Humane meat?

There has been a lot of media attention recently about "Humane Meat."

What exactly does this mean?
Well the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) must be checking on our food to make sure it's safe, right? Wrong.

The FDA has set some "strict" new standards, like requiring every slaughter house to have a veterinarian. The requirements for this veterinarian, according to the fda is: "All Veterinarians complete a computer-based training." WOAH! Tough program!

The FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service)-a component of the FDA, has also been getting some new regulations.
"FSIS is also determining how best to establish more definitive criteria for handling and moving downer animals and is considering amending the regulations to do it"

A downer animal refers to an animal that is so sick or injured that he/she is unable to stand. The FDA has come up with some new regulations for these animals.
According to the FDA, animals are humanely treated: "The Humane Slaughter Act prohibits dragging of downed or crippled livestock in the stockyards, crowd pen or stunning chute. By using slide boards and cripple carts, animals can be transported humanely and efficiently to a pen or other area where they can be examined by an inspector, stunned and moved to slaughter"

If an animal is so sick that he/she cannot walk independently. It may also contain some diseases, but that veterinarian who received the intensive computer-based training should know how to diagnose the animal. ;) Many "downer" cows have been known to have BSE. These animals are killed nonetheless, and ground up with the rest of the cows.



Calling some animal products “humane” leads people to believe that animals do not suffer on “humane” farms, but they do suffer, and die.