Beef-recall hearing today on USDA performance
By Donna J. Miller / The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) /April 17, 2008U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich said he will press for "greater transparency" in the meat industry today, in the wake of the largest beef recall in U.S. history. A subcommittee will meet at 1 p.m. to investigate the USDA's ability to monitor the country's slaughterhouses, to produce safe meat and treat animals humanely.
The recall came after an undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the United States. An animal advocate working at a California slaughterhouse videotaped workers mistreating injured and ill cows that were then killed and sold as ground beef.
Slaughtering so-called "downed" animals is not allowed because they carry a greater risk of contamination.
Kucinich said in a news release Wednesday that the USDA found the Westland/Hallmark slaughterhouse to be in complete compliance with federal law just six months before the undercover investigator recorded "widespread animal handling abuses and other violations of state and federal laws."
The subcommittee interviewed the undercover investigator and found that Westland/Hallmark colluded to violate federal law and to conceal animal-handling abuses from USDA inspectors. The panel also has already found that USDA inspection of the plant was deficient.
Kucinich is chairman of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee that has raised "serious questions about the adequacy and efficacy of USDA inspection. Are they looking at actual practices, or are they inspecting a plant's paperwork?"
Testimony will come from:" Richard Raymond, undersecretary for food safety" Lisa Shames, director of natural resources and the environment" Stan Painter, chairman of the National Joint Council of Food Inspection Locals" Professor Temple Grandin of Colorado State University" Bev Eggleston of Ecofriendly Foods" Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms" Patrick Boyle of the American Meat Institute" Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States" John J. McGlone of Texas Tech University" Adam Aronson of Arrowsight
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