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Dr. Kurt D. Vogel is the director of the Humane Handling Institute and a professor of animal welfare and behavior at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. If you have any questions or comments, you can reach out to Dr. Vogel by email:kurt.vogel@uwrf.edu or phone: (715) 425-4704.
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.
The University of Wisconsin-River Falls Animal Welfare Lab's summary of the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service's (FSIS) humane handling regulatory activity from 2018 identified ineffective stunning as the most common cause of suspension.
From an animal welfare perspective, 2018 has been a relative continuation of the past few years. Many of the same challenges still exist, but many within the industry have made the choice to take the challenges head-on and find solutions that work for them.
In 2016 and 2017, 107 and 104 humane handling enforcement actions were posted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Web site, respectively.
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.