Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Central Valley Meat Plant Shut Down Over Animal Cruelty

A meat processing plant in the town of Hanford was shut down by the US Department of Agriculture after Federal investigators received videotape showing repeated instances of animal cruelty at the Central Valley Meat Company. The USDA is also considering a recall, depending on whether meat from sick animals made it into the food supply. The video is the work of the animal welfare group Compassion Over Killing, who had an undercover investigator hired at the plant. The Washington DC-based group on Friday provided the USDA with hours of video showing downed cows being shocked, shot in the head with bolts and mistreated in other ways before being slaughtered. The USDA has two inspectors at the plant whose duties have been suspended during the ongoing investigation. Vic Bedoian reports from Fresno.