The Truth Behind Humane Slaughter Law

Animal Welfare Institute Report Reveals Lack of Enforcement

WASHINGTON, March 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "The hog was lying in the
cradle and all four feet had been removed. The hog was observed to be kicking
and shaking its head. It exhibited skin twitching and irregular but rhythmic
breathing with deep abdominal and thoracic movement. It appeared to be gasping
for breath," a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspector wrote about a
still-conscious hog at a slaughter plant in Frankenmuth, Mo.

With meat recalls due to bacterial contamination and the horrific handling and
slaughtering of downer cows making headlines in recent months, consumers are
increasingly aware of some of the problems occurring behind slaughterhouse
doors. But new documentation reveals how dire the situation really is. The
Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) has released the first report of its kind to
analyze humane slaughter enforcement at state, federal and foreign
slaughterhouses.

Drawing from over 1,000 documents obtained from sources including 60 public
records requests to federal and state agriculture departments from 2002 to
2007, the report exposes the lack of sound enforcement at plants throughout
the United States and across the globe.

"This report shows that enforcement of humane slaughter law is a low priority
of the US Department of Agriculture, state agriculture departments, and the
U.S. animal agriculture industry as a whole," said author Dena Jones, a
consultant to AWI. "Legal and regulatory changes need to be made in the
current inspection system to better protect the approximately 10 billion
animals killed for food each year in the United States."

Currently, humane slaughter laws require that livestock be rendered insensible
with one stunning attempt before they are killed. However, American Meat
Institute guidelines consider an acceptable stunning effectiveness rating of
99 percent for pigs and 95 percent for cattle and sheep, while the National
Chicken Council has set an acceptable stunning standard of 98 percent for
chickens. Even if every single slaughter plant was able to meet these
voluntary industry goals, the report notes, 185 million chickens, 1.8 million
cattle and sheep and 1 million pigs would still be killed inhumanely each year
in the United States.

Little time is actually spent by agriculture department inspectors observing
the handling, stunning and slaughter of animals. Nonetheless, the citations
recorded by the USDA are disturbing. At a plant in Benton, Ark., an inspector
noted, "At approximately 1:00 p.m. [a Holstein cow] had a 1 cm hole in its
forehead from a captive bolt stunner. At 1:10 p.m. the cow had not been moved
and was breathing regularly. An establishment employee tried to re-stun the
animal twice but the hand held captive bolt stunner did not fire."

Between 2002 and 2005, only 42 enforcement actions beyond issuances of
deficiency reports for noncompliances with humane slaughter laws were taken in
the United States. But whistleblower accounts and undercover videotape
documentation from inside slaughterhouses reviewed in the report suggest that
the current low level of humane enforcement is not due to a lack of
violations. Instead, crimes are either not observed or recognized by
inspection personnel, not reported through the proper channel, or the
appropriate remedial measures are not being taken. "USDA inspectors must be
present at plants to ensure adherence to basic standards of decency," said AWI
President Cathy Liss. "At the very least, animals who are killed for food are
entitled to a merciful death."

For a PDF version (150 pgs, 1.4MB) of the report, click here:
http://www.awionline.org/farm/pdf/SlaughterReport_3-25-08final.pdf.

For over 57 years, AWI has been the leading voice for animals across the
country and on Capitol Hill. AWI promotes humane farming practices and
fights the growth of animal factories for the benefit of animals,
consumers, farm families, rural communities and the environment. More
information is available at www.awionline.org.

SOURCE Animal Welfare Institute

Cathy Liss, +1-703-836-4300, or Dena Jones, +1-617-896-9292, both of AWI