Undercover Video Shows Abuse Of Sick Cows

USDA Begins Investigation To Discover If "Downer Cows" May Have Ended Up In School Lunches

(CBS)  Undercover video shows sickened cows, too weak to walk, being jabbed with forklift blades, kicked, shocked and even sprayed in the face with powerful jets of water by workers at the Hallmark Meat Packing Company in Chino, California.

"The attempt was to make them so distressed, to cause them so much suffering that these animals would get up and walk into the slaughterhouse," Humane Society President Wayne Pacelle told CBS News consumer safety correspondent Nancy Cordes.

The plant supplies Westland Meat Company, which is a major provider of meat to the USDA's school lunch program.

Wednesday, Westland's president and CEO temporarily suspended operations at the plant saying, "We are shocked, saddened and sickened by what we have seen."

"Downer cows" - those unable to walk because of illness or injury - are restricted from use in school lunches and elsewhere.

Cordes reports that meat-industry officials say there is no way to know if the cows actually entered the meat supply. They point out that the clearly ailing livestock would have had to pass a gauntlet of USDA veterinarians and inspectors before being slaughtered and sent to market.

Nevertheless, the USDA today stopped Westland from supplying meat to federal food and nutrition programs pending the outcome of its investigation.

And while the workers in this video have been fired, the Humane Society says the most shocking thing about the abuse shown here is that it happens all the time.

[maryannrn]

see the movie Fast Food Nation-it is based on a book- the story is made up but the facts about factory farming are not- and the extras are informative too

[gatornikki1]

noproblem111: please look into "cage free hens" as this is misleading. Cage free does mean they''re in a space larger than 67 sq. inches, but nonetheless, they''re cramped together, stepping on one another and covered in each others feces. They don''t ever see the light of day, still denied their natural behaviors and are slaughtered soon as they''re pumped full of unnatural, high caloric foods so they grow fat quick. Their little legs can''t hold their own body weight and buckle, most times (as they do with the cows we''ve seen.)
I plead with all of you that eat meat....don''t let this blog site be the end of your outpouring. Action is needed or this will slip away with the other "undercover" hits that brave investigators revealed and watched disappear over time.
Boycott meat until conditions (that you wouldn''t mind living in, yourself) improve.

[ellen591]

If there is a clear company policy to let downed animals alone, then why would employees bother with the sick animals? It wouldn''t make a diffence to the employees, only to company profits. I think the employees got the message that they needed to get those animals moving, or else they wouldn''t get paid or they would get fired. I hope the managers and owners have to take responsibility for this, along with the employees.
Also there was some hateful talk on here about everything being the fault of illegal immigrants. Maybe the employees can''t speak out against their employer because they are illegal immigrants or just intimidated.

[ellen591]

If there is a clear company policy to let downed animals alone, then why would employees bother with the sick animals? It wouldn''t make a diffence to the employees, only to company profits. I think the employees got the message that they needed to get those animals moving, or else they wouldn''t get paid or they would get fired. I hope the managers and owners have to take responsibility for this, along with the employees.
Also there was some hateful talk on here about everything being the fault of illegal immigrants. Maybe the employees can''t speak out against their employer because they are illegal immigrants or just intimidated.

[hawkmoonsoap]

....another story that sadly will be forgotten on the next trip to the mass grocery chain when you buy another steak. These kinds of stories need more exposure and replay SPREAD it all over, get it out there and STOP buying the flesh from these tortured animals I applaud Katie for taking a stand and airing many of these stories that most of the sheeple networks are afraid to report. Any person with a shred of compassion could see the terror and fear in these gentle giants. i live in a farming community, I will add they I''m sure if these animals could kill themselves they would.

[noproblem111]

This needs to stop. I have stopped eating meat and I hope other people will too. The people that did this should be sent to the slaughter house. I hope the people involved suffer. Other slaughter houses should be investigated so that this does not continue.

Make sure to buy eggs that come from cage-free chickens.

[diamondhd]

Cruelty to any animal is not acceptable. Growing up on a ranch instilled in me that the cattle, horses or whatever species have the right to good treatment and good conditions. Perhaps the people at the slaughterhouse ought to see what it is like to be treated like they treat the animals that pass through the facility. The animals have more rights to be alive than these low lifes have a right of breathing air.

[gatornikki1]

Well, omnivores...welcome to the animal activists daily nightmare. Here''s point-on proof of why animal activists exist. Unfortunately, what Wayne Pacelle from HSUS said is true - this is normal for factory animals - EVERYWHERE. Old MacDonald died when industrialized farming began. An uproar is imperative, which MUST be prefaced by BOYCOTTING meat! Don''t kid yourself, imagine what chicken go through...they''re not considered as "cute" and are easy to manipulate. PLEASE speak out against this - NO ONE wants this to happen, turning away because it''s painful to know will NOT help - - PLEASE!!!!!! You have purchasing power.....

[elukacek]

cicc333 i hope you r reincarnated as one of these poor animals and skinned alive or annally electricuted or beaten and left to suffer see what u have to say then oh but u would be an animal and unable to speak or say help im in pain, you probable cri when u cut yourself shaving u looser

[elukacek]

martha stewart just did a commercial for PETA they showed a video of how animals are being treated to for fur. They animals And they electrocute animals Anally to make them so they dont move when they skin their fur off when they are still alive, one beautiful fox was still alive after they tried electrocuting it and was skinned alive, it was laying on the floor skinned and picked its head up for the camara with its empty eyes in agony. smaller animals r injected with chemicals that burn the insides while the animal contorts in pain if it dosent die they use their hands to break their necks and after mutipal tries too. Some racoons are grabbed by their legs and swung in the air and bashed into the ground to make them unconcous so they too can be skinned alive. They take bats to seals and beat them aas they skin them alive as well. Dolphins are stabbed muliple times since when a dolphin is injured the rest of the dolphinds will not leave a hurt one behind and then they have their troats slashed,they dont always go deep enough aND have to do this mulitpule times while the dolphin suffers, People this is wrong do something about it stop buying the fur coats its not a necessity, and as for animals for food and ask where your food came from investigate it, these animals cant defend themselves and after being skinned alive are left to die in agony sometimes for days and these cows how horiffic, but god put us all here as equails and this is 2008 their is humane ways to do things now

[elukacek]

In this day and age their are other ways to do this humanly there is right and wrong their is humane and inhumane. How dare this still go on. God put us all here and it just so happens we have the brains and communication to be the upper hand here in this world. But we are all the same no different then the animals. People who can hurt animals like this well they are the same people who wouldnt have aproblem hurting another human. This makes me sick i wish i could tie those people up and tourture them so severly to where they finally get it. This is 2008 people this dosent need to be happening this way anymore. Even back in the 1800''s people would kill humanly by making sure they killed the animal for food by shooting it difectly in the heart or piercing it directly in the heart to avoid suffering and the cause instant death, in 2008 we have so much technology to put a animal to sleep in a humane way so no suffering is done. These people should be in jail and i hope they get punished, but the god of our animals will give them what they deserve for sure. Please people this is cruel and not right

[gatornikki1]

Well, omnivores...welcome to the animal activists daily nightmare. Here''s point-on proof of why animal activists exist. Unfortunately, what Wayne Pacelle from HSUS said is true - this is normal for factory animals - EVERYWHERE. Old MacDonald died when industrialized farming began. An uproar is imperative, which MUST be prefaced by BOYCOTTING meat! Don''t kid yourself, imagine what chicken go through...they''re not considered as "cute" and are easy to manipulate. PLEASE speak out against this - NO ONE wants this to happen, turning away because it''s painful to know will NOT help - - PLEASE!!!!!! You have purchasing power.....

[gatornikki1]

Well, omnivores...welcome to the animal activists daily nightmare. Here''s point-on proof of why animal activists exist. Unfortunately, what Wayne Pacelle from HSUS said is true - this is normal for factory animals - EVERYWHERE. Old MacDonald died when industrialized farming began. An uproar is imperative, which MUST be prefaced by BOYCOTTING meat! Don''t kid yourself, imagine what chicken go through...they''re not considered as "cute" and are easy to manipulate. PLEASE speak out against this - NO ONE wants this to happen, turning away because it''s painful to know will NOT help - - PLEASE!!!!!! You have purchasing power.....

[campbell4139]

I sure hope CBS follows up on this. We need to have cameras in every slaughter house and this CEO needs to be held accountable..I bet no more is said about this on CBS. His feeble apology is not enough, because he knows what goes on. I wonder if these men are illegal immigrants. I think we should boycott Westland and make them realize what they are doing is wrong.

[harryharton]

There''s your noble and hardworking illegal immigrants, doing jobs that no real american will do...we oughtta be jabbing these border jumpers in the head with a cattle prod until they speak English. Then we can push ''em all back over the border with forklifts.

[intocable83]

I guess those commercials we always see is a lie. Happy Cows DO NOT come from California!

[incog-nito]

Why haven''''t you called the USDA, or the CA authorities and reported these atrocities? That''''s the biggest problem with all of us....we don''''t want to get involved. I challenge everyone to report abuse, neglect, and cruelty when and where we see it...you can do it anonymously...this is one only way we hold each other and our companies accountable. THE ANIMALS...DOGS, CATS, COWS, PIGS, HORSES, ETC...CANNOT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES...WE ARE THEIR SALVATION. Get involved!


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Posted by missut2 at 10:40 PM : Jan 31, 2008

Don''t bother calling the authorities. It''s APPROVED by the authorities. I see the same thing where I live, in all the cattle ranches and dairy farms where people drive by the thousands on their way to work. Not to worry, meat from cloned cattle has also been approved. Welcome to corporate America.

[missut2]

Check out the president of Westland''s feeble apology:
http://www.westlandmeat.com/
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Try traveling down I5 or Highway 99 and see all the ''''feed lots'''' where the California cows are living in pens up to their knees in their dung and urine...is it any wonder they need antibiotics and growth hormones to produce milk (cheese)? This is inhumane and unhealthy for everyone. Governor Swartznegger, do something about this and stop lying to the rest of the country about your healthy cows in those commercials.
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Posted by Colbert481 at 02:10 PM : Jan 31, 2008


Colbert481, my question to you: Why haven''t you called the USDA, or the CA authorities and reported these atrocities? That''s the biggest problem with all of us....we don''t want to get involved. I challenge everyone to report abuse, neglect, and cruelty when and where we see it...you can do it anonymously...this is one only way we hold each other and our companies accountable. THE ANIMALS...DOGS, CATS, COWS, PIGS, HORSES, ETC...CANNOT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES...WE ARE THEIR SALVATION. Get involved!

[maryannrn]

go to peta.org, meetyourmeat.com

[cicc333]

regard less I will eat cow pork and so on.. no matter how its get killed...