U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette (R-Bainbridge Township) today asked House leadership to promptly schedule a vote on his legislation, the Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act, in the aftermath of the largest recall of beef in U.S. history.

LaTourette introduced the bill in January 2007 with Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-NY), and it currently has 125 co-sponsors.  The bill, H.R. 661, would ban any slaughtering of downed animals for human consumption and also calls for their humane euthanization.  There is also a Senate companion bill, S. 394, which was introduced by Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI).

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Sunday announced the recall of 143 million pounds of beef processed at a California slaughterhouse after undercover video taken by the Humane Society of the United States showed workers shocking, kicking and hoisting ailing cows toward slaughter with forklifts.  About 37 million pounds of the beef went to school lunch programs, according to Agriculture officials.  Hallmark Meat Company was the nation’s second largest supplier of ground beef to the National School Lunch Program.

“What happened at that California meat plant is beyond despicable. Those cattle should never make it into the food supply, and the way they were so heinously abused by slaughterhouse workers was almost impossible to watch,” LaTourette said.

LaTourette said federal rules say downed cattle (meaning they cannot stand on their own) should not be slaughtered for food because of their higher risk of E. coli, salmonella and mad cow disease.  LaTourette said federal officials are supposed to inspect sick or injured cattle before they can be slaughtered.  In addition, a 1958 law, the Humane Slaughter Act, has very strict guidelines for the humane treatment of animals.

LaTourette said both the House and Senate have previously approved downed animal legislation, but it was blocked from final passage in the previous Congress by some former members of the House Agriculture Committee and Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee. LaTourette said the measure is about food safety and ensuring the humane treatment of animals headed to slaughter.

“I can't believe that in the 21st Century there is anyone who thinks it’s appropriate to allow sick, diseased, or injured livestock incapable of supporting their own body weight to be part of our food supply, he said.  “Congress must do something to prevent the contamination of our food supply and also insist that these downed animals be dealt with humanely.  I hope the Hallmark case and this massive recall of beef will provide the necessary outrage to finally get this done”

LaTourette said his bill will fill a gap in current USDA and FDA regulations by calling for the humane euthanization of downed or non-ambulatory livestock, and remove them from the possibility of human consumption.

“I hope this was an isolated incident at this one slaughterhouse, but I have my doubts. If USDA inspectors missed this, what else are they missing?  We wouldn’t have even known of these horrors had it not been for the Humane Society undercover video,” LaTourette said.