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U.S. Department of Agriculture Reopens California Slaughterhouse

Slaughterhouse Reopens It’s Doors after Questionable Undercover Video

By , Farms.com

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today that the California slaughterhouse that was shut down last week due to animal cruelty and food safety allegations can now reopen its doors.

The slaughterhouse under question is ‘Central Valley Meat’s’. The Handford, California, plant was ordered to shut down their operations after the release of video footage captured by an undercover Compassion Over Killing animal activist, claiming animal cruelty was taking place inside the slaughterhouse.

On Thursday, three California Republican Congressmen - Devin Nunes, Kevin McCarthy and Jeff Denham made a request to the USDA to reopen the slaughterhouse, noting that the region’s high unemployment rate would be exacerbated with the prolonged closer of the slaughterhouse. The unemployment rates in the region have been reported as high as 20%. The plant employs over 450 people.

Central Valley Meat’s met USDA’s approval to reopen after the submission of a corrective action plan outlining how the company planned to comply with inspection regulations.


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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.