“Downed” animals are animals that can not stand on their own. One of the most rampant forms of animal abuse is trying to force downed animals to stand by jabbing, kicking, shooting with high powered hoses, prodding with electric rods, poking in the eyes, and ramming them with forklifts. Many of these animals are brutally dragged into the slaughterhouse and many others are are just left to die, some piled atop one another for hours or even days without food, water, or care.
The USDA banned the slaughter of downed cows because downed animals have a much higher likelihood of being diseased (duh!). However, the loopholes in this ban are so huge that some cattle (those that go down after arriving at the slaughterhouse) and ALL other types of downed animals end up on our plates.
I’ll say again what I’ve said many times before: This is what you’re eating! Diseased, dirty animals that can’t even stand on their own legs.
See also Downed Cows
