valley Meat Company in Hanford, Calif., after the undercover video shot by an investigator for Compassion Over Killing was handed over to the agency Friday. Within hours of receiving the video, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service dispatched several teams of investigators to the plant.
“Based on the videotape, in at least four instances, plant employees are observed excessively prodding cattle with an electric device, pulling their tails, or forcibly attempting to make cattle rise from a recumbent position,” the USDA said in a statement. “All actions are considered egregious humane handling violations or in regulatory noncompliance.”
Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Reps. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) said that the alleged violations did not compromise the food supply and maintained that idling hundreds of workers is resulting in unnecessary economic damage to the area with double-digit unemployment.
“The video was posted by extremists who are actively working to undermine production agriculture in the United States,” Nunes said. “In recent years, these kinds of ‘activists’ have increased their attacks on animal agriculture, and have even carried out acts of domestic terrorism. For example, in early 2012 a group used improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to blow up fourteen trucks used for transporting livestock not far from Hanford, citing animal welfare as their excuse. Now, area residents are confronted with economic terrorism.”
The lawmakers told Vilsack that the investigation “can and should continue” without a “disastrous” work stoppage, and the plant should be allowed to resume activities under supervision as the probe goes on.
They argued that the shutdown has already depressed beef prices in the region, placing further economic hardship on farmers.
“It is also important to note that USDA had a number of full-time inspectors on duty during the period in which the alleged violations occurred,” they wrote. “Despite their active presence throughout the facility at the time, there is no record of non-compliance. … Please show your compassion for the hard-working men and women who are now unemployed as a result of this allegation and your agency’s actions and restore operation of the Hanford plant immediately.”
In-N-Out Burger, Costco and McDonald’s have severed supply ties with the meat plant in the wake of the investigation.
It’s a slaughterhouse.
Assuming for the sake of argument that they do “mistreat the animals,” I’d bet it’s not for very long.
“duh” is not something liberals comprehend
Better yet, how about an investigation into the ineptitude of the Government Employees charged with Oversight of the plant….”spin” the story as another useless Government make-work scam…
Gee how come THATS never the angle we hear, Hmmmm?
The American Cattle Industry is world famous for producing well-bred, well-raised, high quality meat. Why risk that reputation for one badly run slaughterhouse?
If an animal can’t walk from a truck, up a ramp and into the chute to be stunned and slaughtered, it may well have a neurological disease, like bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). For that reason, it’s against the law to slaughter so-called “downer” cows in America.
The United States instituted that rule to protect consumers and the US Cattle Industry from “mad cow disease,” or BSE, which causes variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (vCJD), in people. vCJD has killed more than 150 people in England and at least 5 people in North America.
Asian markets used the vCJD outbreaks to ban American meat from their markets and millions of dollars were lost. One badly run slaughterhouse in central California could cause another round of human suffering and economic losses for the entire industry.
It’s not worth the risk.
I’m shocked, *shocked* that this was not well-covered in the news.
“Based on the videotape, in at least four instances, plant employees are observed…”
“…excessively prodding cattle with an electric device…” Isn’t that why they named it a “cattle prod” ?
“…pulling their tails…” Umm, okay.
“…or forcibly attempting to make cattle rise from a recumbent position…” Gee whiz.
“All actions are considered egregious humane handling violations or in regulatory noncompliance.” I think I need to look up “egregious” again.
This is so ridiculous, it cannot be anything other than a political vendetta. The tyranny of the left continues, with the environment and animal rights as an increasingly flimsy pretext.
Most of those videos are a set up… and the abusers are undercover animal rights people.
When you see one, always question what you see — the guy kicking the elephant for example where the camera angle is just perfect and the attack makes no sense logically and is performed unemotionally. Add to that photogenic carcasses left in strange (but dramatic places) and other props.
And strangely enough most of those attackers are transient staff and can not be found or traced since they left just after the attack was filmed.
Those videos trade on the idea that you’re too grossed out and shocked to LOOK closely at what you’re seeing to think about what is shown and why.
Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1184fjfrMSA
Note the elephant isn’t actually scared or angry(as in not used to beatings or aggression), nor is the abuser emotionally involved in his performance and the camera angle is just perfect.
The employee in question was never traced and only worked there whilst the camera was placed… indeed, he seems to know how to even get the best angle for filming!
So now we’re going to close businesses based on the the wishes of the PITA-pendajos?
Don’t expect Vilsack to support farmers or ranchers or dog breeders. He has hired a former employee from HSUS Sarah L. Conant to be director of enforcement. So far this year she has shut down 3 of the 7 large companies that produce small animals for the pet trade and she is now busy trying to stop the show/hobby breeders from breeding purebred dogs for the show ring and companion homes. Vilsack’s wife is an animal rights cult member and took money for her campaign from HSUS. Sarah L. Conant has been on a rampage to shut down all breeders that the USDA licenses and forces all pet owners to be inspected by the USDA as well. She is clearly a nut case and should not have been hired. Remember meatless mondays at USDA headquarters that is the doing of Vilsack’s wife and Sarah L. Conant. These are animal rights cult members destroying the meat and pet industry from the inside.