U.S. bans slaughter of downer cattle

by Maggie Vink (Subscribe to Maggie Vink's posts)
May 21st 2008 9:00PM

Not too many months ago, news stories broke about the inhumane treatment of cattle at slaughterhouses. In addition to other misdeeds at some slaughterhouses, so called "downer" cattle -- those that are too sick or injured to walk -- were being handled inhumanely.

The U.S. Agriculture Department announced last Tuesday that cattle that is sick or too injured to walk will not be allowed to enter slaughterhouses. The USDA hopes that this measure will help prevent the mistreatment of animals in these facilities. They also hope the measures will help ensure meat safety.

I'm not a vegetarian, but reports like this make me want to become one. While I think any measure to ensure the humane treatment of animals is good, I can't help but think that a ban against those cattle that are too sick or too injured to walk isn't really solving the problem at all. What do you think?

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Ken 5-22-2008 @ 6:37AM

I feel slaughterhouses as a whole are beyond disturbing. What is the humane way to lead massive amounts of fellow mammals to a building to be murdered and cut up to be consumed? I am sure that the cows at some point before their death smell and hear the death of those that went in before them. It is disgusting that this practice continues. People do not need to eat the flesh of other mammals to survive. Watch any animal with it's newborn and tell me they don't feel emotions such as love. I hope people will eventually recognize how barbaric it is that each day a death occurs to keep you alive... when it doesn't need to be that way.