Mary S. Nash
104 S. Houston Street
Kaufman , Texas   75142
NashHulme@msn.com
972-962-7706
April 14, 2003

Ms. Betty Brown
Representative, District 4                      CERTIFIED MAIL – RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
P. O. Box 2910
Austin , Tx 78768  

Re:       Non-compliance with Texas Agriculture Code §148
            by Dallas Crown, Inc., 2000 W. Fair Road , Kaufman , Texas    

Dear Ms. Brown:  

I am writing to ask for your help.   

Although Texas Agriculture Code §148.012 requires Texas slaughter plants to file records with the local County Clerk’s office, the Dallas Crown horse slaughter plant in Kaufman has never filed any records.  I went to the Kaufman County Clerk’s office to find Dallas Crown’s records, but I was told there are none there.  

Texas Agriculture Code  §148.011(c) requires Texas slaughter plants to keep their slaughter records open for public inspection during reasonable hours, and that Code section states,

(c) The record must be prepared and made available to the Texas Animal Health Commission and for public inspection within 24 hours after the slaughterer receives the livestock. The slaughterer shall preserve the record for at least two years and shall keep the record open for public inspection at all reasonable hours.

 I contacted Dallas Crown to inspect their slaughter records for the last two years, but today their attorney, Mark Calabria, told me that I would not be permitted to do so.  

Because you are the State Representative for Kaufman County where Dallas Crown is located, would you please ask Dallas Crown to comply with the reporting requirements of Texas Agriculture Code §148?  And would you please contact the Texas Attorney General’s office on my behalf to ask for their help in requiring Dallas Crown to comply with the law?  

Please let me know as soon as possible if you will be able to help me.  

Sincerely,

Mary S. Nash  

cc:        Mr. Greg Abbott, Texas Attorney General
            PO Box 12548
            Austin , TX 78711-2548