We do not in any way condone some of the livestock handling that was shown. After the video surfaced, IBP increased worker training and installed cameras in the slaughter area. The company also questioned workers and offered a reward for information leading to identification of those responsible for the video. One worker said IBP pressured him to sign a statement denying that he had seen live cattle on the line. I knew that what I wrote wasn't true, said the worker, who did not want to be identified for fear of losing his job.
Cows still go alive every day.
When cows go alive, it's because they don't give me time to kill them. Independent assessments of the workers' claims have been inconclusive. Washington state officials launched a probe in May that included an unannounced plant inspection. The investigators say they were detained outside the facility for an hour while their identities were checked. They saw no acts of animal cruelty once permitted inside.