Welstland/Hallmark is being sued by the DOJ, not just the HSUS:

“A Southern California meatpacking plant that supplied beef to the nation’s school lunch program slaughtered stumbling, potentially contaminated cows for four years before undercover video of animal abuse prompted a massive beef recall, federal court filings say.

“The amended complaint filed late last month in U.S. District Court in Riverside is part of an ongoing civil lawsuit filed by The Humane Society of the United States against the Chino-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Co.

“The U.S. Department of Justice intervened in the case with the new complaint after months of additional research and interviews that uncovered the startling new allegations against the now-defunct packing plant. Among them, the company failed to disclose that one of its partners had two felony convictions related to illegal industry practices.” [...]

“Officials with the Humane Society said the government’s filing marked the first time the Justice Department had intervened in a federal false claims case involving the mistreatment of farm animals.

“The lawsuit ‘not only confirms everything that our investigation found, but suggests that it was even more widespread than we had documented,’ said Jonathan Lovvorn, the Humane Society’s chief counsel. ‘We’re concerned by what they uncovered — but not surprised.’ (source: AP via Marcus. Emphasis added.)

Here’s what these kinds of stories tell me:

• We can’t count on the USDA or other parts of the government to regulate animal industries.
• The legal system is a long process that takes years and years. If you want to get involved in law or politics, you better think in terms of long-term strategy, not impulsive reactions.
• The HSUS isn’t so bad. Whatever Gary Francione and others claim about the HSUS being welfarist, etc. … it’s just not important. What’s important is that someone is shutting these corrupt, cruel slaughterhouses down.
• Undercover investigations play a crucial role in changing laws and opinions regarding animal issues.
• The old expression was “the pen is mightier than the sword,” but the new one might be “the camera is mightier than the fire bomb.”

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Sections: Vegan News
Topics: beef, cattle, cows, dairy, hallmark, hsus, law, lawsuit, news, politics, recall, veg, Vegan, westland