Why is the Downed Animal Protection Act needed?
Because animals who die before reaching the kill floor can not be slaughtered for human consumption, there is a strong profit incentive for livestock producers and meat packers to keep downed animals alive until they can be processed. Documentation over the past twenty years demonstrates that many agribusiness enterprises will do whatever is necessary to get sick animals to the slaughterhouse, or will allow downed animals to endure unalleviated suffering for hourssometimes daysso that no money is lost on their carcasses. The Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act will not only help ensure that downed animals are not cruelly abused for the sake of agribusiness profits, but it will also safeguard consumer health by diverting seriously ill animals from the human food supply.
Because animals who die before reaching the kill floor can not be slaughtered for human consumption, there is a strong profit incentive for livestock producers and meat packers to keep downed animals alive until they can be “processed.” Documentation over the past twenty years demonstrates that many agribusiness enterprises will do whatever is necessary to get sick animals to the slaughterhouse, or will allow downed animals to endure unalleviated suffering for hours-sometimes days-so that no money is lost on their carcasses. The Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act will not only help ensure that downed animals are not cruelly abused for the sake of agribusiness profits, but it will also safeguard consumer health by diverting seriously ill animals from the human food supply.
