(Washington, DC) - U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Queens/L.I.) today applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to permanently ban the slaughter and entry into the food supply of so-called "downed animals," injured livestock that are unable to stand or walk.

For fifteen years, Ackerman has been advocating legislation that would make this prohibition permanent on the grounds of both food safety and the humane treatment of animals. Under his legislation, "downers" would be humanely euthanized rather than being dragged through feces-covered stockyards on the way to the slaughterhouse, and then on to America's supermarkets and kitchens.

Even back in 1992, when he first introduced the Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act, Ackerman warned on the House floor that the first case of Mad Cow disease in the United States would involve a downed animal. Unfortunately, this prediction proved to be correct. In December 2003, a downed animal in Mabton, Washington was confirmed to have Mad Cow disease. Almost immediately, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore banned imports of U.S. beef. Faced with irrefutable proof of the link between downed animals and Mad Cow disease, the Department of Agriculture finally imposed a looser, temporary version of Ackerman’s Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act.

Ackerman, however, has continued to fight to establish the ban in U.S. law.

“Now faced with the growing prospect of legislative action, the Department of Agriculture has finally reversed its original position and made the ban on the use of downed animals in the food supply permanent” said Ackerman. “I applaud them for finally coming to terms with reality—downers are inherently unsafe and don't belong on America's kitchen tables.”

“For years, the Department of Agriculture and some short-sighted people in the cattle industry kept the barn door open for mad cow disease” Ackerman added. “However, this important, but overdue shift in policy will help ensure that the door stays closed. With the Administration finally accepting the right policy, I'm even more hopeful that a permanent fix in law will be possible this year.”

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