Typical lies about HSUS video

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HSUS video can't be linked to processor, food chain

 

 

 

By Lisa M. Keefe on 6/25/2008 for Meatingplace.com

 

 

 

 

 

Despite efforts to link its latest undercover video to the larger question of food safety, Humane Society of the United States President Wayne Pacelle, in a press conference Wednesday morning, also noted that his videotape was not direct evidence of any such thing.The videotape, according to HSUS, shows cows being mistreated at the Portales Livestock Auction site in Portales, N.M., as they are moved toward auction. This is the second videotape from this location that HSUS has released. The videotape shows apparently injured animals being shocked and dragged, for example.The HSUS representative "also observed the sale of three downed cows that had been tormented to get into the auction area," Pacelle said. "Some of the downed dairy cows at Hallmark came from Portales. Many cows sold at Portales are slaughtered now at Caviness and further processed at (Caviness's) Palo Duro plant in Amarillo." Pacelle

also noted that Palo Duro now is a major supplier to the National School Lunch Program.Lack of evidence"We have no evidence that these cows went to the School Lunch Program or into the food chain," Pacelle said. "That said, the only reason these animals were being tormented was to get them into the food chain. ... These are injured and lame animals, and pretty much their only purpose is for slaughter."In answer to a question posed by Meatingplace.com, Pacelle said that HSUS had not investigated the question of whether Caviness bought any downer cows, from Portales or any other auction facility. "We also don't have evidence that they were not (bought by Caviness). The issue for us is that this livestock auction does a lot of business with Caviness and wanted to make sure that people knew that these animals are being tormented for the purpose of commerce," he said."I am not making a comment on the way that

Caviness operates," he added. "I am making a comment that Portales was supplying both (Hallmark and Caviness) and there are issues that need to be examined and we hope that USDA is going to make a special effort. Now that we've made an issue of this, we hope that there are sufficient firewalls in place at Caviness" to prevent downer cows from getting into the food chain.In fact, Terry Caviness told Meatingplace.com, "We do not buy non-ambulatory cattle. We do not load cattle that are down. If any animal arrives here that is down, it is euthanized."Furthermore, Caviness said, the company has ways of tracking those actions. "We take all of this very, very seriously."Finally, he added, "We only buy the top-end cattle, not the at-risk cattle. The cattle they were showing (on the videotape) would not be the cattle we would buy."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight - Albert Schweitzer

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