Cruelty Video Leads to Closing of CA Slaughterhouse

By CnAgri2012-08-22 19:39:53 Print

The U.S. Department of Agriculture shut down a slaughterhouse in California's central agricultural heartland because of a graphic video showing cows being mistreated during the slaughtering process. According to Reuters, the agency's Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a statement that it was conducting an investigation and that inhumane treatment of animals was unacceptable.

"Upon confirming several humane handling violations, (the Food Safety and Inspection Service) suspended operations at the facility and is prepared to take further action as warranted by the investigation," the statement said.

The plant was shut down on Sunday, the USDA said, and several teams of investigators were sent to California.

Video of the facility posted online by activist group Compassion Over Killing, shows cows at the Central Valley Meat Company flailing wildly as they are dragged by one leg on a conveyor belt on their way to be slaughtered. It also shows other lame, sick former dairy cows being shot in the head multiple times and struggling before they die. In one portion of the video, a worker stands on a cow's nostrils to kill it after the cow is shot in the head.

The USDA said in a statement after activists posted the video online that footage provided to them did not show a "downer" cow entering the food supply, but added they would investigate food safety as well as humane treatment issues.