I love great art, no matter the medium.
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Sarah Alexander" <noreply@list.moveon.org>
Date: July 15, 2014 at 2:06:13 PM EDT
To: yes@therainbow.com
Subject: Stop the Filthy Chicken Rule
Reply-To: "Sarah Alexander" <salexander@fwwatch.org>
Hi Herb,
We only have a matter of weeks to stop the USDA’s Filthy Chicken Rule from being finalized by President Obama. The rule would cut the budget for poultry inspections, putting millions of adults and children at a higher risk for eating dangerous pathogens. Tell Obama to reject the Filthy Chicken Rule.
Here's what these cuts would mean for our food: government inspectors would be removed from poultry plants, leaving private companies to police themselves when it comes to the safety of our food. In plants where they've been testing this, line speeds have been permitted to run as fast as 200 birds per minute, which is faster than any human could possibly inspect all those birds. Company employees who perform inspections are not properly trained to stop unsafe poultry products from leaving the plant.
This is a recipe for disaster. Take action to stop the privatization of poultry inspection.
Whether or not you eat chicken, we can all agree on one thing: if someone's going to eat it, chemicals and do-it-yourself inspections don’t cut it. From what we've seen in tests of this new, privatized inspection process, it's not working. It's no surprise that regulations are not being enforced by company employees. For example, the records show that bile, sores, scabs, feathers and digestive tract tissue are often not being properly removed from chicken carcasses. Two of the test plants failed when the USDA carried out salmonella testing on their birds.
This rule, which essentially privatizes poultry inspections, serves up the huge gift of deregulation to the meat industry. If the White House agrees, it will be a disaster for workers and consumers who want to know that the poultry they are eating is safe. Our food safety should be the last thing on the budget chopping block.
Will you tell President Obama to keep government inspection for poultry?
Thank you,
Sarah Alexander
Deputy Organizing Director
Food & Water Watch
This message was sent to Herb Gart by Sarah Alexander through MoveOn's public petition website. MoveOn Political Action licensed and paid for this service, but does not endorse contents of this message. To unsubscribe or report this email as inappropriate, click here: http://petitions.moveon.org/unsub.html?i=23900-8550191-PJomj4
Want to make a donation? MoveOn is entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.
