A Beef With Westland/Hallmark Beef

This is one of those news stories that can make you sick to your stomach, if you aren't sick from Westland/Hallmark beef already:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Sunday ordered the recall of 143 million pounds of frozen beef from a California slaughterhouse, the subject of an animal-abuse investigation, that provided meat to school lunch programs.

Officials said it was the largest beef recall in the United States, surpassing a 1999 ban of 35 million pounds of ready-to-eat meats...

Federal officials suspended operations at Westland/Hallmark after an undercover video from the Humane Society of the United States surfaced showing crippled and sick animals being shoved with forklifts.

Two former employees were charged Friday. Five felony counts of animal cruelty and three misdemeanors were filed against a pen manager. Three misdemeanor counts — illegal movement of a non-ambulatory animal — were filed against an employee who worked under that manager. Both were fired.

Authorities said the video showed workers kicking, shocking and otherwise abusing "downer" animals that were apparently too sick or injured to walk into the slaughterhouse. Some animals had water forced down their throats, San Bernardino County prosecutor Michael Ramos said.

No charges have been filed against Westland, but an investigation by federal authorities continues.

Officials estimate that about 37 million pounds of the recalled beef went to school programs, but they believe most of the meat probably has already been eaten.

Comments

[ALETA]

I am sickened and disgusted. Those poor cows. They are there, making a profit for that pig hurting it. If he can hurt something that makes money for his disgusting behind everyday, imagine what he does to his own family and dog at home.
He needs to be jailed and treated exactly the way he treated that poor loving cow.:-(

[Carl]

The "requirement" of GREED has been the apparent case with the low lifes that would treat an animal, at the point of death with such disrespect and cruelty. What's the difference between these blatant acts of animal cruelty and those of Michael Vick, et al? These "people" should be charged and tried with animal cruelty and jeopardizing the American food supply. What scum!

[liza]

animal abuse just makes me sick .they play know pay, it really make me sick.

[Suz]

Westland beef infiltrated our public school system(EAST COAST!), and the children had already eaten it before anyone had a clue that it was contaminated (with Mad Cow disease, E-coli and other diseases). There is a special place in hell for those jerks at Westland who abused their cows and fed our kids contaminated beef. I hope Westland gets SLAMMED with law suits, for infecting (and possibly killing) our children due to Westland's greed.

[Jia]

Charges must be filed against Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. Letting go of a couple employees does not alleviate the company’s wrong-doing. The president of this company reassures the public that they have met the highest standards for harvesting and processing meat under the Federal Meat Inspection Act and asks the public to believe that the company complies with USDA requirements, including the requirement that only ambulatory livestock may enter the harvest facility to be processed for human food. This is a ridiculous request now that we have seen the videos and know the truth. Honestly, it’s difficult to understand how upper management was unaware of the abuses when the president claims there were weekly in-house humane handling audits, 12 internal audits and 17 third party audits performed in ’07 alone. Okay, maybe this company made one mistake by hiring a few cruel employees or, maybe this is a company that routinely inhumanely forces “downer” cows to be slaughtered - purely for profit. In any event, if the Humane Society didn’t investigate this slaughterhouse this company would surely continue to provide us with potentially life-threatening beef. It seems to me as if the Humane Society is constantly doing the USDA's job. And, really, if we’re going to continue to consume factory farmed animals the least we can do is make certain that we treat them as humanely as possible from beginning to end. We should think about the source of our meat and do our best to support small family farms whenever possible and NOT purchase from Westland/Hallmark and other industrialized farms.

[Jia]

Charges must be filed against Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. Letting go of a couple employees does not alleviate the company’s wrong-doing. The president of this company reassures the public that they have met the highest standards for harvesting and processing meat under the Federal Meat Inspection Act and asks the public to believe that the company complies with USDA requirements, including the requirement that only ambulatory livestock may enter the harvest facility to be processed for human food. This is a ridiculous request now that we have seen the videos and know the truth. Honestly, it’s difficult to understand how upper management was unaware of the abuses when the president claims there were weekly in-house humane handling audits, 12 internal audits and 17 third party audits performed in ’07 alone. Okay, maybe this company made one mistake by hiring a few cruel employees or, maybe this is a company that routinely inhumanely forces “downer” cows to be slaughtered - purely for profit. In any event, if the Humane Society didn’t investigate this slaughterhouse this company would surely continue to provide us with potentially life-threatening beef. It seems to me as if the Humane Society is constantly doing the USDA's job. And, really, if we’re going to continue to consume factory farmed animals the least we can do is make certain that we treat them as humanely as possible from beginning to end. We should think about the source of our meat and do our best to support small family farms whenever possible and NOT purchase from Westland/Hallmark and other industrialized farms.

[Layman]

I hope the company goes out of business. They are all sick.

[max]

I know the Mendell brothers and their families - they are dishonest and greedy, therefore this video is not surprising. I hope they are shut down for good.

[Ruth]

The only way I can take another bite of meat is to know the animal is put down humanely. It is discusting. I wish one of these people were sick and someone came to there bedside to probe them with a stick and make them get up and walk.

[daveyjones]

I say just the opposite. The FDA inspector fubbed the dub. Where was he when all this was going on. IF an FDA inspector has to be present the whole day when a MOBILE butcher takes his trailer out to a ranch to slaughter and butcher animal, why was none present at Hallmark. And if he were present, why didnt he see what was going on. The FDA should take the blame for allowing this to happen. I for one do not see a need for the FDA at all. I think the nations medicine and food supply are no longer helpd byt this bureaucratic orginization.

[K.Jones]

I can not believe what I have just ENDURED.God knows all EVIL.To those people who tortured these poor animals you need to be shocked,drugged,hung up,pissed on and thrown in the garbage to suffer like these animals.Shame on you these are gods creatures how can you sleep with yourselves?I am so sick to my stomache.Animals only know how to love and feel and you,you just make me sick,