How many downed animals are slaughtered for human food in the United States each year?
While there is no clear accounting for the number of downed animals used for food in the U.S., estimates prior to the USDAs regulation against the slaughter of most downed cattle ranged from 100,000 to 200,000. It is worth remembering, however, that a loophole in the regulation allows cattle to be approved for slaughter on a case-by-case basis if they go down after their initial ante-mortem inspection. This means that in all likelihood, large numbers of downed animals, including cattle, are still entering the human food supply on a regular basis.
While there is no clear accounting for the number of downed animals used for food in the U.S., estimates prior to the USDA’s regulation against the slaughter of most downed cattle ranged from 100,000 to 200,000. It is worth remembering, however, that a loophole in the regulation allows cattle to be approved for slaughter on a case-by-case basis if they go down after their initial ante-mortem inspection. This means that in all likelihood, large numbers of downed animals, including cattle, are still entering the human food supply on a regular basis.
