|
Welcome to the YorkieTalk.com Forums Community - the community for Yorkshire Terriers. You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. You will be able to chat with over 35,000 YorkieTalk members, read over 2,000,000 posted discussions, and view more than 15,000 Yorkie photos in the YorkieTalk Photo Gallery after you register. We would love to have you as a member! Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today! If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please click here to contact us. |
|
| LinkBack | Thread Tools |
04-09-2010, 09:31 AM | #1 |
Furbutts = LOVE Donating Member Moderator | Vet blows whistle on slaughter practices Veterinarian, GAO call for reform of animal welfare, slaughterhouse standards at USDA Washington, D.C. — A USDA veterinarian's congressional testimony ignited new debate about animal welfare standards in slaughter plants. Dr. Dean Wyatt, an FSIS supervisory public health veterinarian, told the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in early March, "I truly believe that the USDA inspector is the only advocate animals have in slaughter plants. When we turn our backs on the helpless, when we fail to speak on behalf of the voiceless, when we tolerate animal abuse and suffering, then the moral compass of a just and compassionate society is gone." Protected under federal whistle-blower laws, Wyatt's testimony recounted numerous instances when upper-level FSIS management simply looked the other way when food safety and humane handling laws where broken. Wyatt recounted what he called egregious incidents of animal abuse including stabbing of conscious live pigs while shackled, multiple shockings and beatings of downed calves and cattle, among others. FSIS management, Wyatt contends, told him, on many occasions, to "drastically cut back" the amount of time he was spending on humane handling enforcement." Wyatt shutdown Bushway Packing in Vermont three times prior to the release of the now infamous October 2009 undercover video by the Humane Society of the United States documenting animal abuse at the processing plant. The video triggered calls for reform at FSIS. Wyatt's testimony is backed up by a just-released GAO report challenging FSIS to improve its enforcement activities in U.S. slaughter plants. In fact, the GAO report chides FSIS for its inconsistent, lax enforcement of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act of 1978, for not having a comprehensive hiring strategy and for a lack of clarity in guidance and training of inspectors, reports Lisa Shames, director of Natural Resources and Environment for GAO. Jerold R. Mande, deputy undersecretary for Food Safety of USDA, told the subcommittee, "I want to assure you that we are deeply committed to the humane handling of livestock and to meeting our obligations to enforce HMSA at federally inspected establishments." FSIS will respond to GAO's report, Mande says, and the department is making a series of improvements to its enforcement of animal-handling practices within slaughter facilities. It includes, Mande says, a scoring system to help evaluate the health of animals prior to slaughter. The system was devised by Dr. Temple Grandin, a noted authority on animal handling, Mande adds. Each of FSIS' 15 district offices has a District Veterinary Medical Specialist who serves as an expert on humane handling issues. Their responsibilities include formal reviews of each slaughter plant as well as routine reviews of data. In addition, a slaughter plant cannot operate without a USDA agent on the premises. When faced with egregious cases of animal abuse, Mande adds, an investigation typically ensues and action is taken, like with Bushway Packing. In fact, Mande contends, FSIS took immediate action in this case which includes an ongoing criminal investigation. Committee chair Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) introduced the hearing by playing the HSUS undercover video. "After watching that, I wonder if there is such a thing as humane slaughter. I wonder if humane slaughter is just an oxymoron. The truth of the matter is we do not know how prevalent are the abuses documented by the Humane Society of the United States, and neither does USDA because of the significant deficiencies in the management of FSIS identified by GAO. My hope is that today's hearing will give us a clear picture of what the new administration plans to do to reform FSIS and improve the agency's track record in enforcing humane handling laws."
__________________ ~ A friend told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn. ~ °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° Ann | Pfeiffer | Marcel Verdel Purcell | Wylie | Artie °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° |
Welcome Guest! | |
04-09-2010, 09:56 AM | #2 |
Princess Poop A Lot Donating Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Colorado
Posts: 6,728
| Pretty difficult to read and fathom what goes on in those places.
__________________ Cindy & The Rescued Gang Puppies Are Not Products! |
04-10-2010, 09:29 AM | #3 |
Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mississippi
Posts: 2,564
| Pretty eye-opening stuff, Ann. I've often heard that there just aren't enough inspectors to do a better job of enforcing regulations and the agencies don't have the budget to provide more. Seems like those involved in industries that need these inspectors should be the ones paying and it should be enough to provide for adequate inspections. I know those costs would be passed down to the consumer, but so what. It seems like the system in place is woefully inadequate and I think more people are aware of and concerned for not only better treatment of the animals, but want to be confident in the safety of the meat. |
04-10-2010, 09:43 AM | #4 |
Slave to My Rug-Rats Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Long Island
Posts: 7,247
| It is really disgusting...and so depressing knowing of all the possible abuses that take place in this Country alone...I am truly beginning to hate this world we live in |
04-10-2010, 01:11 PM | #5 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: With my yorkies
Posts: 10,350
| I don't know what to say.
__________________ He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. -- Author Unknown |
04-10-2010, 01:19 PM | #6 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Canada
Posts: 4,923
| So much unbelievable cruelty that we never hear about, and some people prefer to keep it that way
__________________ Darlene Bailey Blu & Jesse Bee |
04-16-2010, 06:49 AM | #7 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,601
| There is a humane way to slaughter. It is called going Kosher and this Jewish method of slaughtering has been around for thousands of years, but industrial farming and agriculture corporations here in the US being backed by the USDA would never condsider it. These non-humane slaughter houses are a filty big business and lobby hard in DC to keep it that way.
__________________ life with my Cerise |
Bookmarks |
|
|
Thread Tools | |
| |
|
|
SHOP NOW: Amazon :: eBay :: Buy.com :: Newegg :: PetStore :: Petco :: PetSmart