USDA Shuts Down California Slaughterhouse after Video Footage

Animal Activist Group Releases Undercover Video Footage

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

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.