Weak Meat Inspection ProgramPublic Citizen
Evidence of Weak Meat Inspection Program Found in Nearly a Thousand Violations of Mad Cow Rules at Slaughter Plants
Aug. 18, 2005
Noncompliance Records Show Plants Failed to Follow Regulations
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In stark contrast to the public relations message touted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the beef industry that the U.S. regulatory system is adequate to prevent the spread of mad cow disease, an analysis released today by the consumer group Public Citizen found significant lapses in the industry’s compliance with federal rules.
The analysis stems from a December 2004 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from Public Citizen to the USDA for all "noncompliance records" (NRs) related to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Public Citizen received copies of 829 records on Aug. 15. (Read the analysis.)
More than half the violations (460) occurred because slaughter plants did not have an adequate plan for dealing with BSE in their plant’s food safety plan, as required by the USDA, the analysis shows. Of those 460 violations, 60 percent described plans that contained no mention of BSE at all.
"The fact that 60 percent of the violations were due to a failure to even mention BSE or risk materials such as brains and spinal cords is significant," said Patty Lovera, deputy director of Public Citizen’s food program. "If officials running a meat plant cannot be bothered to recognize the risk of BSE when writing their safety plan, how much of a priority is it in daily operations and training of staff?"
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Public Citizen is a national, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.citizen.org.
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