US finalises ban slaughter of sick cattle

USDA proposed a total ban on all "downer" cattle from being slaughtered in May 2008, three months after a video showed workers at the Westland Meat Packing plant in California forcing sick and injured cattle into a slaughterhouse.

A few weeks after the video was released, Hallmark recalled 143 million pounds of meat, the largest US meat recall ever.

USDA secretary Tom Vilsack said this rule is designed to enhance consumer confidence and humane handling standards and will provide clear guidance that non-ambulatory cattle will not be allowed to enter the human food supply.

In the past, most downer cattle were banned, but USDA allowed the slaughter of some animals that became too injured to move after they were inspected.

Packers were required to alert USDA veterinarians in those cases so the cattle could be re-inspected before they were slaughtered for food.

About 2,700 of the 34 million cattle slaughtered in 2007 were re-inspected under this exception. Just fewer than 1,000 were approved and allowed to enter the food supply; according to the new rule would block these animals from entering the food supply.

Instead, they would be marked "US condemned" and the packer must notify USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service if cattle become disabled after passing an earlier inspection.

The ban on downer cattle is one of the US safeguards against mad cow disease.