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Judge changes opinion after touring Postville plant Tuesday, December 14, 2004
POSTVIILLE, Iowa (AP) -- After visiting an embattled kosher slaughterhouse on Sunday, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Patty Judge said the animals she saw slaughtered died quickly and were treated humanely.
Her comments signal a significant shift in her opinion on the treatment of cattle at Agriprocessors Inc., the world's largest supplier of glatt kosher meat products.
The company's slaughtering methods came under fire recently after an undercover videotape was released by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Footage on the 30-minute tape shows cattle flailing and struggling to stand after having their throats slit.
Judge joined critics after watching the video, calling the footage disturbing and worthy of state investigation upon determining whether the state had jurisdiction.
Judge accepted an invitation Sunday to tour the facility, where she watched rabbis slit the throats of three cows, each of which appeared to die instantly from rapid blood loss.
Each animal was then rolled out of a round steel container onto the killing room floor and laid motionless until hoisted off to the butchering section.
"What I saw today ... was humane. It was quick and there was absolutely no problem with the way they were handled," said Judge, who was joined by reporters and state and local political officials.
"The tape disturbed me. I have no problem with what I saw today," she added.
PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich maintained that Agriprocessors has a long record of treating animals inhumanely.
"It is not terribly surprising that Agriprocessors can operate like a normal kosher slaughterhouse when the state secretary of agriculture pays a visit, but we have documentation that the cruelty we witnessed at Agriprocessors has been going on, methodically and as standard practice for at least 10 years," he said in a statement.
The undercover video, taken by an employee last summer, prompted criticism of cruel and inhumane treatment by veterinarians, former federal meat inspectors and Jewish leaders worldwide.
The footage shows cattle thrashing, struggling to regain their footing sometimes up to three minutes after having their throats slit. PETA claims the behavior proves the animals are conscious and in pain.
Agriprocessors, along with rabbinic leaders, scientists and kosher certification groups, have defended the plant's slaughtering techniques. They say it's natural for animals to experience involuntary reflexive movements after slaughter.
At the plant, the slaughtering ritual is done by trained rabbis who use a two-foot-long knife to sever arteries, the esophagus and windpipe. The first cut is immediately followed by a second, targeting the arteries.
If done correctly under kosher law, the technique ensures quick and painless death, officials said.
"What is being shown on the Internet and video is science fiction," Sholom Rubashkin, company president, said of the PETA tape.
Agriprocessors, which slaughters about 500 cattle per day, has agreed to two minor operational changes since the tape was made public.
After consulting with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Orthodox Union, a group that certifies kosher products, the company agreed last week to let rabbis use an air bolt gun on animals that attempt to regain footing post slaughter.
The company also agreed not to rip out the esophagus and wind pipe, a technique officials deny ever doing but appears to have occurred on the videotape.
"If an animal gets up and tries to walk, and if it makes sense at the time to do so, we will use" the bolt gun, said Rubashkin, whose company's products appear under the Rubashkin name and Aaron's Way.
Specific policies for using the gun, which fires a steel bolt into a cow's brain, will be developed after training sessions scheduled this week, said Bill Kiernan, technical services director.
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On the Net:
PETA: http://www.peta.org/
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