Farmed Animal Watch - November 3, 2003

CONTENTS

1. Industry, Government Fail to Stop Contaminated Meat
a. Fecal Contamination
b. Plant Self-Inspection
c. Recall Revelations
d. OIG, GAP Criticize USDA
e. USDA Response, Industry Inadequacies
2. Nominations for Meat & Poultry Inspection Advisory Committee
3. "Downed" Animal Protection Amendment & Ads
4. Major Deficiencies at Most Canadian Slaughterplants
a. Contaminants, Animal Abuse
b. Paltry Penalties
c. Ontario Failings
d. Aylmer Used Dead Cows
e. Prime Example
5. Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals

1. INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT FAIL TO STOP CONTAMINATED MEAT
A. Fecal Contamination
At one of the largest slaughterplants in the country, feces has continually been found on the bodies of slaughtered cattle even after they've passed through washes of hot water and acid. Although inspectors reported this, regulators did not stop meat from being shipped from Shapiro Packing for human consumption. Even when potentially fatal E. coli O157:H7 bacteria was found, the plant was not shut down. (McDonald's executives say their auditors found nothing amiss at the plant.) Although federal regulations call for "zero tolerance" of feces and ingesta (digestive tract material) on animals who have been skinned and eviscerated (disemboweled), industry executives say it isn't possible to keep feces entirely off of meat. Government critics claim no matter how much feces is found it doesn't trigger a plant shutdown.

B. Plant Self-Inspection
Consumer advocates, legislators, and government inspectors say the plant's history of repeat violations illustrate deficiencies in the nationwide food safety system the USDA phased in from 1998 to 2000 (see items #6 & 7 of http://tinyurl.com/t5vv ). The new inspection process, known as the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) program, shifted much of the responsibility for food safety from government inspectors to the slaughterplants. The plants are required to develop safety plans and, rather than performing actual meat inspection duties, government inspectors evaluate how well the plants' safety measures work.

C. Recall Revelations
Last year's record 113 meat recalls demonstrate that the government has done a poor job of training inspectors and dealing with slaughterplants that repeatedly violate food safety regulations. As a result, people have been sickened and killed by contaminated meat before slaughterplants have been forced to make changes. For example, USDA authorities were repeatedly warned by meat inspectors about dangerous contamination problems at the plant responsible for last year's largest meat recall, the 2nd largest ever (19 million pounds, see: http://tinyurl.com/t6h6 ). The meat is blamed for 47 cases of illness, including one death. E. coli was a continuous problem at the plant, then owned by ConAgra, from January 2001 until the summer of 2002, when the recall occurred. In a period of less than 2 years, the plant was cited 66 times for fecal contamination.

D. OIG, GAP Criticize USDA
In early October, independent federal investigators from the office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report which questions the adequacy of federal inspection programs intended to identify and control hazards in the meat production process. It states that USDA officials dealing with the ConAgra plant were "not always responsive to the inspector's concerns relating to increasing levels of fecal contamination and positive E. coli testing results." Inspectors who alerted supervisors were discouraged from taking further action. Additionally, government inspectors failed to perform tests or review ConAgra test results which were available to them, even though the law required them to do so. According to the report, they were unsure of their authority to review the company's test results so they didn't ask for them. The tests found E. coli nearly 3 dozen times in the month prior to the recall. A report issued by the Government Accountability Project, a public interest organization, accuses the USDA of a coverup, claiming it knew 2 years earlier that ConAgra was shipping contaminated meat: http://tinyurl.com/tj1i and http://tinyurl.com/tf3o

E. USDA Response, Industry Inadequacies
The USDA acknowledges it has been poor at enforcement, explaining that it was overwhelmed with trying to ensure that all of the country's 5000 slaughterplants devised a HACCP safety plan. The Department says it has expanded training and issued new guidelines for taking action against plants with recurring violations (see: http://tinyurl.com/texr ). The guidelines direct inspectors to request their supervisors shut down a plant if repeat violations occur. However, they do not specify at what point the violations become too numerous. Nor does the USDA have the authority to order a meat recall (see item #4 of http://tinyurl.com/t5x4 ). The OIG report says the ConAgra recall was "ineffective and inefficient." Only 3 million of the 19 million pounds were accounted for. (At a recent American Meat Institute event, participants were told how Swift, the company that purchased the plant, turned the recall into a media triumph: http://tinyurl.com/tey7 ). While some companies have stepped up safety measures under HACCP, others have lagged. One high-profile executive estimates that 20-30% of slaughterplants "aren't doing well at all."

"New Safety Rules Fail to Stop Tainted Meat," The New York Times; Melody Petersen, Christopher Drew, and Bud Hazelkorn; October 10, 2003.
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031010/ZNYT02/310100429
"Audit: USDA Ignored E-coli Warnings," Associated Press, Emily Gersema, October 3, 2003.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,99016,00.html
"Audit Faults Greeley Plant, USDA in Shoddy 2002 Meat Recall," Meating Place, Brendan O'Neil, October 6, 2003.
http://www.meatingplace.com/DailyNews/oop/qnohit_g.asp?ID=11335

2. NOMINATIONS FOR MEAT & POULTRY INSPECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The USDA is seeking nominations from the public for a consumer representative for the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection. The committee provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture regarding inspection programs. Nominations will be accepted through November 19th. [Felicia Nestor with the Government Accountability Project (1D above) is seeking the position (see "Supervisors": http://tinyurl.com/tj30 )] For more information, see: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/news/2003/nacmpi102003.htm

3. "DOWNED"ANIMAL PROTECTION AMENDMENT & ADS
The U.S. Senate is expected to vote soon on the Akaka Downed Animal Amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations bill. The amendment, offered by Senator Daniel Akaka, seeks to prevent the USDA from approving meat from nonambulatory animals for human food. Further information on the amendment can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/tiqg In September, Farm Sanctuary placed a full-page advertisement in The New York Times and a series of 3 such ads in The Washington Post to raise awareness of the hazards and inhumaneness of permitting nonambulatory animals to be used in the human food supply. Information and a link to the ad can be found at: http://www.nodowners.org

4. MAJOR DEFICIENCIES AT MOST CANADIAN SLAUGHTERPLANTS
A. Contaminants, Animal Abuse
The Vancouver Sun has determined that more than half of the slaughterplants in Canada have major deficiencies that could result in tainted meat, based on documents it obtained through Canada's Access to Information Act. The inspection reports, written in May and June, reveal problems such as fecal matter on meat, dead animals stored on a floor, flies, mold, and the mistreatment of animals. They show that 56% of the 106 plants had at least one "major deviation" from the regulations, 37% had minor deviations, with only 6% having no deviations. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has been gradually moving toward a self-regulated industry system [similar to that which the U.S. has been phasing in (see item #1)]. All of the plants contacted by the newspaper said they have corrected the problems. The animal abuse situation involved "inadequate handling" of turkeys at Uniturkey, in Quebec, and dirty cages. A spokesperson said new handling policies have now been put in place and the cages have been cleaned.

B. Paltry Penalties
Penalties for slaughterplants that violate food safety regulations vary widely across the country. While federally licensed slaughterplant owners can be fined as much as $250,000 or be imprisoned for 2 years, first-time offenders coming under provincial jurisdiction in Ontario may be fined no more than $2,000, or be imprisoned no more than 6 months, or both. Inspectors and even some within the industry say such penalties are too low, amounting to mere pocket change for high-volume businesses. Higher fines are believed to be effective since most violations appear to be economically motivated.

C. Ontario Failings
The Ontario government was warned over a year ago by its own officials that its meat inspection system put public health at risk. Agriculture Ministry projections for last year showed that meat products caused nearly 58,000 illnesses, more than a dozen deaths, and cost the province's health care system nearly $200 million. The ministry presented the cabinet with a 56-page report entitled "Updating Ontario's Meat Inspection Program," which makes such recommendations as more full-time inspectors, national standards, and provincial inspection of plants now administered by municipalities. The government has yet to act on any of the recommendations.

D. Aylmer Used Dead Cows
Canadian media prevailed in a legal effort to have the warrant for Aylmer Meat Packers unsealed (see item #1 of http://tinyurl.com/oc11 ). The documents reveal that 10 dead cows were illegally taken into the plant, one the day prior to the mid-August raid. The other 9 cows were turned into food intended for human consumption between June 6th and July 17th, in violation of the Dead Animal Disposal Act. Lawyers for Aylmer deny any of the meat entered the food chain for human consumption. No charges have been brought yet. (Links to the search warrant and other information are present on the CBC site cited below.)

E. Prime Example
In October of 2002, Den Dekker Meat 2001, one of Ontario's largest pig slaughterplants, was convicted of obstructing a compliance officer checking animal welfare. The company pled guilty in July of this year to 4 counts of animal cruelty related to an SPCA investigation that charged it with inserting a metal hook in the rectum of a live pig, electrically prodding pigs in the facial and anal areas, electrical stunning that resulted in animal suffering, and not having a government inspector examine a nonambulatory pig found on a truck: http://tinyurl.com/thrq The company was also convicted in July of obstructing an official investigating the illegal disposal of waste water.

For over 2 years, the company had been using well water that often tested positive for a dangerous strain of E. coli. Inspectors would then place "hold" tags on meat and test samples of it for contamination. Two days after Aylmer was shut down (see above), plant manager (and former plant owner) John Den Dekker ordered his employees to remove hold tags on about 77,000 pounds of meat that had been hosed with suspect water and shipped it out. An inspector noticed the missing meat and it was ordered to be returned. In court, Den Dekker argued that he had told the truckers not to unload the meat until test results on it were known. The plant owner, however, couldn't be sure all the meat had been returned, in part because it had been mixed with approved meat. Although the Ontario Agriculture Ministry noted this in its written judgment, it didn't challenge Den Dekker's defense. Despite the previous convictions and the seriousness of this violation, Dr. Tom Baker, the head of Ontario's food inspection, ordered the company to shut down for a single day - at a mutually agreeable time. When questioned about his decision, Baker said he took into account that this was the first time the plant had removed hold tags, and that the plant had suffered lost production during the testing process.

"Fecal Matter, Mould Found in Meat Plants," The Vancouver Sun, Chad Skelton, October 29, 2003.
http://canada.com/national/story.asp?id=A3647E90-D574-4C4E-8728-9309ED088B68
"Tainted Meat Fines 'Too Low,'" The Toronto Star, Robert Cribb & Scott Simmie with Richard Brennan, September 10, 2003.
http://tinyurl.com/tgik or http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1063145411965&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154
"Ontario Government Warned Prior to 'Deadstock' Incident," Meating Place News, Brendan O'Neill, 10/10/03.
http://www.meatingplace.com/DailyNews/oop/qnohit_g.asp?ID=11352
"Search Warrant Details Allegations Against Ontario Meat Plant," CBC News, October 23, 2003.
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/10/23/meat_warrant031023
"Abattoir Suspended Over Suspect Pork," London Free Press, Jonathan Sher, October 10, 2003.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2003/10/10/221850.html

5. CANADIAN COALITION FOR FARM ANIMALS
The Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals (CCFA) represents more than 100,000 Canadians through its member organizations. Among them are the Animal Alliance of Canada, the Vancouver Humane Society, and the Winnipeg Humane Society. CCFA is particularly focusing on abolishing the caging of egg-laying hens and pregnant pigs. Among other activities, coalition representatives participate in federal stakeholders' discussions about the future of farm animal welfare in Canada. CCFA has launched its web site which includes news, facts, contacts and recommended actions: http://www.humanefood.ca