Criminal charges announced in Hallmark/Westland case

February 15, 2008

[Note from poster: Please note that the five lawmakers calling for increased investigation are not from major meat-farming states, though one is from California where this took place.] Criminal charges announced in Hallmark/Westland case By Lisa M. Keefe on 2/15/2008 for Meatingplace.com http://www.meatingplace.com/MembersOnly/webNews/details.aspx?item=19838 Two employees of Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. will be criminally charged in the case involving their abuse of cattle at the plant, which was secretly videotaped last fall by a representative of the Humane Society of the U.S. San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael A. Ramos said in a Friday morning press conference that he would be filing five felony counts of cruelty to animals and

three misdemeanor counts related to moving a nonambulatory animal with equipment at a slaughterhouse, according to a report by The Sun newspaper, based in San Bernardino, Calif. The charges are only the latest crisis for Hallmark/Westland, whose operations were shut down by the USDA in late January after the video was posted on the HSUS Web site. All beef products the company supplied to the National School Lunch Program are on hold while USDA investigators try to determine if any of the beef was processed from downer cattle, which are seen on the videotape being prodded by plant employees and pushed and dragged by a forklift. So far the agency has not found any evidence that beef from downer cattle made it into the program's supplies. Meanwhile, four Democratic lawmakers are calling for additional investigation into the safety of the meat used in the National School Lunch Program. Representatives George Miller

(D-Calif.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), along with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), are asking the General Accounting Office to look into the issue, according to a report by the Associated Press. SELECTED COMMENTS: I would like to go a step farther and place some of the blame on the producer that brought in an animal in such poor condition that she couldn't stand long enough to make it to the knock box. After many years in the industry dealing with such animals, it always dumb founded me how the producers get away with inhumane treatment for letting the cows get so weak before culling to us packers. The biggest excuse I was always given was the fact that the animal was treated with some kind of antibiotic and the amount of time required for with holding from slaughter after administration. The major blunder by this plant was not rendering the animal unconcious before trying to miove it with the fork lift. If the

animal had been knocked and stuck before attempting to move, we would not be having this conversation. Remember people, all NR's for inhumane handling go straight to Washington! Does it really matter?? Have the liberals forgotten that cattle are ANIMALS as in non-humans. These employees were instructed to remove a downer cow from a yard. Who cares what kind of equipment they used!! Should they have given the gimpy animal a verbal invitation to move itself?? If that didn't work, maybe something in writting so the animal could really tell they were serious. PLEASE. On the farm, an animal doesn't move, you have 2 options. 1. Get the tractor to lift/prod/drag the animal. Or 2. begin digging the animals grave right next to it so that after you put it down or euthanize the animal (shoot it in the head) you can roll it over into the hole and burry it. I am guessing that Peta, the Humane Society, USDA would not like either of these methods. That's

reality. I would be interested to know what two people will be charged, the actual abusers or the managers/owners who obviously knew about and encouraged this kind of mistreatment.

Never miss a thing. Make your homepage.