Downed Cow Legislative News

Long-accepted in this country has been the abuse of downer cattle—animals too sick or injured to walk. Wayne Pacelle, chief of the Humane Society of the United States, reports that on March 14, President Obama announced that the USDA was officially putting a stop to non-ambulatory cattle being mishandled on the way to slaughter plants. In December 2003, a downer cow tested positive for mad cow disease in Washington state; in response, some 50 nations banned U.S. beef imports, and the federal government tried in vain to recall meat. Economic fall-out of that incident: $11 billion. We oppose mistreatment and cruelty regardless of economic impact, but sadly in this world, animals suffer in silence while money talks.