Victory: Ban on Slaughter of Injured Livestock

In response to the first confirmed case of Mad Cow disease in the United States, the USDA has issued a ban on the slaughter and marketing of "downed animals," those that reach auction too injured or sick to walk.

There is no humane way to move such animals, so they are cruelly dragged behind trucks with chains or forced forward with electric prods to get them from auction to slaughter. By prohibiting profiting from lame livestock, farmers will have to ensure that their animals don't become lame in the first place.

Animal welfare groups have been working passing a law to ban the slaughter of downed animals for over a decade. Last year, the bill passed the Seante and came just three votes short of passing the House of Representatives. The administration has finally caved in to the public pressure and ended its opposition to the ban. This means the end of horrible suffering for hundreds of thousands of animals every year.

Thanks go to everyone who contacted their officials on this important issue and kept up the pressure to save these animals and to protect human health.

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