Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended operations at Central Valley Meat Co. in Hanford, Calif., due to video evidence showing dairy cows, some unable to walk, being repeatedly shocked and shot before being slaughtered.
Four minutes of excerpts the animal welfare group Compassion Over Killing provided to The Associated Press showed cows being prepared for slaughter. One worker is seen suffocating a cow by standing on its muzzle after a gun that injects a bolt into the animal's head had failed to render it unconscious. In another clip, a cow is still conscious and flailing as a conveyor lifts it by one leg for transport to an area where the animals' throats are slit for blood draining.
Central Valley Meat slaughters cows when they lose their value as milk producers. Slaughtering cows is part of food...but they don't need to be dicks about it.
Online USDA records show the company sells ground beef to USDA food programs. Within hours of seeing the video, the USDA's Office of Inspector General sent investigators who found evidence of "egregious inhumane handling and treatment of livestock."
Undercover-op kills slaughterhouse by The Canadian Press
