Texas cattlemen: Beef recall a 'black eye,' but abuses rare

February 21, 2008

03:04 PM CST on Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Associated Press

LUBBOCK, Texas - The recall of tons of ground beef paints a "black eye" on the meat processing industry but animal treatment like that depicted at a West Coast slaughterhouse isn't typical, say Texas cattle ranchers and those who watch the market.

Most believe it's unlikely the recall, the largest ever in the U.S., will impact markets for ground beef.

Undercover video taken at the Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. of Chino, Calif., shows workers shocking, kicking and shoving debilitated cattle with forklifts, prompting the government to pull more than 71,000 tons of beef.

In Texas, the nation's leading cattle producer, ranchers and officials were incensed. They also were quick to contend the incident is isolated and that the recall pertained to animal welfare, not food safety.

"Our animals are the most important thing to us and as you look at that (video) it paints the industry with a black eye," Texas Beef Council executive vice president Richard Wortham said. "This goes around every principle that our industry has."

The California plant processes dairy cows and the meat does not enter the retail market, said Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association executive vice president Eldon White said Wednesday. Schools were the buyers, he said.

"I'm sure there'll be processors that will move quickly to fill the void," said White, adding producers were concerned that schools might remove beef entirely from their menus. "And that's an unnecessary step at this point in time."

When allegations against the company arose in early February -- before the video surfaced -- Texas agriculture officials ordered schools to stop serving the company's beef to students. In all, 462 Texas districts and other entities enrolled in the school breakfast and lunch programs reported they had meat that was subject to the recall.

Two former employees at the California plant were charged Friday. Five felony counts of animal cruelty and three misdemeanors were filed against a pen manager. Three misdemeanor counts -- illegal movement of a non-ambulatory animal -- were filed against an employee who worked under that manager. Both were fired.

No charges have been filed against the company, but federal investigation continues.

There was no immediate downturn in the futures market, said Jim Gill, market director for the Amarillo, Texas-based Texas Cattle Feeders Association. Live cattle won't be traded until Thursday and Friday, he said.

"I don't think it'll have any impact at all," he said.

A spokesman for the Oakland-Calif.,-based National Meat Association said various beef industry groups are gathering to discuss the incident. Some of the conversation could be about mounting a public relations effort to restore consumer confidence, NMA spokesman Jeremy Russell said.

"Everybody looks bad when something like this happens," he said. "It's awful."

Ranchers, far removed from meat processing plants, also say they hate to hear about cattle being mistreated.

Amarillo rancher Jay O'Brien said he's fired cowboys for lesser abuses. "The idea of somebody abusing cattle is something we can't stand."

U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesman Keith Williams has said his department has evidence that Westland did not routinely contact its veterinarian when cattle became non-ambulatory after passing inspection, violating health regulations.

But Williams said the recall was primarily to revoke the USDA's seal of inspection for the meat -- not because of the risk of illness.

The industry needs to revisit animal welfare and food safety issues, said Mike Miller of Denver-based CattleFax, which provides cattle and beef industry statistics and market and economic analysis.

"You just can't afford things like this," Miller said. "We've got to hold our industry to a high standard. We've got to discuss these things and address them so that they don't happen again.

"If it's a consumer concern, it's got to be a concern to the industry."

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