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A veterinary blog for pet lovers, vet voyeurs and the medically curious...
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Hallmark/Westland is a large-scale California beef producer. Factory farming at its finest, I’d venture to guess. In case you hadn’t heard, this manufacturer has downed the industry—for now—by provoking a massive beef recall.
143 million pounds! It makes me want to cry. How many creatures were killed after it was shown this operation engaged in the illegal addition of “downer cows” to their for-human-consumption production line? At an average of 200 harvestable pounds per head (I’m guessing)—that’s 715,000 animals! Cry for their ineffectual lives. Cry for the wasted protein.
Though my mother wasn’t one of those, “eat everything on your plate, there are starving children in Africa who would kill for that food” kind of moms, I grew up with the waste-not mantra when it comes to food—meat especially. Almost no food goes to the trash in my house (but then, not everyone's got a goat). Indeed, meat in my home is treated as a luxury item—it typically gets cooked and consumed the same day it’s bought. So 715,000 dead, unconsumed animals—over corporate greed!—is a horrible imponderable for me.
Make no mistake, there’s nothing about this recall that isn’t attributable to the avarice of producers scrounging for every way possible to get as much per pound on every cash cow in their employ. Here’s why:
“Downer cows” are the weak cows—so called for their inability to stand as a result of disease or injury. Sure, some are perfectly healthy when they go down, but a day or two of lying inert on the ground has a way of breaking down their immunological defenses. That’s why the law prohibits their use in the food supply. Their unwholesome, possibly infected muscle mass is a potential public health hazard of serious proportions.
Though no tainted meat has yet been found, the inclusion of at least three of these animals into our food chain is what spawned this recall. The public health concerns as well as the animal cruelty allegations (in fork-lifting these girls so they could come to market) have lit a methane fueled fire under the butts of those responsible.
Producers know using downed cows isn’t legal—or ethical. But beef price per pound drops dramatically when they’ve got to be sold for use in pet food instead of for people. What did each one of those cows cost Hallmark/Westland? Their business, I hope. 143 million pounds at $1 wholesale? That’s only $143 Million dollars. But add in a whole lotta lawsuits from consumer groups, welfare organizations and the companies charged with distributing the tainted beef and it might just take ‘em over the edge.
Yep. Hallmark/Westland deserves to go down with the beef industry as we know it. Though the decreased consumer confidence in beef and its depressed price is likely to serve as mere temporary wake-up call, there is another silver lining in this fiasco:
Here’s to hoping more industry practice condemnation results from the exposure of egregious, look-the-other-way factory farming practices like this one. And maybe, just maybe, downer cows will get the euthanasia they deserve instead of the forklift-to-slaughterhouse trip that usually leads ‘em straight into our pet’s food supply.
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"The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
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- Mohandas Gandhi
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Thanks as always for your great posts.
The California dairy industry is well-known as the most noxious of intensive agriculture. I first heard about their practices (24/7/365 confinement, never allowing a cow to dry off -- keeping them in milk with hormone injections -- scales of production beyond imagining, with the toxic cowshit lagoons to go with it) from a Pennsylvania dairy farmer who is just trying to keep her farm going.
The "happy cows" ads are beyond deceptive -- it's as if they have to mock and degrade the animals they are already abusing.
But what about the Dairyman that sold these cows to the feedlot....Obviously these cows were ill and no longer producing....but instead of doing the right thing and spending a small amount of money to euthanize them humanely on his/her ranch....They are sold to the feedlot to squeeze that last penny out of them.
I live in an agricultural community and I have no illusions of how livestock are kept. But this is beyond the pale and unacceptable all the way around...from the dairy where these cows orginiated to the feedlot and the treatment there.
If you want to know why this country is going to hell in a handbasket, IMHO its not abortion, drugs, no prayer in school or inumerable other things that get blamed...its the lack of ethical behavior by everyone - from the CEO to the worker on the line, to the clerk in the store, to the mail carrier, etc. And its our politicians (both Republican and Democrat) who fail to see the need for oversight of corporations.
On a practical level, if you aren't ready to be a vegatarian, eat only kosher meat. If any part of an animal is 'blemished' the whole animal must be discarded (that means sending it over to the non-kosher facility for processing). And since every animal must be inspected by someone with the authority to determine whether the animal is unblemished (usually a rabbi), at least you can hope that the really bad cases are being weeded out. Of course kosher meat costs 5xs what regular meat does, but it at least gives you a fighting chance.
I don't live in an agricultural area, never have. City girl- there is a disconnect from the butcher counter to the farm. I try to stay balanced & informed, but it's nearly impossible (I'll admit, that sometimes I just think I'm doing 'OK' by shopping at Whole Paycheck). This video played (without warning) on my local news and I became hysterical. Seeing something like that- the faces of the cows, their cries, being poked with the frontend loader..... If that is not motivating to vegetarianism, I don't know what is. Of course, that means a lot more reading and understanding of food and it's sources. I guess if this tragic situation has a silver lining, maybe it's that lazy food eaters like me will get off their butts and put a lot more effort into what goes into their mouths and knowing where it came from. Afterall, the dog food scare has me making my dog's food from organic, whole-food sources, from scratch under the guidance of a homeopath. I think I could at least do the same for me and my husband!
You get much more than 200 lbs of useable meat from a beef cow, even a small one weighs in at about 1300 pounds and around 800 pounds is muscle meat.
I buy mine now through a friend. We split a cow four ways that is raised by a sod famer whose hobby is raising and finishing beef. Fresh air, no hormones or antibiotics (they are vaccinated of course) well cared for all around. They go to an abbatoir that is like a hospital, are killed instantly, butchered and hung. Not completely guilt-free but at least humane AND we know where it came from. My 7 cu. ft. freezer holds enough meat for a year - and I give a lot away.
I too wonder why H$U$ took so long to release the video. Probably a matter of timing for something else. They are, after all, not a humane society but an animal rights group.
If you go to California, which I do periodically, don't miss Cowmageddon - as far as you can see, standing shoulder to shoulder. It's the stuff of nightmares.
God, that's depressing.
2Catmom, I agree with your sentiments....however you are completely wrong to add the "mailcarrier" to your list. I can assure you 100%, that any postal worker that steals, destroys, or discards mail has NO employment with the USPS, once caught (and they all are eventually ---prosecuted and & restitution).
Although, I am making the assumption you are referring to the USA
(I type this being a meat-eater myself!)
What struck me the most about it was not fears about contamination of the food supply, but rather the incredible images of unutterable, horrendous cruelty -- the prodding and tormenting of these sick cows.
I am a twice-failed veggie (my longest stint having been 2 years) and I am really thinking about trying it again. I don't eat beef anyway even now, but those scenes were awful and I do still eat chicken and know they are treated even worse.
I am sure that USDA inspectors and many others, including veterinarians, were aware of what was going on and deliberately looking the other way because they know it goes on everywhere, all the time, and they are totally desensitized to it. If the HSUS hadn't gotten in there with their cameras, we wouldn't even know about the way they were treating those cows. And that is a shameful fact.
SO, this is a moment to pause and thank the HSUS, those much maligned "animal rightists". Because while they are out there exposing cruelty in the factory farming industry, they are also helping to protect our food supply.
Also, as for their lives being "ineffectual", I'm not sure the life of a slaughter cow is ever "effectual" even when they make it to a dinner table. Most of them probably never get to BE cows, whatever that would mean.
Oh...and did I mention that not long ago, mail was found burning in a park near my house. Seems the carrier didn't feel like delivering it. And no - this wasn't during bad weather, etc. He just didn't feel like delivering it!
My point is that each one of us is responsible for our conduct and choices. How many employees at the packing plant didn't participate in cruelty to the cows, but because they need the job, just looked the other way? What would you do? We'd like to think we'd all do the 'right thing.' Would you, even if it meant that your children went hungry?
That's why we need strong oversight. The concept of industries self-regulating has got to be the biggest joke on the American people. But it won't be funny when there's a mass poisoning that ends up disabling or killing a large group of people. And it will happen. Unfortunately, I have no doubt on that. And what country will we invade when a couple thousand of our fellow citizens are murdered by corporate greed?
HSUS blew the lid off--after sitting on the video for how long? A year? What good purpose _for_ _the_ _animals_ was served by the long delay? It's great they _finally_ came forward with this, but let's ask why they sat on it for so long, too. Sorry, but I'm not impressed with their grandstanding.
What would I do, if I worked at that downer cow plant?? The very same thing I am doing now, have courage to stand up, despite intimidation, despite no local "active" group (humane societies)support, and say this is wrong, illegal, cruel and needs to be stopped. It is too late for me to "change" the inhumane veterinary scamming & death of "Pocket", but not too late to prevent it from happening to others.
There are federal laws to protect such individuals (whistleblower), when they choose to report on anything that is illegal or causes public harm. If "I" found myself engaged in such activity,even passively, I would seek employment at Dunkin Donuts cleaning toilets, rather than be part of an ongoing "scam".I have been a hard worker all my life.
As far as the delayed mail---you are welcome to contact me at walnuthl@gsinet.net for possible reasons. There is nothing on my web site "contrived"---all names & contact info are real
http://walnut-hill.bravehost.com
Sorry for drifting off topic. I did find that mildly interesting c.f. simply declaring the cattle abuse a freak occurence.
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Days after the largest meat recall in U.S. history, the head of the Agriculture Department said officials are reviewing why a California plant processed unfit cattle, and that it was too early to determine whether it was an incident specific to the facility."
Heather