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NEW YORK: Take Action to Protect Downed Cattle
May 20, 2008

Downed cattle, those who are too sick or crippled to stand on their own, are some of the most tortured cattle in modern agribusinesses. They may be beaten, dragged with chains or rammed with forklifts to move them to the killing floor. Others are left to languish at stockyards and slaughterhouses to slowly die from exposure to the elements, starvation, thirst, or lack of veterinary care.

In the wake of the February 2008 exposé of downed animal abuse at the Hallmark Meat Packing Company-which led to the closure of the slaughterhouse and the largest meat recall in U.S. history, state legislatures have been shocked into action.

In New York, Senator Frank Padavan (D, 11)and Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal (D, 67) have introduced S. 7847 and A. 10843, to help protect downed cattle from some of the worst abuses. S. 7847 and A. 10843 require that downed cattle be either humanely euthanized on the spot or humanely removed for veterinary care.

You Can Help

S. 7847 passed the Senate Committee on Consumer protection on Tuesday, May 20, 2008, and it is now headed to the Senate floor for a full vote. Please call, email and/or visit your New York state senator and urge him or her to vote YES on S. 7847, to protect downed cattle!

A. 10843, is currently in the Assembly Agricultural Committee. Please call, email and/or visit your New York state assembly member and urge him or her to support this bill.

Find out who your New York state senators and assembly members are by going to http://action.farmsanctuary.org/legislators and take one of these quick actions:

1. Please make two quick phone calls. Calling is not only quick, but one of the most effective ways to get your message across.

   • Call your state legislators. Simply tell the person answering the phone something like, "Hi, I'm calling to ask Senator [last name]/Assemblymember [last name] to vote yes on S. 7847/A. 10843, to help stop the abuse of downed cattle." The person answering the phone will likely then ask your address and name (to confirm that you are a constituent), take down your message, and thank you for your call. It's that simple!

   • Then, call the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Bruno, at 518-455-3191, as well as the Speaker of the Assembly, Assemblyman Sheldon Silver, at 518-455-3791, and follow the same script as above.

2. After you make these quick calls, please follow up with an email to each legislator.take a moment to email your legislator. Simply edit the email below (and feel free to refer to the talking points below, as it is of critical that the email be in your own words.)

Subject Line: Please Vote YES to Protect Downed Cattle (subject line not editable)

Dear [Decision Maker]:

As a constituent living at [address]. I am writing to urge you to vote YES on S. 7846/ A. 10843, an act to help protect downed cattle from some of the worst abuses. S. 7847/ A. 10843 require that downed cattle be either humanely euthanized on the spot or humanely removed for veterinary care. As the recent investigation at the Hallmark Meat Processing plant in California revealed, downed animals are often horribly abused and tortured to move them to slaughter.

Thank you for your support of this incredibly important step forward.

Sincerely,

[Your name and contact info.]

Additional Points to Make in Your Communications

• Currently, downed cattle may be beaten, dragged with chains or shoved with forklifts to move them to slaughter.

• Cattle deserve to be treated humanely. Americans have no tolerance for gratuitous animal abuses and torture.

• Allowing downed cattle to be slaughtered is not only cruel, it is a threat to human health. Downed cattle are more likely to harbor deadly pathogens and diseases, including mad cow disease.