The president and CEO of the Hawaiian Humane Society supports President Obama in his call for a full prohibition on slaughtering downed cattle for beef.

"This is a huge victory for animal protection in our nation," said Pamela Burns, president and CEO of the Hawaiian Humane Society. "People who eat beef and are animal lovers want to know that cattle live and die humanely. This closes a loophole that protects sick and disabled animals."

Undercover investigations have shown sick cows being abused and mishandled in order to get them on their feet so that they were eligible for slaughter, Burns said.

In 2003, Washington state reported that a sick cow, slaughtered for beef, was later found to have had mad cow disease. It led to the largest beef recall in U.S. history at a cost to the industry of $11 billion.