From: blueiris@end-horse-slaughter.com
To: againstslaughter@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, September 20, 2003 10:15 AM
Subject: [againstslaughter] USDA inspectors and their salaries

On 20 Sep 2003 at 13:40, julie wrote:

> Mary Nash discovered that the USDA inspector's who will be at this
> plant is not paid his salary by the plant but by us in the United
> States.

Of course we pay his salary. The USDA inspectors are not like the
brand inspectors in the Texas plants. USDA inspectors are in
employees and law enforcement officials of the US government, and are
in the plant to insure that meat and foods intended for human
consumption are "wholesome, not adulterated, and properly marked,
labeled, and packaged" in order to "protect the health and welfare of
consumers." (21 USC 602). All this is governed by the provisions of
the federal Meat Inspection Act.

Payment of the inspector's salaries is specified in the Act:

"The cost of inspection rendered on and after July 1, 1948, under the
requirements of laws relating to Federal inspection of meat and meat
food products shall be borne by the United States except the cost of
overtime pursuant to section 394 of title 7" (21 USC 695)

The USDA can require compensation from the plants for overtime, but
ordinary salary of the inspectors at any beef, swine, poultry or
horse slaughter plant is paid out of our tax money by the USDA, by
law.

In addition to inspecting the carcass post-mortem, the USDA
inspectors are also required to inspect the animals before slaughter,
to insure that diseased animals do not enter the food chain.

And yes, they are also supposed to insure that the provisions of the
Humane Slaughter Act are enforced. However, read Gail Eisnitz' book
for more information on THAT requirement.

Roberta