CRIMES WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES - gpvec

exeCutive summary
Federal enforcement at foreign slaughterhouses
Approximately three dozen countries are eligible to export meat to the United States.
The USDA is expected to ensure that the meat inspection system of a foreign country is
equivalent to U.S. domestic meat inspection, including in the area of humane handling
and slaughter. However, Jones found that the USDA does not routinely consider humane
slaughter laws and their enforcement in reviewing foreign country eligibility, and in
inspecting foreign slaughter plants, the agency cites almost no humane deficiencies.
The USDA explains this finding by noting that there is a “high level of compliance in
foreign plants.” But it seems unlikely that foreign slaughter plants would excel at humane
slaughter when many are found to be wanting in nearly every other area.
State enforcement at U.S. slaughterhouses
Twenty-nine states operate meat inspection programs, and nine of these have the
authority to administer humane slaughter laws at federal as well as state-inspected
slaughterhouses. However, most states running meat inspection programs were not able to
provide any documents related to humane slaughter enforcement for a recent three-year
period. The states with no records of humane enforcement are responsible for overseeing
animal handling and slaughter at a total of 600 slaughter plants.
Of the 30 states accredited to administer humane slaughter programs at the time of the
review (one state—New Mexico—has since lost its accreditation), 20 could provide no
humane enforcement records for the period 2002 through 2004:
Alabama Iowa South Dakota
Arizona Louisiana Utah
Colorado Maine Vermont
Delaware* Mississippi Virginia
Georgia Missouri West Virginia
Illinois Montana Wyoming
Indiana New Mexico (* No state-inspected plants at the time)
Four states issued at least one deficiency record, but took no further actions during the
period:
North Carolina Oklahoma
North Dakota Texas
Six states took an action for inhumane slaughter beyond issuance of a deficiency record:
California Ohio
Kansas South Carolina
Minnesota Wisconsin
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