Agricultural News
Critical Article on USDA Meat Research Facility in Clay Center, Nebraska Published by NY Times
Tue, 20 Jan 2015 15:52:56 CST
A front-page story in the New York Times delved into operations at the USDA's Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Neb., raising questions about how the animals are treated.
The research facility is exempted from federal animal welfare regulations that address how live animals are treated right up to the point of slaughter. The story was written by Michael Moss, who was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 2010 for a story he wrote about the E. coli outbreak in ground beef in 2007.
While noting that many advancements in quality and productivity of animals and meat products have resulted from the center's research over the last 50 years, Moss focused on the toll that some research projects have taken on the living animals.
One study that came under scrutiny was the research center's work on boosting bovine productivity by breeding for twin calves. The project resulted in many deformed calves and injury to some cows, and Moss reported that producers aren't interested in boosting the incidence of twin calves in their operations. A second project highlighted in the Times story was the center's efforts to develop a breed of sheep that could produce and raise lambs with less human labor input than is currently necessary; so far, Moss indicated, the research has resulted in high death rates among lambs.
Moss quotes extensively from USDA documents and spoke with several former employees of the center. He draws a picture of an operation where the scientists' goals override veterinarians' concerns over the animals' treatment.
To read the New York Times article, click here.
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