In 2015, 96 humane handling enforcement actions were posted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Web site. A closer look at the data revealed a shift in regulatory action and the need for continued focus on stunning.
Cattle, swine, sheep, and goats were represented in the 96 letters published in 2015. The majority of enforcement actions were documented in cattle facilities (50.5 percent). Swine (38.9 percent), sheep (7.4 percent) and goats (3.2 percent) represented the remaining percentage. Cattle and swine, by far, are the two most common groups of livestock that are slaughtered for red meat in the U.S. The prevalence of beef and pork slaughter in the U.S. was a likely contributor to the fact that the majority of enforcement actions (89.4 percent) occurred in beef and pork slaughter establishments in 2015.