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Downed Animal Slaughter
Ban Narrowly Defeated
On July 14, the U.S. House of Representatives debated
whether downed animals-animals too weak to even stand
— should be used for human food. Congressmen Ackerman
(D-NY) and Marcie Kaptur (D-OH) argued that downed animals
are inhumanely transported, and could present a risk
of Mad Cow Disease in the U.S. They stressed that the
cow discovered to have Mad Cow Disease in Canada was
a downed animal.
Congressman Ackerman argued in favor of the Ackerman-LaTourette
Amendment to prevent USDA from funding the approval
of meat from downed animals for human food. Opposing
the amendment, Congressmen Charles Stenholm (D-TX) and
Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) argued that the best way to prevent
the disease is to send downed animals to USDA slaughterhouses.
Contrary to Stenholm and Goodlatte's assertion that
downed animals should be sent to USDA slaughterhouses,
the overwhelming majority of downed animals are not
tested for BSE and, in fact, enter the human food supply.
Please click
here to read the Floor debate.
During the voting session on the evening
of July 14, the Ackerman-LaTourette Amendment was defeated
by a 202 to 199 margin.
To see how your representatives voted,
click
here. If your representatives voted against the
Ackerman-LaTourette Amendment, please contact them and
express your disappointment. If they voted for it, please
contact them and thank them.
Send your letters to:
SENATE: Senator ___________, U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC, 20510
HOUSE: Representative _____, U.S. House of
Representatives, Washington, DC, 20515
For the name of your representative, please enter your
zip code below.
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