Animal rights activists say video shows cruelty at Harris Ranch beef facility in Selma
An animal rights activist group is accusing a Selma slaughterhouse of criminal cruelty, following the release of video it says shows excessive suffering of animals at the facility.
In an email sent to the Fresno County District Attorney’s office on Tuesday, Direct Action Everywhere called for an immediate investigation into the Harris Beef processing facility in Selma.
“Recent footage from inside the facility shows needless and excessive animal suffering, including cows jumping on top of the animals in front of them in desperation to escape the slaughter line and cows having their throats slit before they are stunned, while they are fully conscious,” the email reads.
The group says the video features hidden-camera footage, though it is unclear how the footage was obtained. It shows the facility violated Penal Code 597, the California law that defines animal abuse. That law makes no exemption for the agriculture industry, the group said.
According to the email, the group also contacted the Kern County DA’s Office, because the Harris Ranch feedlot that supplies the beef is located in Kern County.
The Fresno County District Attorney’s office said on Wednesday its animal cruelty team had yet to see the complaint. Harris Beef owner Brian Coelho did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Direct Action Everywhere (or DxE) is a global grassroots network of animal rights activists that is “looking to achieve revolutionary social and political change for animals in one generation,” according to its website.
On its website the group touts the press it has garnered for its tactics over the past year, including the attempted rescue of a pig from a Farmer John’s slaughterhouse. In October, three activists from the group were arrested in Sacramento after they scaled the Capitol building and chained themselves to a second-floor balcony. They had a large red banner that read “animal bill of rights” and lit red smoke flares.
Along with calling for an investigation, Direct Action Everywhere is planning related demonstrations across the state throughout the month.
This story was originally published March 3, 2021 at 1:58 PM.