Slaughterhouse Abuse

I’ve seen a lot of disturbing video in all the animal rights stories I’ve covered in the past 25 years – seen a lot of shocking things in person. But, the scenes uncovered by a Humane Society of the United States investigator at a Southern California slaughterhouse are quite bad. The Westland Meat Company in Chino takes spent cows from dairy farms and processes them for ground beef for the nation’s school lunch programs.

But, many of the animals from the dairy farms are “downer cows” – so sick, they can’t even stand up. By state and federal law, downer cows are not supposed to enter the food supply. They have a much higher chance of having mad cow disease, and they lie in the filth of a slaughterhouse’s holding pens, so they are more likely to spread ecoli and salmonella.

At the Westland plant, the undercover investigator caught workers trying to get downer cows to stand and into the slaughterhouse – by using a forklift, electric shock, and a high pressure hose. You can see the entire video released today by the Humane Society of the United States here.

The USDA has suspended the plant and banned it from the school lunch program, pending an investigation. You can read the USDA statement here. Also today, Westland fired two employees caught on tape abusing cows; you can read a statement from the company’s president here.

At the end of the USDA statement, the Agriculture Secretary takes a shot at the activists: “It is unfortunate that the Humane Society of the United States did not present this information to us when these alleged violations occurred in the fall of 2007. Had we known at the time the alleged violations occurred, we would have initiated our investigation sooner, and taken appropriate actions at that time.” Clearly, the USDA is questioning whether the Humane Society should’ve acted sooner, to prevent meat from sick cows being served to school children.

I posed the question to Wayne Pacelle, HSUS President and CEO. His answer: “If we had confidence in the USDA to act responsibly, they would have been our first destination. But, the history on the issue – they’re very tied in with the meat industry.” Pacelle says several weeks ago, the Humane Society took the case to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office. And, when it appeared prosecutors were slow to act, they planned today’s release. Pacelle adds, “We had no interest in sitting on this. Our number one interest was prosecution.”

Comments

[Julie L]

Thank you so much for investigating and reporting on this story, Dan!

If focusing on the "meat" and the potential diseases being introduced into the food supply is what it takes, I hope it's at least a START to get people to understand the cruelty of factory farming.

[Tim H.]

A very important yet disturbing story. I'm glad you took the time to point out how cruel people can be. I just wish the same methods could be used on those individuals that are abusing the cows.

[shirley york]

I'ts pretty bad that we eat the poor animals as it is, but to have people stand there and do these terrible things to them is an outrage. So glad to hear they lost their jobs. That is a step in the right direction.Thanks Channel 7 for the story sad asit was still needed to be said. Shirley York

[karyn hoffman]

I couldn't get to the remove fast enough to mute this story, but I was too late. I saw just one photo of a cow and have now just stopped the tears. What can we do? I really don't know the complete extent of the story - but read a sentence about sick dairy cows.

[Dario Salcido]

The scenes of cattle being abused at Westland Meat Company is appalling! Even more appalling is the complete lack of concern demonstrated by the USDA in its purile statement that wrongly attempts to lay blame on the Humane Society for uncovering the animal torture incidents committed by Westland Meat Company.

[annette]

I am completely horrified by this story. I have stopped eating meat since learning about the cruely to farm animals from the Humane Farms Initiative that is working on getting onto our November California Ballot. These people should go to jail! They are horrible human beings. No good, compassionate person would be able to do such a thing. Not only do these poor dairy cows live a miserable life, at the end of it they are tortured and slaughtered. I cannot believe our state and country allow this! I have stopped eating meat but this is making me sick to the point where I am going to become a Vegan. I can't imagine that I am contributing to this by supporting these horrible farming operations!! Thank you ABC for bringing this to the public's attention.

[Elaine Chanteloup]

I have watched this video on the news twice and it brought me to tears both times. The farms that are selling these sick cows to Westland should be prosecuted. When animals are too sick to stand and cannot be brought back to full health, they should be euthanized at the farm in a humane manner. They should not be sold to a slaughterhouse for food for either children or pets.

Certainly, the Westland management that allowed and authorized this abuse and the employees that performed these abusive acts on these poor animals should be prosecuted and brought to justice. Westland should be closed down permanently.

Man's inhumanity to both other human beings and animals all over the world is unacceptable and very sad.

[in SF]

[The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. Gandhi.] The sooner we give these uneducated, weak, disgusting, CRUEL people REAL TIME PRISON TIME, (not just a slap on the wrist or a sensitivity video) then perhaps such HORRIFIC incidents of animal abuse will stop. VERY VERY TRAGIC. Stand up, BOYCOTT the company. BECOME A VEGAN!

[Lisa Guardado]

This was indeed a difficult story to watch, but on the other hand, glad SOMEONE did it! It is hard to sit and watch a human do such cruel things to another living creature...all for sake of profit!
Since they ARE their profit, and these animals are ultimately giving their lives for us (the healthy ones anyways)you'd think treatment would be alot better.
Although I assume in order to work in a place like that, you'd have to have some kind of lack of compassion, this is sooo extreme!
I hope there is some criminal prosecution and I'm sure the employees are not the sole responsible parties here! Where are the employer's "quality check" people? Anyone over see these people? Perhaps they were trained to do these things!
Sure makes you worried about the food supply ....and gives a good argument to try to become vegan!

[Mary Bear]

It is horrific to see the unspeakable abuse committed on these innocent animals. Fired??? Why are all abusers in this company not in jail??? Are the campaign contributions of the beef industry preventing governement agencies from taking substantive against the abusers? Shame on them!

[Steve Singer]

This is the kind of "self-compliance" you get from the agricultural industry when both the governor of our state and the president of our country take the big donations from the meat industry and cut back the regulatory agencies that are supposed to protect us.

[Eileen]

Please find a way to shut down Westland Meat Company .

They do not belong in CA. They do not belong in the USA. Their values are inhumane and I am so sorry that they exist in California, so ashamed that they are Americans.

Additionally, who wants to eat tortured cows and downer cows that may have mad cow disease.
Not only are they cruel beyond human tolerance, they are stupid.

[solarcycles]

The government created the lost of regular farmers and thus why we have factory farming all across America. They are evil and only care about profit. Factory farming for livestock is no good. They lack ethics, morals and have no regards of these creatures. I have stopped eating meat since teenage. I can't stand to hear stories like this but reality is that once we consume meat as a diet these activities will occur overwhelmingly.Cows are abused in such a horrific ways that any sane humans would appose their evil practices.

[Tom O'Connor]

If you think this is something new
you had better guess again,this has
been going on for years in Packing
Houses all over California and if you were to really look in to it you
would find others guilty of the same
acts.Also if you think that the Man-
agement of that Plant did not know
what was going on,I have a Bridge I
will sell you.

[patricia geary]

Thank you for bringing this story to us. As hard as it is to watch the cruelty and try and comprehend how some people can be so abusive and cold hearted it needs to be shown. The sad facts are these aren't isolated incidents. Animals are processed on a daily basis in such great numbers that time doesn't allow them to be treated with respect and without being mistreated. I often wondered what type of person could do this job. After seeing several of these undercover stories in the past I've stopped eating meat.I hope these individuals involved in this cruelty go to jail. Thank you channel 7 news for continuing to bring these stories of abuse to the public.

[Susan F]

This is so profoundly disturbing. Please keep on this story and expose as much of this throughout the meat industry as you can! There is no possible excuse for this behavior - those animals deserve to be cared for decently. The people who have participated in this torture should be prosecuted as harshly as possible and made an example of as CRIMINALS, not only the 2 who were fired, but their boss, his boss, etc, all the way up to the top of this problem. As a society we should not let this go on. We should insist that our livestock be treated humanely in all phases of their lives, in health and in sickness. There are many farmers out there who do practice quality animal husbandry, and we should insist on this as a people. I want to see a huge national investigation of these slaughterhouse practices and I applaud the work of the Humane Society in uncovering this and bringing it out into the light (by whatever means necessary). Profoundly tragic - thank you for bringing attention to this and hopefully bringing about much needed changes!

[Bill March]

Channel 7 has done many storys in the past with regards to the treatment of our animals, but this one was enough to make anyone puke. How this plant continues to operate is beond anything I can comprehend. This plant should be shut down, a lot of people should go to jail, and the whole town should be ashamed!

[Wendy]

I feel sick to my stomach to see helpless animals treated with such malice. I can only think of angry four-letter words to describe the awful people who did this to those poor cows and the awful company that allows such things to happen. Which are the animals here, really? It's those operating the fork lifts and spraying the pressure hoses. Sick and sad.

[Wendy]

I feel sick to my stomach to see helpless animals treated with such malice. I can only think of angry four-letter words to describe the awful people who did this to those poor cows and the awful company that allows such things to happen. Which are the animals here, really? It's those operating the fork lifts and spraying the pressure hoses. Sick and sad.

[Joan A]

What a horror! Make it stop by boycotting meat at the grocery store and fast food restaurants and wherever they sell meat. When big money feels the effects of a boycott from consumers (that's us), then things will change for these defenseless animals! Maybe, too, we'll find better things to eat than animals!

[KJuarez]

Thank You I-Team for your work! I am repulsed seeing innocent animals being abused by those vile workers. I want to see them and Westland prosecuted to the full extent of the law. I don't buy that Steve Mendell,CEO of Westland Meat, didn't know these attrocities take place at his facility. He's CEO and his business to know HOW the company is run! Could you please do a follow up, so we can know if something more is done to prevent this from happening, and exposing the meat industry for what it is: a repulsive, torture chamber for animals, not to mention its toll on the enviroment! Thanks

[Jeremy Levin]

The important thing for us to do, having seen this video, is to do something about it and not just say "that's awful" and not do anything about it. We can do something about factory farming by going to www.humanecalifornia.org/

[Coromoto]

What really gets to me is the lack of ethics and values of the head of these government organizations along with the CEOs and Presidents of these slaughter houses. Organizations are made up of peoples just like us and if they were to be true to themselves and what is right we would not be in this situation. Of course we need jobs, but how much of ourselves are we willing to sell for doing things like these and affecting the entire population of young children and adults. How can you sleep at night is my question? Of course the President of the Westland Meat Company, Humane Society and USDA know what is going on. And then you get the comments from the USDA had we know, well isn't that your job to know and ensure that these slaughterhouse are doing the right thing? We can stop eating meat but that is not going to stop the continued atrocities, it comes from the inside including all the government agencies.

[Barbara Johnson]

I have just read all the comments already posted and have to agree with all these people. As an animal lover I too find this behavior beyond contempt. It certainly makes one think of becoming a vegan which would be healthier for all. I applaud KGO for airing this segment even thought it was difficult to watch. I had to turn away before it was over. After reading about the animals being left on their own by people that have had their houses forclosed one wonders the mentality of the people involved in both cases.

[Andrew in San Jose]

What an absolutely HORRIFIC story to watch. What type of a disgusting creature in a human being can harm an animal like this? May God have mercy on his pathetic soul. Once this nation finally starts letting the punishment fit the crime, our dear animals will unfortunately be abused in this manner. I feel so absolutely helpless because there are ways to handle this process without so much pain and suffering. We're capable of it but the all mighty dollar rings through again to cut corners and not give any regard to the living creating whose giving his life for us. The people in this video should rot in hell as far as I'm concerned. Thankfully our Lord has a special place for his beloved four-legged creatures and it's probably closer to Him than we could ever be and rightly so.