ACT: LTE about DMN Texas cattlemen: Beef recall a 'black eye,' but abuses rare

[Guest guest]

What better opportunity have we ever had to expose the pervasive abuse

that is factory farming. Please write a short, polite, well reasoned

email to Dallas Morning News. The Animals need you! Thanks. Margaret

 

DMN LTE: http://www.dallasnews.com/cgi-bin/lettertoed.cgi

 

 

, Holly Elms

Niederhaus <h_elms wrote:

>

> From www.dallasnews.com

>

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

> 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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