Tri-State Neighbor: South Dakota Farm Newspaper

Bo Reagan concedes the beef industry is facing a huge challenge after the USDA recalled 143 million pounds of meat produced at a California plant.

The recall - the largest in U.S. history - was prompted by allegations by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), including an undercover video showing downed cows being improperly treated.

“That video certainly had an impact on the consumer, and we recognize that,” said Reagan, vice president of research for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) and chairman of the Beef Industry Food Safety Council. “With the recall and the video, the (first) BSE (mad cow disease) episode looks like a cake walk compared to what our industry is going through now.”

The recall was announced Feb. 17 and involved beef coming out of the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. in Chino, Calif.

The plant had supplied roughly 20 percent of the beef going into the National School Lunch Program.

According to USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the “noncompliant activity occurred occasionally over the past two years and therefore all beef product produced during the period of time for which evidence indicates such activity occurred has been determined by FSIS to be unfit for human consumption.”

The recall is a Class II recall, meaning there is a low risk of “adverse health effects” if the beef is consumed, according to the FSIS. The USDA prohibits downer cows from entering the food supply.

The HSUS video showed downed cows being abused in an effort to get them to move, including the use of a forklift.

The group made its initial allegations in late January, and according to USDA, the violations initially occurred last fall.

“Those are methods we absolutely do not condone,” Reagan said. “We look at our animals as the heart and soul of our industry, and we have taken measures to make sure that this is an isolated case, and that it doesn't happen again.”

“A recall of this staggering scale shows it's bad for animals, bad for consumers, and bad for business to have slipshod enforcement and porous laws when it comes to handling animals at slaughter plants,” said Wayne Pacelle, HSUS president and CEO, in a statement.

It appears most of the proper steps were taken with the suspect cows at the plant, says Sam Beattie, an Iowa State University Extension food scientist.

“The animal has to be able to walk off the truck with a USDA inspector present, and in this case, they lay down and did not get back up,” he said. “At that point, a (FSIS) veterinarian should have been contacted to make sure they are OK for slaughter, and that did not happen.”

Because this is a Class II recall, Beattie says there is a “very, very remote chance of people becoming ill” from consuming this beef. The USDA says a large portion of the beef in question has been consumed.

“Because of the safeguards that are in place, there is almost no chance of a contaminated animal entering the food supply,” Beattie said. “That's the message we are trying to get out to people, that the nation's beef supply is safer than it's ever been.”

About 50.3 million pounds of the recalled beef went into federal nutrition programs, including the school lunch program, according to Eric Steiner, associate administrator for Special Nutrition Programs, USDA Food and Nutrition Service.

About 19.6 million pounds of the recalled beef has been consumed, 15.2 millions pounds is on hold, and 15.5 million pounds of beef is being traced, the USDA reports.

Steiner and several other USDA officials spoke during a Feb. 21 teleconference. He said all remaining beef products from the recall should be destroyed.

Reagan says the beef industry will have to work to regain the confidence of parents whose children eat school lunches.

“We really have to play a big role in this effort, and we have to make sure they are very confident in the safety of our beef,” he said. “We have to develop a strategy to make sure beef remains on the school menu.”

Reagan says early information suggests the recall has not had much effect on beef consumption. He believes steps taken several years ago and implemented following the first BSE announcement on Dec. 23, 2003, have helped ease consumer concerns.

“We had that strategy in place, and we were able to get started right away, and we did not lose the confidence of the consumer,” he said. “We did interviews Monday morning (Feb. 18) with over 80 television stations around the country, including the networks, and we believe that helped.”

Reagan says it's also important consumers understand this was a “breakdown in the inspection process,” and that it's not standard operating procedure.

“We have safeguards in place that no downer animals are supposed to enter the system, and it broke down in this instance,” he said.

Reagan also says beef producers should be proactive when addressing concerns.

“This is a real opportunity for producers at the local and state level to step up and go out and meet with people about how the process works, and how safe our beef supply is,” he said. “They also need to talk to their school lunch people, and let them know that our beef is safe.”