United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2008-04-17 monographic deposited born digital 18 p. GA 1.13:GAO-08-686T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-686T P0b002ee18039fc2c f:d08686t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-686T machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-686T GAO-08-686T Animal husbandry Animal welfare Animals Cattle Environmental legislation Evaluation criteria Food and drug law Food facilities Food inspection Funds management Inspection Law enforcement Livestock Livestock products Meat inspection Noncompliance Personnel management Poultry inspection Reporting requirements Staff utilization Standards Government agency oversight Transparency GAO High Risk Series Testimony A81726 In fiscal year 2007, more than 150 million cattle, sheep, and other animals destined for human consumption were slaughtered in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service is responsible for enforcing the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA), which mandates that animals are handled and slaughtered humanely. GAO reported on USDA's efforts to enforce HMSA in 2004 (Humane Methods of Slaughter Act: USDA Has Addressed Some Problems but Still Faces Enforcement Challenges, GAO-04-247). More broadly, GAO has also issued many reports that address federal oversight of the U.S. food safety system. This testimony focuses on (1) GAO's 2004 report on the frequency and scope of reported HMSA violations and enforcement actions by USDA, (2) information on trends in staffing and funding for USDA food inspections, and (3) information on overall federal oversight of food safety. To provide this new information, GAO analyzed personnel and funding data from USDA and the Office of Management and Budget, and interviewed USDA food safety inspection officials. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-686T/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-686T.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-686T/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-686T.pdf GAO-08-686T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-686T Testimony GAO-08-686T; Humane Methods of Handling and Slaughter: Public Reporting on Violations Can Identify Enforcement Challenges and Enhance Transparency; Animal husbandry Animal welfare Animals Cattle Environmental legislation Evaluation criteria Food and drug law Food facilities Food inspection Funds management Inspection Law enforcement Livestock Livestock products Meat inspection Noncompliance Personnel management Poultry inspection Reporting requirements Staff utilization Standards Government agency oversight Transparency GAO High Risk Series Volume 116 Page 134 116 Stat. 134 Public Law 107-171