For years, animal groups have worked on the Hill to try to ban downer cows — cows that have fallen and are too weak or too sick to get up — from entering the food supply. Working on the Hill many years ago, this was one of the issues I talked to Congress about. It seemed like a simple, no brainer request, as 1) these animals could have illnesses that could impact the food supply, like mad cow or e.coli and 2) it seems the humane thing to do to put them out of their misery when they have reached their physical limits.
What Congress couldn’t do, the President has finally done. He announced this week a permanent ban on the slaughter of cows too sick or weak to stand on their own. The President said he was making the move to, “Ensure diseased cows don’t find their way into the food supply.” The rule closes a loophole in the downer cattle rule which would allow the use of an animal if it collapsed after passing inspection.
While it’s a step forward for food safety, the Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, says it’s also “a step forward for… the standards for humane treatment of animals.”
