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Senator Feinstein Finds Westland’s Meat Packing Case ‘Appalling’

- Urges USDA to conduct industry-wide investigation -

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today urged the Department of Agriculture to conduct an industry-wide investigation, following the release of a video which documented cases of animal cruelty and illegal activity at the Westland’s meat packing plant in Chino, California.

Senator Feinstein expressed particular concern over evidence that employees at the Westland’s plant not only engaged in acts of inhumane treatment of animals, but also apparently allowed sick and injured animals to enter the food supply.

Following is the letter sent by Senator Feinstein to Agriculture Secretary Schafer:

January 31, 2008

The Honorable Ed Schafer
Secretary
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250

Dear Secretary Schafer:

I was appalled to hear of the incidents of animal cruelty documented in the video released on January 30, 2008 by the Humane Society of the United States at the Westland’s Meat Packing Plant in Chino, California. 

I am pleased you have decided to call on the Office of the Inspector General to work with the USDA agencies responsible for food safety and marketing to look into this matter. However, I think this incident reveals an underlying problem with the food safety inspection program at federally inspected slaughter facilities and the USDA’s current ability to keep sick animals out of the Nation’s food supply.

I call on you Mr. Secretary to address both the animal cruelty acts related to this incident and the food safety threats posed by the actions of the employees at the Westland’s facility.

I also ask you to conduct an industry-wide investigation to assess the Department’s inspection protocol for its efficacy to keep sick animals at these federally inspected facilities out of the food supply, and an industry-wide investigation to determine the extent to which animals are being treated inhumanely.  

As part of the investigation, and in advance of any report, I would like the following questions addressed. 

• How often do federal inspectors walk the holding pens, observe the ramp, inspect the activities at the chute, or generally traverse the outdoor areas looking for sick or downed animals during the course of a day?
  
• How many incidents of downed or sick animals being removed from slaughter have been recorded at these federally inspected facilities over the past three years?
  
• Does USDA have sufficient authority to assess civil penalties on a processing facility when sick or downed animals are found to have been treated inhumanly in order to be processed?
  
• What action does USDA take when acts of animal cruelty are found at a federally inspected slaughter facility?

I urge you to take immediate steps to keep downed and sick animals from entering the food supply and to take swift action to assist in stopping the practices of animal cruelty at federally inspected facilities like the ones documented on the Humane Society’s videotape.

     Sincerely,

     Dianne Feinstein
     United States Senator

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