Are there laws requiring animals to be slaughtered humanely?


In the United States, the Humane Slaughter Act is rarely enforced, and large slaughterhouses will not stop the assembly lines just because the stun guns failed to work properly. According to Steve Cockerham, a USDA inspector at Nebraska slaughterhouses, and former USDA veterinarian Lester Friedlander, some U.S. slaughterhouses routinely skin live cattle, immerse squealing pigs in scalding water, and abuse still-conscious animals in other ways to keep production lines moving quickly. Cockerham said he often saw plant workers cut the feet, ears, and udders off cattle that were conscious after stun guns failed to work properly. He said, "They were still blinking and moving. It's a sickening thing to see."

Also, the Federal Humane Slaughter Act only applies to mammals, and there are no laws at all for how chickens or other birds are killed.

 

Follow up questions:


Why are "Free Range" farms not much better?


Does Kosher and Halal meat come from animals that are treated better?


What if humans treat and slaughter the animals humanely?


 

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