Subject: Tell USDA to stop dangerous, high-speed slaughtering of animals
From: "Bob Fertik, Democrats.com" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 09 Mar 2016 14:26:50 -0500

Dear Activist,

A little-known pilot program implemented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is allowing pork processors to operate high-speed pig slaughtering factories that lack proper government oversight and inspection.

These dangerous, high-speed facilities have caused serious worker injuries and are responsible for hazardous food safety issues, including increased fecal contamination and food-borne illnesses. What's more, the accelerated conditions force workers to take inhumane shortcuts leading to extreme suffering for animals.

Please join our friends at CREDO Action in urging USDA to end the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Based Inspection Models Project (HIMP) program.

Thanks for all you do!

Bob Fertik

Stop the dangerous, high-speed slaughtering of animals

The petition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture reads:
"High-speed pig slaughter factories are extremely dangerous for workers, the environment, and public health and leads to additional cruelty to animals. Halt the expansion and completely end the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Based Inspection Models Project (HIMP) program."

Add your name:

Dear Friend,

As Americans' pork consumption grows,1 pork producers across the country are looking to cash in on this multi-billion dollar industry, while putting workers, the environment, and public health at huge risk -- and submitting animals to added cruelty.

A little-known pilot program implemented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has allowed pork processors to operate high-speed pig slaughtering factories that lack proper government oversight and inspection, run 20 percent faster than normal plants, and can slaughter an incredible 1,300 pigs every hour.2

These dangerous, high-speed facilities have caused serious worker injuries and are responsible for hazardous food safety issues, including increased fecal contamination and food-borne illnesses. What's more, the accelerated conditions force workers to take inhumane shortcuts leading to extreme suffering for animals.3

The USDA is considering expanding this program to even more facilities across the country, so we must act now to stop it.

Tell the USDA: Stop the high-speed slaughtering of animals. Click here to sign the petition.

The USDA implemented this high-speed pig slaughtering program, known as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Based Inspection Models Project (HIMP), over a decade ago with the intention of improving food safety and providing more benefits for consumers, when in fact it has done completely the opposite.

According to Compassion Over Killing, a Washington, D.C.-based animal rights organization, the HIMP program has "reduce[d] the number of government-trained inspectors at slaughter plants...shift[ed] much of the inspection and food safety control measures into the hands of the slaughter plants, and allow[ed] facilities to run slaughter lines at higher speeds than other plants where full government inspection is still taking place."4

Tell the USDA: Stop the high-speed slaughtering of animals. Click here to sign the petition.

Hormel Foods, one of the nation's largest factory processors of pork and best known for producing SPAM, is the country's worst culprit. Hormel operates three of the nation's five high-speed slaughtering facilities and has a long and dark history of egregious food and worker safety violations. From 2008-2011, over 600 food safety violations were reported at one single Hormel plant, and in 2012 alone, Hormel plants were slapped with over 350 worker safety violations.5

Pressure is mounting to force the USDA to end this dangerous slaughtering program. As the USDA considers expanding HIMP to more facilities, 60 members of Congress, led by progressive champion and food safety leader Rep. Rosa DeLauro, have called on Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to stop the proposed expansion of this program, citing egregious safety violations and animal cruelty at current high-speed slaughtering facilities.6

The USDA must end this program before any further expansion takes place. The safety of our food supply and the welfare of factory workers and millions of animals are at stake.

Tell the USDA: Stop the high-speed slaughtering of animals. Click the link below to sign the petition:

http://act.credoaction.com/sign/high_speed_slaughter_dems/

Thank you for your activism.

Josh Nelson, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets

Add your name:

References

Megan Durisin, "It's Pork Over Beef in America for First Time Since 1952", Bloomberg, February 2, 2015.

Matt Ferner, "Undercover Video Appears To Show Pigs Conscious, Shaking In Pain As They Face Slaughterhouse Death," Huffington Post, November 12, 2015.

Erica Meier, "Big Pork vs. Consumers: Whose Side Is the USDA on?", Huffington Post, February 19, 2016.

"About Hormel & HIMP", Compassion Over Killing.

"WTF Hormel?!"

"Sixty Democrats ask Vilsack to delay new hog slaughter rule ", Food Safety News January 20, 2016.

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