The animal rights group, PETA, has filed complaints with local and federal officials against a Nebraska kosher slaughterhouse. After receiving PETA's complaint, the Sheridan County (NE) Attorney, citing a conflict of interest within her office, petitioned the state district court to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate. Yesterday's Beatrice Daily Sun reports that in response the court appointed Dawes County Attorney Vance Haug. The focus of the investigation is Local Pride LLC, which is owned by the Sholom Rubashkin family. PETA claims that Local Pride permits cows to remain conscious up to two minutes after their throats are cut. Last year, again at the behest of PETA, Rubashkin's Agriprocessors plant in Postville, Iowa was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (See prior posting.)
The Federal Humane Slaughter Act (7 USC Sec. 1902) defines as one acceptable method of slaughter: "slaughtering in accordance with the ritual requirements of the Jewish faith or any other religious faith that prescribes a method of slaughter whereby the animal suffers loss of consciousness by anemia of the brain caused by the simultaneous and instantaneous severance of the carotid arteries with a sharp instrument and handling in connection with such slaughtering."
UPDATE: The Beatrice Daily Sun on Wednesday reported that the U.S. Department of Agriculture says it inspected the Local Pride plant earlier this month and found no problems. The Orthodox Union-- the primary certifier of kosher slaughterhouses-- also says that it found no problems during recent inspections, and that minor problems in earlier inspections have been remedied.
