Today’s The USA Today (I never tire of using that) reports that Dean Wyatt, a supervisory veterinarian at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service will tell a congressional hearing today that USDA superiors failed to act on reports of illegal and unsafe slaughterhouse practices, letting suspect operations continue despite public health risks.

The story says Wyatt will detail instances in which he and other inspectors were overruled when citing slaughterhouses for violations such as shocking and butchering days-old calves that were too weak or sick to stand. He also describes being threatened with transfer or demotion after citing a plant for butchering conscious pigs, despite rules that they first be stunned and unconscious.

In 2008 and early 2009, Wyatt ordered suspensions in operations three times at Bushway Packing Inc., in Grand Isle, VT. Among other things, he found downed calves being dragged through pens to slaughter — a violation because contact with excrement can contaminate animals. In each case, he says, managers overruled him and allowed the plant to keep running.

Bushway subsequently made headlines last fall when the Humane Society of the United States filmed undercover video of workers hitting and using electric prods to move calves. The plant was shut down.

CBS Radio called about 5 a.m. for comment – they’re so polite, they always e-mail first to see if I’m awake so they don’t wake the household. As soon as I said, yeah, let’s do it, 1-year-old Sorenne awoke so I missed the first call to change a diaper and provide 8 ounces of milk. But, the reporter at CBS in N.Y. agreed it was a good call, kid first, then radio soundbites, in which I said something along the lines of, I don’t know anything about the specifics of these cases, but the best slaughterhouses won’t be held hostage by a dude with a video camera, and will get way, way out in front of the minimal standards required by USDA. Maybe it’s too early and I’m still dreaming.