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FSIS Requirements for Non-Ambulatory Disabled Cattle
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Previous Requirements
Before Jan 12, 2004 |
Current Requirements
Beginning Jan 12, 2004 |
Situation:
No BSE positives had been found in the U.S. |
Situation:
The first BSE positive for a cow in the U.S. was confirmed on December 25, 2003. |
Entities Affected:
- Federally-inspected plants
- State-inspected plants
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Entities Affected:
- Federally-inspected plants
- State-inspected plants
- Custom-exempt plants
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Cattle Prohibited from Slaughter:
- Dead or dying
- Showing clinical signs of Central Nervous System (CNS) disorder
Note: All seriously crippled cattle and cattle commonly termed "downers" presented for slaughter were identified as "U.S. Suspects." (9 Code of Federal Regulations 309.2(b))
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Cattle Prohibited from Slaughter:
- Dead or dying
- Showing clinical signs of Central Nervous System (CNS) disorder
- Non-ambulatory disabled cattle - [Cattle] "that cannot rise from a recumbent position or cannot walk, including, but not limited to, those with broken appendages, severed tendons or ligaments, nerve paralysis, fractured vertebral column or metabolic conditions."
-They are not allowed to enter the plant. (Interim final rule and request for comments was published January 12, 2004. A notice has also been published.)
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"Emergency Slaughter"
Injured livestock could be slaughtered for humane reasons at hours when ante-mortem inspection
was not available, provided carcass and parts were kept for inspection. (11 Code of Federal Regulations 311.27)
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"Emergency Slaughter"
No longer allowed, even for ambulatory cattle. (11 Code of Federal Regulations 311.27 amended. Notice 4-04)
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Humane Slaughter Act:
Provisions apply.
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Humane Slaughter Act:
Provisions apply.
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Permission for removal of cattle for reasons other than slaughter:
If livestock were removed for other than slaughter, plant or owner must obtain permission from local, State, or Federal livestock sanitary official having jurisdiction. (9 Code of Federal Regulations 309.13(d))
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Permission for removal of cattle for reasons other than slaughter:
If livestock are removed for other than slaughter, plant or owner must obtain permission from local, State, or Federal livestock sanitary official having jurisdiction. (9 Code of Federal Regulations 309.13(d))
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General
Inspection Procedures:
Certain Non-ambulatory Disabled Cattle were allowed to be
slaughtered.
- An FSIS veterinarian had to inspect non-ambulatory cattle
before slaughter (ante-mortem inspection) and had three
options:
- Hold the animal for further observation.
- Pass the animal for immediate slaughter as a U.S.
Suspect animal.
- Condemn the animal. Animals could not be slaughtered
and enter the human food chain if they were:
- Dead or dying,
- Showed signs of Central Nervous System (CNS)
disorders.
(9 Code of Federal Regulations 309.2(b))
Cattle that showed symptoms of Central Nervous System (CNS)
disorders were condemned and humanely killed. FSIS veterinarians
were instructed to:
- Document all animal identification and ensure that it
remained with the carcass (in case the animal would need
to be traced back to its producer).
- Notify the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
(APHIS). An APHIS veterinarian would collect a sample of
the brain tissue and submit it to the National Veterinary
Services Laboratory.
- Document the time, date and person notified in APHIS.
- Assist APHIS in arrangements at the plant to collect
the sample, so that the animal's disorder could be identified.
- If APHIS was not immediately available, save the head,
with brain intact, and chill (not freeze), so that samples
would be available for APHIS.
- Ensure that regulations were followed in disposing of
the condemned carcass.
- Ensure that humane slaughter procedures were followed.
(FSIS Directive 6900.1, Revision 1, 11-2-98)
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General
Inspection Procedures:
- Non-ambulatory disabled cattle are not allowed to
enter any Federal, State, or custom-exempt facility. Procedures
for disposing of the animal must be in place. (Interim final
rule and request for comments was published January 12,
2004).
FSIS veterinarian:
- Conducts ante-mortem inspection on all non-ambulatory
disabled cattle presented for slaughter.
- Marks them "U.S. condemned."
- Condemns all cattle showing CNS symptoms, even if animal
is ambulatory.
- Cattle condemned upon ante-mortem cannot enter
plant.
- If non-ambulatory or condemned for CNS symptoms, and
there is reason to believe they are 20 months or older,
inform APHIS Area Veterinarian-in-Charge (AVIC) to allow
APHIS opportunity to collect BSE surveillance samples.
- If a sample is collected, ensure all animal identification
is maintained. Also, maintain control of the animal until
plant documents how it will be properly disposed of.
- If AVIC notifies FSIS Veterinarian that it is not possible
to go to the plant, maintain control of the animal until
the plant documents proper disposal.
- Ensure that humane slaughter procedures are followed.
(FSIS Directive 6900.1, Revision 1, 11-2-98)
- Verify disposal of carcass. Can inform plant management
that lined landfills are acceptable for disposal. (Interim
final rule and request for comments was published January
12, 2004. A notice has also been published.)
- At request of owner or operator, condemned cattle can
be set apart and held for treatment, under supervision of
FSIS employee or designee of District Manager.
- If an animal is released for purposes other than slaughter,
owner or operator must first obtain permission from local,
State, or Federal livestock sanitary official having jurisdiction.
- In rare cases, a normal, healthy animal sustains acute
injury on the way to the knock box. FSIS veterinarian can
allow the animal to proceed to postmortem.
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Testing
Requirements:
- The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
randomly tested for BSE in cattle that appeared healthy
(surveillance).
- Meat from the tested healthy animals could be shipped
into commerce before the test results were confirmed.
APHIS also tested for BSE in non-ambulatory disabled cattle
identified by FSIS veterinarians. |
Testing
Requirements:
- The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
randomly tests for BSE in cattle that appear healthy (surveillance).
- Meat from tested cattle that appear healthy will be held
until the tests are confirmed negative.
- APHIS will continue BSE surveillance and testing at an
increased rate.
(Interim final rule and request for comments was published
January 12, 2004. A notice has also been published.) |
Carcass
disposal:
- Plants were responsible for the disposal of carcasses
of condemned cattle.
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Carcass
disposal:
- Non-ambulatory disabled cattle will not be allowed to
enter a plant.
- FSIS will verify that plants properly dispose of condemned
livestock.
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