After the largest recall of beef a couple of weeks ago, because downed cows were put into our food supply, the executive of this company admitted the illegal acts at a Congressional hearing.
The head of the Southern California slaughterhouse at the center of the largest beef recall in U.S. history acknowledged Wednesday that cattle were illegally slaughtered at his plant and that cows too sick to stand were forced into the food supply.
Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. President Steve Mendell made the admissions after a congressional panel forced him to watch undercover video of abuses of cattle at his plant. Mendell watched head-in-hand as cows were dragged by chains, jabbed by forklifts and shocked to get them into the box where they’d be slaughtered.
[...]The panel’s chairman, Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., asked Mendell whether it was logical to conclude from the video that at least two downer cows entered the nation’s food supply.
“That would be logical, yes sir,” Mendell said.
“Has your company ever illegally slaughtered, processed, or sold a downer cow?” Stupak asked.
“I didn’t think we had sir,” Mendell said.
Reminding him that he was appearing under oath, lawmakers asked him why he claimed in written testimony that the abused cows where headed to be euthanized, not for the food supply.
Being ignorant is simply not an excuse. This is the CEO of the slaughterhouse. He is supposed to know what is going on in his plant. It is his job to be aware of what is going on. Ignorance is not part of the job description for any CEO.
I’m sorry for the 200+ people that are losing their jobs. I really am. But, I also want to know why none of these employees, the supervisors never spoke up, and if they did seak up why didn’t any one listen to them??? Where people fired for being whistleblowers in the past? Enquiring minds want to know.
This Congressional Committee has the chance to close the loopholes that are found in the USDA’s rules and regulations on slaughtering cows, allowing some downer cows into our food supply. Let’s see if that happens, lets see if public safety comes before greed.
