Alert! Expose Factory Farming's Systemic Animal Abuse. Cross Post, Please

February 23, 2008

Companies such as Westland/Hallmark (see below article) typically blame individual employees for the animal abuse, when the fact is factory farming mandates the systematic abuse of animals. The executives and owners keep their distance so they may credibly blame the worker. And, this is what is happening in this case. In the last few days, individual employees are being arrested, so the animal agriculture industry can deny to the American public that animal abuse is pervasive and meat-eating is unsafe. Animal advocates must write LTE of DMN, FWST and every other daily in DFW, Houston, and Austin (and all other cities) and expose these falsehoods. We must not let them get away with this cover-up. This is our best opportunity in years to speak for the animals. The more letters the newspapers get, the more likely they are to publish. Everyone's letter is important, whether it is published or

not. Please write today!DMN LTE Contact: www.dallasnews.com/cgi-bin/lettertoed.cgiMargarethttp://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/nation/stories/DN-meatrecall_18nat.ART.State.Edition2.34f60a3.htmlRecord amount of beef recalled USDA: Packer let sick cattle into food supply; most meat already eaten 08:46 AM CST on Monday, February 18, 2008 From Staff and Wire Reports WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has ordered the largest beef recall in its history – 143

million pounds of beef, a California meatpacker's entire production for the last two years – because the company did not prevent sick animals from entering the U.S. food supply, officials said Sunday. DAMIAN DOVARGANES/The Associated Press A worker stood among carcass scraps at Hallmark Meat Packing in Chino, Calif., last month. A Dallas schools spokesman says the district doesn't have meat from the company. The recall will affect beef products dating to Feb. 1, 2006, that came from Chino-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., the federal agency said. Despite the size of the recall, USDA officials emphasized that the meat, distributed by Westland Meat Co., poses little or no hazard to consumers, and that most of it was eaten long ago. The recall comes less than three weeks after the release of a videotape showing what USDA later called "egregious violations" of federal animal care regulations by employees of a Westland partner, Hallmark Meat Packing, also of Chino. Hallmark did not consistently bring in federal veterinarians to examine cattle

headed for slaughter that were too sick or weak to stand on their own, Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said Sunday. "Because the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection, [the USDA] has determined them to be unfit for human food, and the company is conducting a recall," he said in a statement. Officials at Hallmark and Westland could not be reached Sunday to comment. No charges have been filed against Westland, but an investigation by federal authorities continues. "We don't know how much product is out there right now. We don't think there is a health hazard, but we do have to take this action," said Dick Raymond, USDA undersecretary for food safety. About 37 million pounds of the meat – cuts, ground beef and prepared products such as meatballs and burrito filling – went to school lunch and other public nutrition programs, and "almost all of this product is likely to have been consumed,"

said Ron Vogel, a USDA administrator. Not in Dallas schools About 150 school districts around the nation used meat from the company. Dallas Independent School District spokesman Jon Dahlander said Sunday that the district does not have any meat from the company. Mr. Dahlander said he received an e-mail from the district's food and child nutrition service confirming the meat supply at DISD was checked almost two weeks ago, when investigators first began looking into allegations of animal cruelty at the California slaughterhouse. Mr. Dahlander said the district will likely go back through its meat inventory again today to double check. Several Texas districts, including Houston and Austin, did use the distributor and began refusing deliveries earlier this

month. While most of the product has likely been used, some larger purchasers may keep meat for as long as a year. Company and government officials will try to trace the meat to notify the purchasers not to use it. 'Weak enforcement' USDA issued 20 meat recalls last year, including one of more than 20 million pounds, and Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee, called on the agency to toughen its inspection requirements. "How much longer will we continue to test our luck with weak enforcement of federal food safety regulations?" Mr. Harkin asked. Federal lawmakers on Thursday had called for the Government Accountability Office to investigate the safety of meat in the National School Lunch Program. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association "support USDA's recall as a

precautionary measure. At the same time, we can say with confidence that the beef supply is safe. ... There are multiple safety hurdles before it arrives at our grocery stores or restaurants," said James Reagan, who chairs the organization's Beef Industry Food Safety Council. Two fast-food chains, Jack in the Box and In-N-Out, have announced they will no longer use ground beef from Westland. The company has been closed since Feb. 4, when the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service withdrew inspectors from the Hallmark slaughterhouse after verifying the mistreatment of cattle shown on the videotape and discovering other problems at the plant. The tape, made secretly by a slaughterhouse worker and provided to the Humane Society of the United States, showed electric shocks and high-intensity water sprays administered to cows too sick or weak to stand on their own, and using forklifts to roll such animals. Government

regulations prohibit slaughtering for food cattle that cannot stand or walk on their own. An inspecting veterinarian had said the cattle in question were healthy enough to be used for food, but they later collapsed. Under federal regulations, such animals must be reexamined by a veterinarian and slaughtered separately. That apparently was not done. One worry when an animal collapses is that it may have bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the infection known as "mad cow disease." A small number of people who have eaten meat from such animals have developed a fatal brain infection. Dr. Raymond of the USDA discounted the chance of BSE in any of the Westland/Hallmark cattle. "We are very confident in the safety of the food supply," he said. Hallmark fired two workers seen on the tape, and the men face animal cruelty charges in California. A company spokesman said senior management was not aware

of the use of extreme measures to get sick cattle upright. Humane Society president Wayne Pacelle said Sunday that the recall "validates the chief finding we made, that sick and injured animals got into the food supply." Advocacy groups noted the problems at Westland wouldn't have been revealed had it not been for animal-rights activists. "On the one hand, I'm glad that the recall is taking place. On the other, it's somewhat disturbing, given that obviously much of this food has already been eaten," said Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives at Consumers Union. "It's really closing the barn door after the cows left." Staff writer Joanna Cattanach, The Washington Post and The Associated Press contributed to this story. More information on

recall The U.S. Department of Agriculture provided additional information about the recall on its Web site. • Covered in the recall are all ground beef products produced by Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. and delivered directly to federal food and nutrition programs. Other processed products that contain Westland products are covered by the recall. The delivered products include fine ground beef and 1-pound chubs of ground beef. In most cases, coarse ground beef was delivered to firms that further processed the product into other items. • The products can be identified by the federal establishment number, EST 336, on the shipping containers and packages. • The federal Food and Nutrition Service and Agricultural Marketing Service will work closely with state food and nutrition officials to minimize any disruptions caused by the removal and disposal of recalled Westland

Meat products. The USDA will help the distributors rapidly notify customers and work to aid disposal. • All of the meat and any products made from it must be destroyed and cannot be reconstituted for human consumption. The USDA will assure that it is properly disposed of. United States Department of Agriculture

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February 23, 2008

Thanks to Janice Fredericks for her excellent LTE (below). Please feel free to forward yours to me and I will be glad to post your letter for you to motivate others. We are "stronger together!"FYI, LTE should generally be fewer than 200 words. MargaretJanice Fredericks wrote: I sent in the below to 2 major papers in NJ. Dear Editor, While it is rightfully disheartening to read that about 50 million pounds - or more than a third -- of the 143 million pounds of the recalled beef went to school lunch programs nationwide and our school superintendents are now concerned about children's health since at least 250 NJ schools received it, it is something that has been going on for decades. The slaughterhouse in California (where happy cows are suppose to be enjoying life according to our TV commercials) was randomly chosen by the HSUS (which our USDA should be doing) to do some undercover work. In Britain 165 people died from eating contaminated meat and I'm assuming

that many are now vegetarians. Farm animals are herbivores - they don't eat flesh and perhaps we should only eat what God intended us to eat also- grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables. The USDA would like us to think that this slaughterhouse's abuse of sick animals is uncommon. We should be concerned about our health, our cat food (dogs don't get sick from it) and of course we should be concerned about the suffering and abuse of billions of innocent animals. Being told that no one got sick yet, is not comforting since the vCJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease from eating BSE infected cows) can be ingested once to begin the incubation period before showing symptoms years or even decades from ingestation. Early stages include failing memory, behavorial changes, impaired coordination and/or visual disturbances. After these symptoms begin, death occurs 12-14

months. The only way to be sure you have the disease is by a brain biopsy or autopsy. Cerebral spinal fluid testing positive can be inconclusive. Thus, we do not know for sure how many people have died from eating sick cows. "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." Psalm 150:6 "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13 Jan Fredericks, L.P.C., M.A. Licensed Counselor Christian Educator Founder, God's Creatures Ministry, www.Godscreaturesministry.org Chair, Catholic Concern for Animals-USA, www.Catholic-animals.org P.O. Box 266 Wayne, NJ 07474 "Christian Concern For All God's Creatures" DVD based on God's Creatures Ministry's conference. Includes questions for

discussion. Free upon request. For more information visit www.Godscreaturesministry.org - Margaret Morin VNOD Saturday, February 23, 2008 1:20 PM Alert! Expose Factory Farming's Systemic Animal Abuse. Cross Post, Please Companies such as Westland/Hallmark (see below article) typically blame individual employees for the animal abuse, when the fact is factory farming mandates the systematic abuse of animals. The executives and owners keep their distance so they may credibly blame the worker. And, this is what is happening in this case. In the last few days, individual employees are being arrested, so the animal agriculture industry can deny to the American public that animal abuse is pervasive and meat-eating is unsafe. Animal advocates must write LTE of DMN, FWST and every other daily in DFW, Houston, and Austin (and all other cities) and expose these falsehoods. We must not let them get away with this cover-up. This is our best opportunity in years to speak for the animals. The more letters the newspapers get, the more likely they are to publish. Everyone's

letter is important, whether it is published or not. Please write today!DMN LTE Contact: www.dallasnews.com/cgi-bin/lettertoed.cgiMargarethttp://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/nation/stories/DN-meatrecall_18nat.ART.State.Edition2.34f60a3.htmlRecord amount of beef recalled USDA: Packer let sick cattle into food supply; most meat already eaten 08:46 AM CST on Monday, February 18, 2008 From Staff and Wire Reports WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Agriculture has ordered the largest beef recall in its history - 143 million pounds of beef, a California meatpacker's entire production for the last two years - because the

company did not prevent sick animals from entering the U.S. food supply, officials said Sunday. DAMIAN DOVARGANES/The Associated Press A worker stood among carcass scraps at Hallmark Meat Packing in Chino, Calif., last month. A Dallas schools spokesman says the district doesn't have meat from the company. The recall will affect beef products dating to Feb. 1, 2006, that came from Chino-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., the federal agency said. Despite the size of the recall, USDA officials emphasized that the meat, distributed by Westland Meat Co., poses little or no hazard to consumers, and that most of it was eaten long ago. The recall comes less than three weeks after the release of a videotape showing what USDA later called "egregious violations" of federal animal care regulations by employees of a Westland partner, Hallmark Meat Packing, also of Chino. Hallmark did not consistently bring in federal veterinarians to examine

cattle headed for slaughter that were too sick or weak to stand on their own, Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said Sunday. "Because the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection, [the USDA] has determined them to be unfit for human food, and the company is conducting a recall," he said in a statement. Officials at Hallmark and Westland could not be reached Sunday to comment. No charges have been filed against Westland, but an investigation by federal authorities continues. "We don't know how much product is out there right now. We don't think there is a health hazard, but we do have to take this action," said Dick Raymond, USDA undersecretary for food safety. About 37 million pounds of the meat - cuts, ground beef and prepared products such as meatballs and burrito filling - went to school lunch and other public nutrition programs, and "almost all of this product is likely to have been consumed," said Ron Vogel, a USDA

administrator. Not in Dallas schools About 150 school districts around the nation used meat from the company. Dallas Independent School District spokesman Jon Dahlander said Sunday that the district does not have any meat from the company. Mr. Dahlander said he received an e-mail from the district's food and child nutrition service confirming the meat supply at DISD was checked almost two weeks ago, when investigators first began looking into allegations of animal cruelty at the California slaughterhouse. Mr. Dahlander said the district will likely go back through its meat inventory again today to double check. Several Texas districts, including Houston and Austin, did use the distributor and began refusing deliveries earlier this month. While most of the product has likely been used, some larger purchasers may keep meat for as long as a year. Company and government officials will try to trace the meat to notify the

purchasers not to use it. 'Weak enforcement' USDA issued 20 meat recalls last year, including one of more than 20 million pounds, and Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee, called on the agency to toughen its inspection requirements. "How much longer will we continue to test our luck with weak enforcement of federal food safety regulations?" Mr. Harkin asked. Federal lawmakers on Thursday had called for the Government Accountability Office to investigate the safety of meat in the National School Lunch Program. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association "support USDA's recall as a precautionary measure. At the same time, we can say with confidence that the beef supply is safe. ... There are multiple safety hurdles before it arrives at our grocery stores or restaurants," said James Reagan, who chairs the organization's Beef Industry Food Safety Council. Two fast-food chains, Jack in the

Box and In-N-Out, have announced they will no longer use ground beef from Westland. The company has been closed since Feb. 4, when the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service withdrew inspectors from the Hallmark slaughterhouse after verifying the mistreatment of cattle shown on the videotape and discovering other problems at the plant. The tape, made secretly by a slaughterhouse worker and provided to the Humane Society of the United States, showed electric shocks and high-intensity water sprays administered to cows too sick or weak to stand on their own, and using forklifts to roll such animals. Government regulations prohibit slaughtering for food cattle that cannot stand or walk on their own. An inspecting veterinarian had said the cattle in question were healthy enough to be used for food, but they later collapsed. Under federal regulations, such animals must be reexamined by a veterinarian and slaughtered separately. That apparently was not

done. One worry when an animal collapses is that it may have bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the infection known as "mad cow disease." A small number of people who have eaten meat from such animals have developed a fatal brain infection. Dr. Raymond of the USDA discounted the chance of BSE in any of the Westland/Hallmark cattle. "We are very confident in the safety of the food supply," he said. Hallmark fired two workers seen on the tape, and the men face animal cruelty charges in California. A company spokesman said senior management was not aware of the use of extreme measures to get sick cattle upright. Humane Society president Wayne Pacelle said Sunday that the recall "validates the chief finding we made, that sick and injured animals got into the food supply." Advocacy groups noted the problems at Westland wouldn't have been revealed had it not been for animal-rights activists. "On the one hand, I'm glad that the recall is

taking place. On the other, it's somewhat disturbing, given that obviously much of this food has already been eaten," said Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives at Consumers Union. "It's really closing the barn door after the cows left." Staff writer Joanna Cattanach, The Washington Post and The Associated Press contributed to this story. More information on recall The U.S. Department of Agriculture provided additional information about the recall on its Web site. . Covered in the recall are all ground beef products produced by Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. and delivered directly to federal food and nutrition programs. Other processed products that contain Westland products are covered by the recall. The delivered products include fine ground beef and 1-pound chubs of ground beef. In most cases, coarse ground beef was delivered to firms that further processed the product into other items. . The products can be identified by the

federal establishment number, EST 336, on the shipping containers and packages. . The federal Food and Nutrition Service and Agricultural Marketing Service will work closely with state food and nutrition officials to minimize any disruptions caused by the removal and disposal of recalled Westland Meat products. The USDA will help the distributors rapidly notify customers and work to aid disposal. . All of the meat and any products made from it must be destroyed and cannot be reconstituted for human consumption. The USDA will assure that it is properly disposed of. United States Department of Agriculture Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now.