'Downer' Cow Rules Finalized
Move requires a complete ban on the slaughter of cattle that become disabled after passing initial inspection.
Compiled by staff
Published: Mar 16, 2009
Over the weekend Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a final rule to amend the federal meat inspection regulations to require a complete ban on the slaughter of cattle that become non-ambulatory disabled after passing initial inspection by USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service.
The final rule amends the federal meat inspection regulations to require that all cattle that are non-ambulatory disabled - or downer cattle - at any time prior to slaughter at an official establishment, be condemned and properly disposed of according to FSIS regulations. This rule includes those animals that become non-ambulatory after passing ante-mortem inspection.
The final rule also requires that establishmens notife inspection program personnel when cattle become non-ambulatory disabled after passing the ante-mortem, or pre-slaughter, inspection.
Under this final rule, cattle that become downers from an acute injury after that ante-mortem inspection will no longer be eligible to proceed to slaughter as "U.S. Suspects," according to USDA. Instead, FSIS inspectors will tag the cattle "U.S. Condemned" and prohibit these cattle from proceeding to slaughter. This ends the case-by-case disposition of cattle that became non-ambulatory disabled after the ante-mortem inspection - a rule that went into effect in July 2007.
USDA says moving to the more direct approach of classifying downers as condemned will free up FSIS health inspection veterinarians for other inspection duties. With this final rule, these cattle must now be humanely euthanized.
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