Source: MEATINGPLACE, 4/7/17

A new report from the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) concludes that the level of enforcement of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act varies dramatically by state, and says repeat violators are a major problem.

Overall, humane slaughter enforcement remains low in comparison with other aspects of food safety enforcement, states the report, which is titled, “Humane Slaughter Update: Federal and State Oversight of the Welfare of Meat Animals at Slaughter.”

AWI assigns a grade, from A to F, to each of the 27 state-operated meat inspection programs, based on how well they enforce the federal humane slaughter law. Louisiana stands at the bottom of the rankings due to its failure to take any enforcement action for inhumane slaughter in over 12 years, according to the report.

AWI recommends that USDA and state departments of agriculture significantly increase allocation of resources to humane handling and slaughter activities and establish a policy of escalating penalties to address repeat violators.

It recommends state and local law enforcement agencies assist in the pursuit of criminal animal cruelty charges for incidents of willful animal abuse.

AWI wants USDA to make additional slaughter plant inspection records, including noncompliance records, available to the public on its website.

It also seeks revisions to federal humane slaughter regulations to address the most common causes of violations.
The mission of Animal Welfare Institute, established in 1951, is “to alleviate suffering of nonhuman animals.” The group urges consumers to eat less meat and dairy products and “choose to buy such products only from farms where animals are raised outdoors on pasture.”

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