[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 76 (Tuesday, June 5, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5839-S5840]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  STATEMENTS ON SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 45--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT 
THE HUMANE METHODS OF SLAUGHTER ACT OF 1958 SHOULD BE FULLY ENFORCED SO 
              AS TO PREVENT NEEDLESS SUFFERING OF ANIMALS

  Mr. FITZGERALD (for himself, Mr. Leahy, and Mr. Akaka) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry:

                            S. Con. Res. 45

       Whereas public demand for passage of Public Law 85-765 
     (commonly known as the ``Humane Methods of Slaughter Act of 
     1958'') (7

[[Page S5840]]

     U.S.C. 1901 et seq.) was so great that when President 
     Eisenhower was asked at a press conference if he would sign 
     the bill, he replied, ``If I went by mail, I'd think no one 
     was interested in anything but humane slaughter'';
       Whereas the Act requires that animals be rendered 
     insensible to pain when they are slaughtered;
       Whereas on April 10, 2001, a Washington Post front page 
     article reported that enforcement records, interviews, 
     videos, and worker affidavits describe repeated violations of 
     the Act and that the Federal Government took no action 
     against a company that was cited 22 times in 1998 for 
     violations of the Act;
       Whereas the article asserted that in 1998, the Secretary of 
     Agriculture stopped tracking the number of humane-slaughter 
     violations;
       Whereas the article concluded that scientific evidence 
     shows tangible economic benefits when animals are treated 
     well;
       Whereas the United States Animal Health Association passed 
     a resolution at an October 1998 meeting to encourage strong 
     enforcement of the Act and reiterated support for the 
     resolution at a meeting in 2000; and
       Whereas it is the responsibility of the Secretary of 
     Agriculture to enforce the Act fully: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring),

     SECTION 1. HUMANE METHODS OF ANIMAL SLAUGHTER.

       It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) the Secretary of Agriculture should--
       (A) resume tracking the number of violations of Public Law 
     85-765 (7 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.) and report the results and 
     relevant trends annually to Congress; and
       (B) fully enforce Public Law 85-765 by ensuring that humane 
     methods in the slaughter of livestock--
       (i) prevent needless suffering;
       (ii) result in safer and better working conditions for 
     persons engaged in the slaughtering of livestock;
       (iii) bring about improvement of products and economies in 
     slaughtering operations; and
       (iv) produce other benefits for producers, processors, and 
     consumers that tend to expedite an orderly flow of livestock 
     and livestock products in interstate and foreign commerce; 
     and
       (2) it should be the policy of the United States that the 
     slaughtering of livestock and the handling of livestock in 
     connection with slaughter shall be carried out only by humane 
     methods.

  Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. President, I rise today to submit a resolution 
expressing the sense of the Congress that the Humane Methods of 
Slaughter Act of 1958 should be fully enforced to prevent the needless 
suffering of animals.
  On April 10, 2001, the Washington Post printed a front page story 
entitled ``They Die Piece by Piece.'' This graphic article asserted 
that the United States Department of Agriculture was not appropriately 
enforcing the Humane Slaughter Act. In response, I am introducing this 
resolution that encourages the Secretary of Agriculture to fully 
enforce current law including the Humane Slaughter Act of 1958, as 
amended by the Federal Meat Inspection Act in 1978.
  The Humane Slaughter Act simply requires that animals be rendered 
insensible to pain before they are harvested. However, apparently this 
law is not being enforced in some instances. For example, the 
Washington Post article reported that ``enforcement records, 
interviews, videos and worker affidavits describe repeated violations 
of the Humane Slaughter Act'' and ``the government took no action 
against a Texas beef company that was cited 22 times in 1998 for 
violations that include chopping hooves off live cattle.''
  While the regulated industry may argue that problems highlighted in 
this article are not endemic of the entire meat processing industry, 
``a couple of rotten apples could ruin the whole basket.'' As the 
Washington Post article demonstrated, there are some operations that 
may need oversight to ensure that the entire meat industry does not get 
a ``black eye.''
  Additionally, the Washington Post article pointed out that in 1998, 
the USDA stopped tracking the number of humane slaughter violations. 
USDA's Director of Slaughter Operations reportedly admitted ``she 
didn't know if the number of violations was up or down.'' This is 
simply unacceptable. We cannot manage nor regulate what we do not 
monitor nor measure. Thus, the resolution asks the Secretary of 
Agriculture to reinitiate tracking of violations and report these 
results and relevant trends to Congress annually.
  This legislation is supported by the Society for Animal Protective 
Legislation, the Humane Society of the United States, and the Humane 
Farming Association. The resolution is sound public policy that enjoys 
bipartisan support. I thank my colleagues, Senators Leahy and Akaka, 
for joining me as original co-sponsors of this bill, and I encourage my 
Senate colleagues to join us in this endeavor.
  I ask unanimous consent that a letter of support from the Humane 
Society of the United States be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                                The Humane Society


                                         of the United States,

                                     Washington, DC, May 22, 2001.
       Dear Senator: On behalf of the Human Society of the United 
     States, the nation's largest animal protection organization 
     with 7 million members and constituents, I am writing to 
     express our support for the resolution, soon to be introduced 
     by Senator Peter Fitzgerald, calling on USDA to enforce the 
     Humane Slaughter Act. We urge you to cosponsor Senator 
     Fitzgerald's resolution.
       On April 10, 2001, the Washington Post printed a front-page 
     story entitled ``They Die Piece by Piece.'' The disturbing 
     investigative article revealed that the USDA is not currently 
     enforcing the Humane Slaughter Act and that the Department 
     has stopped tracking humane-slaughter violations. To address 
     these failings, Senator Fitzgerald is introducing a 
     resolution encouraging the Secretary of Agriculture to fully 
     enforce the law. The resolution calls for enforcement of the 
     Humane Slaughter Act of 1958 and asks that the Department 
     resume tracking humane-slaughter violations and report its 
     findings to Congress annually.
       The Washington Post reported that prior to ending the 
     tracking of humane-slaughter violations in 1998, USDA records 
     gave us a snapshot of the extraordinarily inhumane slaughter 
     practices occurring at processing plants. For example:
       USDA took no action against a Texas beef company that was 
     cited 22 times in one year for violations such as chopping 
     hooves off live cattle.
       Inspectors at a livestock processing plant in Hawaii 
     describe hogs walking and squealing after being stunned (a 
     process meant to render animals unconscious) as many as four 
     times.
       Another Texas plant had 22 violations in 6 months, 
     including live cattle dangling from an overhead chain.
       Hogs are submersed in scalding water after being stunned to 
     loosen their hides for skinning. This means that poorly 
     stunned animals are scalded and drowned. Videotape from an 
     Iowa pork plant shows hogs squealing and kicking as they are 
     being lowered into the water.
       Congress passed the Humane Slaughter Act in 1957. It should 
     be enforced vigorously--now 40 years after enactment. To 
     cosponsor this resolution calling for the enforcement of 
     existing law on humane slaughter, please contact Terry Van 
     Doren of Senator Fitzgerald's office (4-2854) or for more 
     information, please contact Susan Solarz of HSUS (202/955-
     3664).
           Sincerely,

                                                Wayne Pacelle,

                                            Senior Vice President,
     Communications and Government Affairs.

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