The first U.S. slaughtering laws were enacted in 1958 when President Eisenhower signed the Humane Slaughter Act. This law designated the first official guidelines regarding the operations of slaughterhouses in the United States. In 1978, the U.S. Department of Agriculture gained authority over implementing these laws. As of 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates and enforces slaughtering laws, which deal with the humane and hygienic manner in which animals are killed for food.
Aspects of the FDA Slaughtering Laws
Important features of federal slaughtering laws include keeping animals that may harm each other in separate areas of a slaughtering facility. Horned or antlered animals are prevented from living within close proximity. Animals that are injured or ill must be humanely put down and disposed of properly. Use of harmful objects, such as whips or prods, is forbidden when herding animals through the facility. Animals that are being prepared for slaughter must be housed in an area large enough for them to stand and move around without restrictions.
Species and Regulations
Slaughtering laws apply certain regulations to different animals. For example, when a pig or and a cow is killed for food purposes, it is to be struck on the side of the head or between the eyes. Sheep must be hit at the base of the skull. The reason for the varying methods involves each animal’s specific reaction to fear and how different species automatically behave when they realize they are in danger. Cows, sheep, pigs and other food animals must be slaughtered using blunt objects, intense amounts of carbon dioxide or potent devices similar to a stun gun. Only a few guidelines exist for the slaughter of fish or poultry.
Diseased Cows
FDA slaughter rules prohibit the use of “downer” cows from being killed and processed for consumption. Any cow that cannot walk or appears ill must be put down and disposed of properly and hygienically. The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which contains guidelines governed by the FDA, states that no diseased animal may be killed in a slaughterhouse for fear of contaminating other animals housed there. Because most animals are not routinely inspected for evidence of illness, a cow that is recognized as a downer must have developed a severe illness while in close quarters with other slaughterhouse animals or was already afflicted with an undiagnosed or unnoticed ailment.
Meat Processing
Laws are consistently enacted to safeguard American consumers from eating infected meat. In 2008, for example, the FDA prohibited certain categories of organic matter, such as organs and other parts of slaughtered animals, from being components of the feed supplied to other animals that are to be slaughtered for meat. This was done to address concerns about bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease.
References
- Animal Legal and Historical Center: Humane Slaughter of Livestock Regulations
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Feed Ban Enhancement
- Law Office of Fuerst Ittleman: FDA Strengthens Beef Consumer Safeguards
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
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