Department of Ag Whistleblower speaks on CNN

A Department of Agriculture veterinarian alleges officials at the agency failed to act on reports of illegal and unsafe slaughterhouse practices and just didn't want to deal with the trouble.

"They said there was no way that I could have seen what I actually did see. In the end, they told me I either had to transfer or I would be terminated. I was told to immediately leave the plant, to never come back, " Dr. Dean Wyatt testified on Capitol Hill today about one such incident.

Wyatt said he saw clear violations of food safety violations, such as butchering of calves that were too weak or sick to stand.

When meat from sick animals gets in the food supply that's how you can get sick. Food-borne illnesses cost the U.S. $152 billion a year, according to a new study released today by a former Food and Drug Administration economist.

The research suggests 76 million food-related illnesses each year, leading to 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths.