Kosher Slaughterhouse Defended by Townspeople

December 19, 2004

Source: Yahoo News

Wire Service: AP

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2027&e=16&u=/chitribts/townralliesaroundfirmcalledinhumane

On December 19, 2004 the Associated Press reported, "when a family of Lubavitch Jews, an ultra-Orthodox sect, bought the local slaughterhouse in 1987 and converted it to a kosher plant, Postville became an experiment in cultural diversity as immigrants from up to 30 nations flocked to the town for jobs. Then, early this month, an animal-rights group released an undercover video that it claims represents inhumane killing practices at the slaughterhouse, and Postville found itself at the center of an international squall involving religion, grass-roots politics, the news media and the humble cow. Since the Virginia-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, set its sights on practices inside Postville's sprawling Agriprocessors plant, 'The buzz [in town] has been, 'Leave us alone,' ' said Rob Dehli, general manager of KPVL-FM, a local public radio station that broadcasts in English, Spanish, Russian and Hebrew. 'This company keeps people employed in this town.' At the same time, said Dehli, 'People are really curious about how they decided on our little town. And why this processing plant?' PETA's complaint, like any alleged violation of the federal 1978 Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, prompted an investigation by the U.S. Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service. Results are expected before the end of the month."