Commentary
Animal welfare and food safety questions often involve striking a balance between ethical positions and economic consequences played out in a political context. Whether or not animal health pros are directly involved in livestock production, the actions required in one species often affect other species. It is important to listen, track and understand potential consequences for animals and humans alike.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White ruled in support of the USDA’s new Swine Inspection Service. The Federal Meat Inspection Act grants USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service the authority to ensure the safety of meat products. However, Judge White agreed with the defendants’ assertion that “the pre-inspection sorting conducted by plant employees does not replace federal inspection; rather, it provides an additional step in the process before federal inspection occurs.”
Under NSIS, federal inspectors still inspect each animal before it is slaughtered for meat,” White wrote in the court documents.”
More litigation on animal welfare and safety is eminent*
Source: Meat+Poultry, October 4, 2022. Link.
*Also see: Supreme Court grapples with animal welfare in a challenge to a California law requiring pork to be humanely raised, The Conversation, October 4, 2022. Link.