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Feb 29, 2008 Interim Actions to Verify Inspection and Surveillance at Federally Inspected Establishments
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| BACKGROUNDER: Interim Actions to Verify Inspection and Surveillance at Federally Inspected Establishments |
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Congressional and Public Affairs
Amanda Eamich
(202) 720-9113
The final report of the USDA's investigation will provide valuable information to determine what, if any, actions
are needed to strengthen or enhance our inspection system and policies.
Pending the conclusion of the investigation, USDA will implement a series of interim actions to verify and thoroughly analyze humane
handling activities in all federally inspected establishments including:
- Increase the amount of time allocated per shift by inspection program personnel to verify humane handling activities and to verify humane handling in the ante-mortem areas.
- Conduct surveillance activities to observe the handling of animals outside the approved hours of operation from vantage points within and adjacent to the official premises.
- Issue a notice to FSIS inspection personnel to reinforce the work methods for conducting humane handling verification activities at all levels and to ensure the greatest utility of the Humane Activities Tracking System (HATS) program.
Surveillance and inspection activities will be prioritized and focused based on existing data such as the category of livestock handled at the
facility, humane handling data, observations made at the facility during regular inspection and a plant's operating schedule.
FSIS will focus surveillance and inspection activities at establishments where older or potentially distressed animals are slaughtered, such as
facilities that handle dairy or veal cattle. Prioritization is essential to ensure the optimal use of resources to ensure humane handling and
food safety. These activities include:
- Continue to collect information in the Humane Activities Tracking System (HATS), which was implemented in 2004. HATS provides FSIS with an accounting of the time spent by FSIS inspection program personnel performing specific tasks and the results of that inspection related to humane handling and slaughter under the requirements of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act.
- FSIS will review the HATS program to determine what if any adjustments are needed to maximize its utility as a tracking tool to improve compliance.
There are nine specific HATS humane handling categories: adequate measures for inclement weather, truck unloading, water availability
(and feed, if applicable), handling during ante-mortem inspection, handling of suspect and disabled livestock, electric prod/alternative object use,
observations for slips and falls, stunning effectiveness and checking for conscious animals on the rail prior to processing.
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| USDA Collection Page on this topic |
Last Modified: February 29, 2008 |
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