WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. - March 15 - Today, on the one year anniversary of President Barack Obama's federal ban on sick and injured cattle entering the U.S. food supply, Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal protection organization, will hand-deliver a petition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) signed by over 15,000 individuals urging the President to act quickly and extend those same legal protections to debilitated pigs and all other "downed" farm animals. The petition, which accompanies a formal petition for rulemaking, comes at a time when the USDA is under heavy fire for failing to act on reports of illegal, inhumane and unsafe slaughterhouse practices - including shocking and butchering days-old calves too sick or weak to stand and illegally butchering pigs while they were still conscious - cited by one of its chief Food Safety and Inspection Service's supervisory veterinarians.

Further underscoring the urgency of a federal ban to protect downed animals, recent media coverage of videotape evidence showing slaughterhouse workers beating, kicking, shocking and dragging sick and injured pigs to get them onto killing floors led thousands of Americans to sign Farm Sanctuary's Petition for the Pigs. In addition to the pain and suffering inflicted upon the animals, the petition also asserts that the health of the American people is put at risk every time one of these debilitated animals enters the food supply. Science has shown that downed animals - the innocent victims of factory farm stresses and irresponsible transportation methods - are at an increased risk for disease, and that their hides can become contaminated during the hours or days they are often left to suffer, laying on the ground, without food, water or veterinary care.

"The slaughter of downed animals for human food is not only grossly inhumane, it is a serious threat to the health and safety of the American people," said Farm Sanctuary President and Co-founder Gene Baur. "Last week's Congressional hearing demonstrated that the USDA has tended to protect the abusive, profit-driven interests of big agribusiness at the expense of the well-being of the American people and the animals entrusted to our care. We urge President Obama to demand that the USDA extend legal protections to downed pigs and other farm animals. Like all animals, farm animals have feelings, and they deserve to be protected from cruelty."

More than seven years ago Congress told the USDA to issue regulations to prevent the abuse of downed pigs and other animals, but the agency has failed to comply. As a result, downer pigs - an estimated 100,000 to more than 900,000 a year - continue to be subjected to intolerable cruelty.

Since 1986, Farm Sanctuary has made great strides for suffering animals through the No Downers Campaign, including the first ever U.S. downed animal protection laws and the first successful convictions of stockyards for downed animal cruelty. One year ago today, the organization's work led to President Obama's announcement of a new USDA rule that bans the slaughter of cattle who become downed at any time for human consumption. While that rule was a step in the right direction, Farm Sanctuary remains determined to win legal protections for downed pigs and all other farm animals.

More information about Farm Sanctuary's No Downers Campaign is available at farmsanctuary.org.

If you would like to speak with Farm Sanctuary President and Co-founder Gene Baur, please contact Meredith Turner at 646-369-6212 or mturner@farmsanctuary.org.