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California Governor Signs New Downer Protections Into Law!

On July 23, 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 2098 into law, strengthening legal protection for animals too ill or injured to walk.

Every year, countless thousands of downed animals-animals who are too crippled or ill to stand-are beaten, abused and otherwise tortured to move them to the killing floor, or discarded and left to prolonged suffering. These animals endure egregious abuse when they are at their most weakened state. Downed animals are much more likely to harbor dangerous pathogens that can be spread to people, and many become downed due to illness that may not be visible, including BSE or mad cow disease.

The recent high-profile revelation of horrific abuses of cattle at the Hallmark Meat Packing Company in Chino-as well as Farm Sanctuary's own, ongoing documentation of downed animal abuses throughout California over the past 2 decades-clearly demonstrated an urgent need for better regulation.

Although California's cruelty law had a provision specifically prohibiting the abuse of downed animals, it was far from adequate and was regularly violated by stockyards and slaughterhouses throughout the state. Fortunately, California state assemblyman Paul Krekorian introduced legislation early this year to expand protections and increase penalties for those who abuse downed animals, and that legislation has now been signed into law. A.B. 2098 outlaws the sale of meat from downers for human consumption, and imposes stiff criminal penalties on those who sell such products. San Bernardino District Attorney Michael Ramos stated that had this bill been existing law, his office would have been able to prosecute the company - not just the two workers who were ordered to engage in the brutality at the Hallmark slaughter plant. With A.B. 2098 now in place, California is no longer safe for workers who abuse downed animals OR the companies that employ them. A debt of gratitude is owed to everyone who supported this legislation or lobbied for its passage. Well done California!