Emphasis should focus on training personnel and improving restraint.

Within the 62 enforcement actions, most were related to cattle (48.4%; 30 of 62), followed by swine (40.3%; 25 of 62), sheep (6.5%; four of 62), and goats (4.8%; three of 62).              

During the escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020, the entire live-animal supply chain was disrupted as slaughter establishments dealt with internal virus outbreaks and resulting reductions in slaughter capacity. 

In 2020, there were 99 humane handling enforcement actions posted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service website.

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.

The aim behind humane methods of slaughter in processing plants is to ensure the welfare of any animal subject to pre-slaughter stunning by means of diminishing stress levels and eliminating any pain felt during slaughter.