IBP gets away with butchering cattle while they were still conscious

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No Charges Will Be Filed on IBP

 

By LINDA ASHTON

The Associated Press

 

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YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) - No criminal charges will be filed against meatpacking

giant IBP Inc. after an 11-month investigation into allegations of inhumane

slaughter of cattle, and worker and food safety violations at the company's

Wallula meat-processing plant.

 

The inquiry was prompted by a hidden-camera videotape of cattle struggling

on

a slaughterhouse chain at the IBP plant in southeast Washington.

 

``The biggest problem is, even though there is good evidence of improper

slaughtering practices by the employees, there's nothing to impute that

activity to the corporate level,'' he said.

 

The Humane Farming Association, an animal welfare group in San Rafael,

Calif., accused IBP of butchering cattle while they were still conscious,

citing affidavits from 23 current and former workers at the plant.

 

A videotape the group said was made secretly by a worker shows kicking,

struggling cattle hanging upside-down by their hooves from an overhead chain

winding through the slaughterhouse. A portion of the tape was broadcast by a

Seattle television station.

 

Last June, Gov. Gary Locke asked the Washington State Patrol, the state

Department of Agriculture and the state Department of Labor and Industries

to

investigate the IBP plant, where 1,400 workers butcher about 280 cows per

hour.

 

``We're very disturbed by what has appeared from the beginning to be a

whitewash of animal mistreatment at IBP,'' said Bradley Miller, national

director of the Humane Farming Association.

 

``The evidence was irrefutable, not just the videotape, but sworn affidavits

by over 20 of IBP's own slaughterhouse workers.''

 

He said workers have complained for years about slaughterhouse conditions,

and the organization has new affidavits from workers that it will take to

the

state and federal inspectors.

 

The Washington State Patrol investigated the allegations of inhumane

slaughter and animal cruelty, including assembling a comparison of both

edited and unedited versions of the slaughterhouse videotape.

 

IBP has reached an agreement with the state Department of Agriculture that

allows the department to monitor animal slaughtering practices at the

Wallula

plant with, among other things, unannounced inspections, Agriculture

Secretary Jim Jesernig said.

 

IBP also agreed to cooperate with the department's goal of improving

livestock handling practices with more training on slaughtering.

 

``We believe the agreement will provide added assurance to the public that

we

are doing the right thing in this important area,'' said Dean Danilson, vice

president for quality control at Dakota Dunes, S.D.-based IBP.

 

The state Department of Labor and Industries conducted an extensive review

of

IBP and its operations in February and found no violations related to the

petition from the Humane Farming Association. Six serious violations of

worker safety laws were identified in other parts of the plant, and $8,960

in

penalties were levied against IBP.

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has inspectors in the plant to enforce

food safety standards and did not note any significant violations during the

investigation.