Rubashkin: Rabbi Nadel Speaks Out

The JTA blog brings to light statements made by Rabbi Nadel, the OU’s head of meat supervision.Rabbi Nadel is attempting to clear up a lot of the controversy concerning the mountains of bad press that Agriprocessor has been dealing with. The email dealt with the idea that mashgichim were unaware of anything that happened outside of the plant as that's the only place they inspect:

I go all over the plant when I visit, and the mashgichim that work for the OU also do, but only into areas where meat is processed. We do not visit the water treatment plant, nor the sheds where some materials are stored, nor houses where gentile workers live. We also do not act as OSHA inspectors, interviewing workers to hear their complaints. He goes on to say that we should be careful not believe everything we read:The OU is following the actions and findings of the federal authorities and will act accordingly; we take violations of law very seriously. But the OU certainly does not assume a person guilty because of allegations, nor is any Jew allowed to. We have certified Rubashkin for years, and I can assure you there are no kashrus problems at Postville more than occasional mistakes that happen anywhere, and when mistakes do happen, they are corrected.