Obama bans 'downer' cows from food supply.

"The Obama administration on Saturday permanently banned the slaughter of cows too sick or weak to stand on their own, seeking to further minimize the chance that mad cow disease could enter the food supply."


Heidi and I were actually really happy to see this headline. Until recently we didn't even know what a 'downer' cow was? Do you? Well, this picture is an example of a 'downer' and believe it or not, until 2003 it was perfectly legal to slaughter cows that were too sick or injured to even stand. The remains of these doomed beasts were then sent into the food supply, hence the rise in mad cow, E. Coli, and other delightful ailments.

Frequently these doomed animals spend weeks laying in manure slowly dying until a truck or forklift picks them up and hauls them off to slaughter and from there they end up in someone's hamburger. This picture was taken before 2003 so one of us had the pleasure of eating this sick and pathetic creature (Which by the way was also created by God but wasn't exactly treated so).

After 2003 'downer' cows were banned from the food supply unless they collapsed after the USDA inspector made his rounds, then it was free game. Would you want to eat a cow that lived under these circumstances? Well, there is a chance many of us did at one time another.


So, believe it or not this is a big deal and has been a long time coming. Though they are not the only ones Farm Sanctuary spearheaded this movement. We read about this issue and other animal related farming issues in this book, if your interested in learning more please check out the book or visit their website.