Central Valley Meat Co. shutdown, but no recall issued

Downed cow in a holding pen, unable to walk. From Compassion Over Killing.

A Central Valley Meat Co. slaughterhouse in Hanford has been temporarily shut down following the release of two undercover videos. The videos, shot by a contractor of the animal rights’ group Compassion Over Killing, show cattle allegedly being abused by the workers at the plant. The Los Angeles Times reports:

“Our video evidence clearly demonstrates a lot of suffering these cows are enduring,” says Erica Meier, executive director of Compassion Over Killing. “It’s egregious. It’s unnecessary. We’re trying to shine a spotlight into what’s happening inside the slaughterhouses because this is not an isolated incident.”

The USDA has released a statement saying it will not tolerate the abuse of animals being sent to slaughter, but has not yet to issue a recall, citing a lack of evidence that meat from sick or injured cattle has entered the food supply. The USDA’s Justin DeJong said, “USDA considers inhumane treatment of animals at slaughter facilities to be unacceptable and is conducting a thorough investigation into these allegations.”

Dave Daley, associate dean for the College of Agriculture at CSU, has also released a statement calling the abuse “disgraceful and not representative of the cattle community.” In-N-Out Burger ended its relationship with the company after the videos were released. Meat from the slaughterhouse also went to some government food programs.

Below is video released by Compassion Over Killing. Warning: the images are disturbing: