Food Safety and Inspection Service United States Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C. 20250-3700

Dear Establishment Owner/Operator:

We are excited to inform you about the District Veterinary Medical Specialists (DVMS). The Agency has hired one DVMS per District Office.

The DVMS will be the primary contact in each district for humane handling and slaughter issues, and will be the liaison between the district office and headquarters on all humane handling matters. The DVMS will be responsible for on-site coordination of nationally prescribed humane slaughter procedures, verification of humane handling activities, and dissemination of directives, notices, and other information from headquarters through the district office to Veterinary Medical Officers in the field.

The DVMS will provide training for new veterinary employees on Agency humane handling and slaughter regulatory responsibilities, including ante-mortem inspection. The DVMS will conduct on-site verification of humane handling and prepare summary reports on their findings. The DVMS assure that all plants, regardless of size, receive appropriate guidance and inspection oversight and information on humane handling responsibilities and other slaughter issues.

In addition, the DVMS will provide input and recommendations for other Farm-to-Table activities such as coordinating with APHIS on FMD, BSE and other foreign animal diseases and working with headquarters staff on biosecurity activities. DVMS will partner with other Federal, state, and private sector experts on humane handling issues, foreign animal disease concerns, and assist district managers in sharing information on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems, and residue control programs.

If you have comments or questions, please contact Dr. Julie Cornett of the Technical Service Center Slaughter Operations Staff at (800) 233-3935.

Sincerely,

(signed) Mark T. Mina
Deputy Administrator
Office of Field Operations

cc: District Managers
Deputy District Managers
DVMS
TSC