WESTLAND/HALLMARK MEAT COMPANY-EXCERPT #4 - FROM CHAPTER 7 - VIDEO RECORDING - "OH, I WOULDN'T OMIT THIS ONE."

Don’t go out and spend an arm and a leg for a video recording system.

Even if the package includes 3rd party auditors viewing and scoring humane handling activities from far afar. There are some affordable video recording systems out there that’ll get you what you need to be accomplished. 

21st-century video recording technology can seemingly be a 22nd century James Bond for everyone in the industry- and in more ways than one.

A video recording system can help plants with their human resources, humane handling, USDA, quality control, food safety, food security, theft, OSHA programs, and employee training.

Months prior to the Washington Post release of the incriminating videos, WHMC was in the process of installing video cameras starting at the livestock unloading ramps in the corrals, all the way downstream to the sticking and bleeding stages of beef harvesting. Progress had stopped for a bit, more than likely (I’m not a hundred percent sure why) because of the steep price tag of eight years ago.

However, after the Washington Post’s video release, WHMC rushed, of course, to get the video cameras installed. The cameras at that point of time were now going to be used as one of several planned corrective measures that would be directed to the USDA along with the hiring of Erika Voogd to assist WHMC involving both humane handling training and dealing with the USDA.

We were already drafting “ghost responses” to anticipated USDA non-compliance records (NR’s) involving the Washington Posts videos.

However, this (unnamed) video company’s top officials who eventually put into place the video system after WHMC closed up and before AMP opened up, were against sharing the video footage with the USDA inspectors.

Say what? Who asked them anyway!?

This of course happened before I resigned (as planned) as ABP’s plant manager.

This video company with its self-proclaimed “sleuth experts” didn’t have one single pragmatic reason among a cadre of “professionals” why it would best not to share the video recordings with the USDA.

Their attempt to sway me failed miserably when I scribbled one of my first letters to the plants IIC on an American Beef Packers letterhead to the ABP’s USDA IIC:

AMERICAN BEEF PACKERS (Letterhead)

To: USDA IIC

From: Steve Sayer, Plant Manager, ABP

Subject: ABP Company policies concerning video recordings and the USDA

“ABP shall be sharing all video footage with its newly installed 24/7/365 video cameras and auditing systems with the FSIS of the USDA.

As an established company policy, ABP shall be fully transparent in all applicable operations that are under the regulatory parameters of FSIS USDA …”

__________________________

(Signed) Steve Sayer, Plant Manager, ABP

CC: Mr. Pat Carrigan, owner, ABP

      Mr. Marvin Roberts, owner, ABP

      Mr. Joe Doe, President, No Name Video Company 2008 Files

USDA 2008 Files

The letter went on to list “only authorized employees of ABP with secured access codes to the video feeds- both live and past recordings.”

One of several conditions stipulated with USDA was that an authorized ABP employee “shall be in attendance during all USDA viewing(s) with the time, date and name provided by USDA as documented.”

The video company assumed that ABP would not even think or much less consider the thought of sharing videos with USDA.

“No one does that! Come on!” from my desk speakerphone. I simply told the president to go _uck himself and hung up and went to work.

History indelibly reveals today that the video company’s “Top Senior Management & Associates,” didn’t contemplate ABP’s interim (iconoclastic?) plant manager within their top tier strategies and ultimate sales equation.

Inviting the press was and is the ‘only way to go’ in order to remain totally and clearly transparent to the world. 

And we did - and it worked to a tee.

AS A REMINDER: All earnings derived from the book shall be donated to the following researches:

1. One-third of the book's royalties shall be donated to support Alzheimer’s research.

2. One third shall be donated to find a fast cure for MS. 

3. The last third shall be donated to research as quickly as possible - a lasting miracle cure for Parkinson's.

My father (and best friend) died in 2016 of dementia. In mid-2018 my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. My immediate family of four and our two aging/spoiled Chihuahuas are presently living with my mother at her home in San Clemente, California so we may support, care and comfort her along her long and winding road of no return.

The purpose of this book is for a variety of well-intended objectives. The top four are listed below for you. 

1.   Offer the general public another subjective angle from my own personal and upfront experiences and observations at Westland/Hallmark Meat Company (WHMC). As a consultant, I was WHMC’s HACCP coordinator, their National School technical writer, and their Cal/OSHA Occupational Safety Director for six years prior to the largest beef recall in U.S. history.

2.   Clear the names (if even needed) of the people at WHMC who owned and worked 6 days a week in order to produce safe, wholesome and excellent conditioned raw beef trimmings and ground beef for the National School (NSLP).

3.   For the general meat industry that I’ve been a very tiny part of since the early 1980s. After the closing of WHMC, I chose to do my small part to redeem to any varying degree what really happened at WHMC by becoming an accredited humane handling auditor for feed cattle and feed birds. For the very few people that know me at all, they shall attest of my sincere care, respect, and love of ALL of God’s animals – whether they are mammals, reptiles, birds or fish. And know too, that I shall always enjoy and promote a rare and juicy BBQ tri-tip steak or a fully cooked BBQ chicken thigh with an internal temperature of 165 degrees F., or more – anytime, anyplace of the year.

4.   And to finally expose the subversive, deceptive and cowardly acts of the PETA’s/HSUS' of the world. Want a good definition of a clever and tricky swamp? Look no further than PETA & HSUS among many others for them.

I’m certain that the general public will learn more about the unique mysteries of beef harvesting (slaughtering) and as it’s presently being executed in 2019.

Who can ever forget reading Upton Sinclair’s groundbreaking expose, “The Jungle,” depicting the cold, cruel and unforgiving Chicago stockyards at the turn of the 20th century?

I need to mention too that as the story develops, I shall give insights to the inherent dangers (OSHA) that still exist in 2019 when working in beef/poultry harvesting and further processing facilities. I’ll also draw upon the many people of multiple ethnic backgrounds and their sometimes bitter and “cold culture” realities of being an illegal worker from a 3rd world country while trying to send home dinero for his or her family back home – south of the border down Mexico way.

This book shall be dedicated to my parents, whose constant displays of love and support over the years have helped “show God’s way” for my brother’s family and mine.

Thank you for your consideration in purchasing this book. It’s all for a number of good and honest intentions – including too, the inherent rights of the world’s mammals, reptiles, fish and overhead birds above us all.