The USDA is refusing to ban “downer” cows from the food supply:
Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer told Congress yesterday that he would not endorse an outright ban on “downer” cows entering the food supply or back stiffer penalties for regulatory violations by meat-processing plants in the wake of the largest beef recall in the nation’s history.
Appearing at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Schafer said the department is investigating why it missed the inhumane treatment of cattle at the Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. in Chino, Calif., including workers administering electric shocks and high-intensity water sprays to downer cows — those too sick or weak to stand without assistance.
This seems kind of strange, unless the numbers of downer cows are much larger than people in the business are willing to admit, why would it matter if a few cows are kept out of the food supply. Given the risk to the food supply it seems like a no-brainer to ban downer cows. Either the industry is incredibly petty and is willing to risk the nations health for a few extra dollars, or the problem is far more pervasive than the industry is willing to admit. In which case they know that if downer cows are taken out of the food supply they will lose a substantial sum of money.  In either case it seems like the USDA needs to crack down on the meat packing industry before they cause a national health crisis.
The entire article can be seen here