Get the Facts on Downers


	Compassion Over Killing

Despite policy statements and promises by some livestock industry groups, downers—animals too sick or injured to stand or walk—continue to be mishandled in livestock markets nationwide.

Non-ambulatory animals are routinely kicked, dragged with chains, prodded with electric shocks, and even pushed by bulldozers in attempts to move them, whether at auctions, intermediate markets, or at slaughter facilities. The mistreatment of these animals can be found even in brief, random visits to livestock markets across the nation.

The Humane Society of the United States believes that a "No Downer" policy should be established for all livestock, not just cattle. We support passage of the Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act, which would require the humane euthanasia of livestock too sick or injured to walk and prohibit USDA certification of meat from such animals for human consumption.

Reasons for a "No Downer" Approach

Mainstream livestock industry groups and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) agree that downed animals should never be sent through intermediate livestock markets. Some industry groups even take the position that downed animals should not be permitted to leave the farm. The obvious suffering of downers, coupled with the increased risk of tainted food from sick or downed animals, makes humane euthanasia the most reasonable solution. In fact, the Livestock Marketing Association has warned stockyards against accepting downed animals because of legal and economic liabilities.

A "No Downer" approach would address the following issues:

Poor resources: Stockyards are not currently equipped to care for and humanely handle downed animals.
Prevention: According to industry sources, 75–90% of downers are preventable.
Animal husbandry: A "No Downer" policy removes the incentive for hauling these animals to stockyards and shifts the emphasis to improving management and handling practices.
The costs: Fewer federal dollars would be needed to monitor a "No Downer" policy than would be required to institute, monitor, and enforce guidelines for moving downed animals through livestock markets.
Public relations and public safety: A "No Downer" policy would send an important message to the public about the industry's commitment to humanely handling animals and eliminating unnecessary food safety risks.

It's important for the federal government to set the "No Downer" policy. A federal solution would establish a uniform standard across all states and remove any incentives or unfair advantages for stockyards that would continue to accept downers vs. those that would implement a "No Downer" policy.

Once animals become downers, it makes sense to euthanize them immediately in order to avoid not only any deterioration of their condition but also any potential pathogenic contamination of their meat. In fact, part of the reason the livestock industry applauds voluntary "No Downer" policies is because it sees the effort as an important step in expanding quality assurance programs.

Self-Regulation Isn't Working

Despite industry attempts at self-regulation, negligence or abusive handling of downed animals has continued in many intermediate markets. The HSUS and other animal protection groups have documented this problem and have repeatedly presented the evidence to the livestock industry and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Concern over the mishandling of downers has been voiced over the past decade by animal welfare groups, livestock industry experts, and the public. Despite pledges to address the situation, the mistreatment persists.

A company called United Stockyards was the focus of a 1991 investigation into its abusive handling practices, and was featured on the NBC television program "Exposé." Under heavy public pressure, the company pledged to adopt a "No Downer" policy. One year later, Farm Sanctuary, a farm animal protection organization, found three of seven United Stockyards facilities handling downers, including one animal who was left to die in a dumpster. Despite the company's standing as an industry leader and its awareness of heightened public scrutiny, United Stockyards was unable to self-regulate.

Risks to Animals—and Food Safety

With growing concern over Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, as well as other food safety issues such as E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, the problem of downers being bought, sold, transferred, or transported prior to slaughter now carries an even more serious threat to consumer health. Animal protection organizations and many in the livestock industry already agree that a strict "No Downer" policy is the solution. The American public certainly expects nothing less from the industry than to eliminate unnecessary food safety risks, and to protect animals from needless suffering.

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