USDA Explains, Responds to Beef Recall
Why the Beef was Recalled: The cattle involved had all passed the required USDA pre-slaughter inspection. Between that inspection and their slaughter, the cattle became non-ambulatory. In other words, the cattle were not able to walk into the slaughterhouse under their own power. USDA regulations do not allow non-ambulatory animals to enter the food supply, unless they are again inspected by a USDA veterinarian before they are slaughtered. The Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company admitted they had not complied with this regulation, thus triggering the recall.
Safeguards Against Mad Cow Disease: In 1997, the FDA identified feeding beef cattle feed containing material from the central nervous systems of other beef cattle as a primary cause of the spread of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or Mad Cow Disease. Regulations issued that year banned the practice. Since June 1, 2004, the USDA has inspected more than 769,000 animals considered at risk for BSE, and only two have tested positive. In both cases, the animals were born before the initiation of the feed ban. According to the USDA, all of the cattle involved in the Hallmark/Westland recall were from 5 to 7 years of age, thus all born after the feed ban went into effect.
In a Technical Briefing on the recall, Dr. Richard Raymond of the USDA stated, "In this situation, this specific situation, I'll tell you again that all of these cattle did pass ante mortem inspection before going to slaughter. The federal government has this interlocking system of controls to protect the food supply and to prevent animals with signs of central nervous system disorders from ever entering the food chain."
Also See:
USDA Recalls Record 143 Million Pounds of Beef
The 2003 Mad Cow Beef Recall
Comments
If all of these animals passed inspection, there was clearly something wrong with the “inspection” process.
Also, there are clear rules that animals should not be slaughtered for the food supply if they cannot stand or walk.
The FDA should stop covering up and do the work they are paid to do.
LTA –
Downed animals can be slaughtered, but they must first be inspected to ensure that the reason they can’t walk is due to injury, rather than illness. This is the inspection that was not done in this case.
Also, it is the USDA, not the FDA that is responsible for inspection of meat and meat products.
Robert