USDA OFFICIALS HOLDS A NEWS BRIEFING ON THE HALLMARK/WESTLAND MEAT PACKING COMPANY TWO YEAR PRODUCT RECALL

UNDERSECRETARY RAYMOND HOLD A NEWS BRIEFING THE HALLMARK/WESTLAND MEAT PACKING COMPANY TWO YEAR PRODUCT RECALL, AS RELEASED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FEBRUARY 17, 2008

SPEAKERS: RICHARD RAYMOND, UNDERSECRETARY, FOOD SAFETY, FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

RON VOGEL, FOOD NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

DR. KENNETH PETERSEN, ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR, OFFICE OF FIELD OPERATIONS FOR FSIS, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

BILL SESSIONS, ASSOCIATE DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR, LIVESTOCK AND FEED PROGRAMS, AGRICULTURE MARKETING SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

[*] OPERATOR: Good afternoon, and thank you all parties for standing by. Your lines will be on a listen only until the question and answer session of today's call. The conference is being recorded. If you have any objections, you may disconnect at this time. I would now like to turn the call over to Ms. Corry Schiermeyer. Thank you. You may begin.

MODERATOR: Thank you. And thank you everyone for calling in on a Sunday afternoon. I'm sorry we had to get you guys late notice and rush you on to this call. I'll turn it over to Dr. Dick Raymond just momentarily. He's our under secretary for Food Safety. I'm hoping you all did get our media advisory. It will list who will be on this call, and I will ask everyone before they speak to let you know who is speaking so that you have the right quotes. And at this time I will turn it over to Dr. Raymond.

RAYMOND: Thanks, Corry. And thank you all for joining us this Sunday afternoon in the middle of a three-day holiday weekend. But we wanted to bring you all together to explain some new developments at the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company and explain those to you and try to answer any questions that you may have. I'm joined here today by Under Secretary Bruce Knight and Under Secretary Nancy Johner from MRP and FNS, and their staff folks to help answer any questions about the School Lunch Program, etcetera.

First of all, I do want to remind everyone that this is still an ongoing investigation and therefore we may not be able to answer all of your questions today. As a result of the USDA's ongoing investigation, the FSIS, the Food Safety and Inspection Service, just recently obtained evidence that the establishment had a practice that allowed them to occasionally slaughter cattle that had already passed ante mortem inspection but had become nonambulatory prior to entering the slaughter operation without notifying our public health veterinarian. This practice is not compliant with FSIS regulations.

Therefore, FSIS determined that their products were unfit for human food because the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection.

In July of 2007 the Food Safety and Inspection Service did issue a final rule called Prohibition of the Use of Specified Risk Materials for Human Food and Requirements for the Disposition of Nonambulatory Disabled Cattle.

This rule states very clearly that nonambulatory disabled cattle are not allowed in the food supply and would not pass ante mortem inspection. The only exception to this …