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Ensure the Welfare of Farm Animals and the Safety of Our Children!

Target: U.S. Government Accountability Office
Sponsored by: Care2

In the end of January, the Humane Society of the United States released a horrific undercover video of gross mistreatment of cows at the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company in California.

The video showed non-ambulatory (or "downer") cows being shoved, shocked and forced to stand up in order to pass federal slaughterhouse inspection. Meat from these "downer" cows presents a higher risk of E. coli and salmonella and is banned from entering the food supply under federal law.

Shockingly, this company is one of the top suppliers of beef to the National School Lunch Program! This potentially unsafe meat that comes from abused animals could have gone to feed our children at school.

U.S. Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), George Miller (D-CA), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) have submitted a letter to the Government Accountability Office, asking for thorough examination of three main areas:

The process for protecting our students from dangerous food,
How quickly and accurately schools can assess and pull potentially contaminated products, and
The information, guidance and resources about inspections, suppliers' histories, and safe handling practices the USDA provides to local authorities.

Please sign the petition today to ensure the welfare of our farm animals and the safety of our children.

deadline: 2-19-2009
goal: 20,000

7,967
signatures!

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Thank you for taking action! The USDA announced that it will implement a complete ban on slaughter for human consumption of cattle unable to stand and walk unassisted. Thanks to the thousands of Care2 activists who sent appeals to public officials about the scandalous mistreatment of these animals. Learn more from The Humane Society of the United States.
Thank you for your interest. Please click here for more petitions.

To: The Honorable David M. Walker
Comptroller General
U.S. Government Accountability Office

Dear Sir,

After the shocking video taken by the Humane Society of the United States was released in late January, I have become very concerned about the treatment of farm animals in this country and the steps that are being taken to ensure our childrens' food safety.

The abuses documented took place at the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company, one of the top suppliers of beef to the National School Lunch Program, which serves our nation's children in schools across the country.

I am writing in support of the requests from U.S. Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), George Miller (D-CA), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) in a letter to you recently:

"We request that GAO thoroughly examine: (1) the process for protecting our students from dangerous food; (2) how quickly and accurately schools can assess and pull potentially contaminated products; and (3) the information, guidance and resources about inspections, suppliers' histories, and safe handling practices the USDA provides to local authorities."

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

We signed the “Ensure the Welfare of Farm Animals and the Safety of Our Children!” petition!

# 7,973:

10:53 pm PST, Feb 19, Name not displayed, Nevada

# 7,972:

9:04 pm PST, Feb 18, Thea Beckett, New Mexico

# 7,971:

6:37 pm PST, Feb 18, Ani L. Schwartz, New Mexico

# 7,970:

10:47 pm PST, Feb 17, Pearl Gilman, Washington

# 7,969:

3:58 pm PST, Feb 17, Audri Good, Texas

# 7,968:

9:03 pm PST, Feb 16, Crystal Meyers, Michigan

# 7,967:

10:17 am PST, Feb 16, Name not displayed, New York

# 7,966:

8:29 pm PST, Feb 15, Allison Jaynes, California

# 7,965:

11:39 am PST, Feb 15, Anja Kelbing, Germany

# 7,964:

11:13 am PST, Feb 15, Doreen Charette, Pennsylvania

# 7,963:

4:46 am PST, Feb 15, Heidi Kolstad, Norway

# 7,962:

2:48 pm PST, Feb 14, Visnja Cucman, Croatia

# 7,961:

9:07 pm PST, Feb 13, Elizabeth Spawn, Minnesota

# 7,960:

2:54 pm PST, Feb 12, Kristina Chan, Canada

# 7,959:

1:18 pm PST, Feb 12, Mary Foley, Ireland

# 7,958:

3:48 pm PST, Feb 11, Viviana Beauchamp, Puerto Rico

# 7,957:

11:48 pm PST, Feb 10, Ryan Mcintosh, Washington

# 7,956:

9:06 am PST, Feb 5, Eff FiveMando, California

# 7,955:

6:11 pm PST, Feb 4, Teresa Paes, Florida

# 7,954:

3:35 pm PST, Feb 4, Nyama Mais, Canada

# 7,953:

11:31 am PST, Feb 2, Margaret Sweeny, United Kingdom
Its just terrible what these cows go through.

# 7,952:

10:19 am PST, Feb 2, Hazel Seymour, Canada

# 7,951:

11:26 am PST, Feb 1, Bud Mcallister, Connecticut

# 7,950:

11:39 pm PST, Jan 29, Kari Sorger, Washington

# 7,949:

3:10 pm PST, Jan 28, Ocean Http://www.OceanMusic.com, California
All Sentient Beings Deserve Kindness, Respect, and Compassion. All Animals Are Like Us - They Feel, They Hope, They Love, They Learn, They Are Beautiful. God Loves Them Too. They, Like Us, Are God's Creations. They Belong To God. So Please Be Kind To Them For Him.

# 7,948:

1:42 pm PST, Jan 27, Chuck Dowe, Massachusetts

# 7,947:

12:19 am PST, Jan 27, Arnaud Hussard, France

# 7,946:

6:16 pm PST, Jan 26, Stephen Rodgers, Pennsylvania

# 7,945:

11:38 pm PST, Jan 25, Myla Aguilar, Texas

# 7,944:

12:06 pm PST, Jan 25, Hubert Delgrange, France

# 7,943:

9:40 am PST, Jan 25, Candice Davis, Texas

# 7,942:

12:19 am PST, Jan 24, Niki Gianni, Illinois

# 7,941:

2:18 am PST, Jan 23, Susan Marden, Maine

# 7,940:

4:14 am PST, Jan 21, Gunther VAEL, Belgium

# 7,939:

10:59 am PST, Jan 20, Karla Espinal, Texas

# 7,938:

10:04 am PST, Jan 19, Natacha Cauchie, Belgium

# 7,937:

6:11 pm PST, Jan 18, JulieAnn Zserdin, Michigan
using downers is cruel and disgusting and is endangering the health of humans this has to stop NOW

# 7,936:

2:12 pm PST, Jan 18, Llew Taylor, Pennsylvania

# 7,935:

11:05 pm PST, Jan 17, Name not displayed, Florida

# 7,934:

10:13 pm PST, Jan 17, Jillian Williams, Ohio

# 7,933:

9:23 am PST, Jan 17, Marvin Rodriguez, Texas

# 7,932:

9:51 am PST, Jan 16, Joan Diamond, Indiana

# 7,931:

4:08 pm PST, Jan 15, Bonnie Hancock, Indiana

# 7,930:

3:00 pm PST, Jan 14, AZADEH MADJIDI, California

# 7,929:

4:15 am PST, Jan 14, Tekla Drakfrende, Sweden

# 7,928:

6:37 am PST, Jan 13, Stephanie Lessard, New Hampshire

# 7,927:

6:57 am PST, Jan 12, Duchatel Vanessa, France

# 7,926:

11:17 am PST, Jan 11, Zara Ivanova, Bulgaria

# 7,925:

7:25 pm PST, Jan 8, Linda Zynger, Indiana

# 7,924:

2:27 pm PST, Jan 5, Ari R. Kolman, Canada
I�m sickened and disgusted. Please stop the Holocaust already!! Animal Abuse, Sick Behavior AND THE KILLING OF THE ANIMALS. The World Is Watching You and we will take action.. How do you sleep at night? People who do these things to innocent animals (who scream and cry and feel the pain), should be arrested and put in jail. And I will work on this to happen.

# 7,922:

10:48 pm PST, Jan 4, Autumn Sun, California

# 7,921:

9:20 pm PST, Jan 3, Nick Thamphya, Utah

# 7,920:

6:46 am PST, Jan 3, Sonja Nielsen, Denmark
The animals species share this planet with the human species, and have as much right to a decent life as humans do. I don't eat meat and I remember why I stopped. I simply couldn't support the mistreatment and killing of animals anylonger. What goes on in the meat industry is horrible. Animals are given the worst conditions.. They are not cared for according to their needs, and on many factory farms around the world, they are victims of cruelty by ignorant, stupid people. This lack of empathy and respect for animals, that meat eaters kill for consumption, has got to stop.. People have to wake up and realize, that they have no right to mistreat animals. Someday, mankind will look back at his meat eating and animal killing ancestors, with discust and disrespect. Someday, man will rise above this primitivety..

# 7,919:

9:16 am PST, Jan 2, Joseph Nelson, Washington

# 7,918:

12:58 pm PST, Jan 1, Patrick Brousseau, Florida
perhaps we should test all methods on humans first....... this may change the minds of the abusers!

# 7,917:

7:24 am PST, Dec 31, Nicole Brousseau, Florida
This is apalling, disgusting and a disgrace to all americans!!!

# 7,916:

2:06 pm PST, Dec 28, Jennifer Gardner, Florida

# 7,915:

5:56 pm PST, Dec 27, James M Nordlund, Kansas

# 7,914:

6:52 am PST, Dec 27, Joanna Gorowska, Poland

# 7,913:

6:38 am PST, Dec 27, Filomena Pereira, United Kingdom

# 7,912:

10:22 pm PST, Dec 26, Diane Jane Guzman, Philippines

# 7,911:

1:08 pm PST, Dec 23, Melissa Carrera, Texas

# 7,910:

4:39 am PST, Dec 21, Kathryne Smith, Australia

# 7,909:

9:34 am PST, Dec 17, Melinda Manderbach, California

# 7,908:

3:55 pm PST, Dec 16, Misti Manns, Illinois

# 7,907:

11:09 am PST, Dec 14, Ashley .............., Costa Rica

# 7,906:

11:54 am PST, Dec 13, Kelly Popp, Connecticut

# 7,905:

10:31 pm PST, Dec 11, Brittany Hoffer, Ohio

# 7,904:

4:21 pm PST, Dec 11, BONNIE ASKEY, Pennsylvania
I AM VERY VERY ASHAMED OF THIS COUNTRY!ALL THE PAIN AND SUFFERING THESE ANIMALS GO THROUGH NEEDS TO STOP NOW AND I MEAN NOW!!!!!

# 7,903:

10:52 am PST, Dec 11, Connie Hawkins, Pennsylvania

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