Agriculture secretary assures Congress of safe food supply
Congress held a series of hearings after secretly recorded video of animal abuse and food safety violations at a Chino, Calif., slaughter plant sparked the largest beef recall in U.S. history this February.
Video of cows too sick or injured to stand being dragged by chains, rolled with forklifts, and shot with high-intensity water hoses by employees of Hallmark/Westland Meat Co. was screened at a March 12 hearing of the House Energy and Commerce investigative subcommittee attended by Hallmark/Westland President Steve Mendell, who had been subpoenaed.
Mendell had previously denied allegations that lame animals were slaughtered but, after viewing the graphic video, he admitted to the panel that violations had, in fact, occurred at the plant. Representative Bart Stupak, chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, asked Mendell if one could conclude from the video that at least one downer cow had been slaughtered for human consumption.
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