USDA Shuts Down California Slaughterhouse after Video Footage

Aug 21, 2012

Animal Activist Group Releases Undercover Video Footage

The USDA has shutdown Central Valley Meat Co. in Hanford, California, after a video recording was released by an animal activist group – Compassion Over Killing allegedly showing dairy cows being repeatedly shocked and shot prior to being slaughtered. The footage was retrieved by an undercover investigator who was employed by the slaughter house. The video footage was released to USDA authorities late Monday, August 20 2012.

"USDA considers inhumane treatment of animals at slaughter facilities to be unacceptable and is conducting a thorough investigation into these allegations," said Justin DeJong, spokesman for the Food Safety Inspection Service.

The company is owned by Brian and Lawrence Coelho. “We were extremely disturbed to be informed by the USDA that ... our plant could not operate based upon a videotape that was provided to the Department by a third party group that alleged inhumane treatment of animals on our property," said a company statement.

Compassion Over Killing says that they plan to post the video footage on their website sometime Tuesday, August 21 2012. While the alleged acts are disturbing, it’s also disturbing to discover how these groups obtained the footage. With the advent of increased under cover animal activists disguising themselves as employees of various slaughterhouses or farms some U.S. states have moved to make those acts illegal. Video tapes that are released by animal activist groups claiming animal cruelty are often carefully edited and taken out of context. Let’s wait until the investigation has been completed before jumping to conclusions.

Video: How Can We Grow More Food With Less Impact?

For over two decades, Dr. Mitloehner has been at the forefront of research on how animal agriculture affects our air and our climate. With deep expertise in emissions and volatile organic compounds, his work initially focused on air quality in regions like California’s Central Valley—home to both the nation’s richest agricultural output and some of its poorest air quality.

In recent years, methane has taken center stage in climate discourse—not just scientifically, but politically. Once a topic reserved for technical discussions about manure management and feed efficiency, it has become a flashpoint in debates over sustainability, regulation, and even the legitimacy of livestock farming itself.

Dr. Frank Mitloehner, Professor and Air Quality Specialist with the CLEAR Center sits down with Associate Director for Communications at the CLEAR Center, Joe Proudman.