Animal Partisan has petitioned the Food Safety and Inspection Service to allow intervention by state personnel to enforce welfare in federally-inspected plants.
The Animal Partisan petition filed in early September 2023 requires FSIS to “publish a notice clarifying that federal law does not necessarily prevent state government officials from bringing animal cruelty charges when farmed animals are abused in slaughter plants”.
Subsequent to the filing, the Animal Welfare Institute issued comments supporting the Animal Partisan petition noting that “it could significantly improve the welfare of animals at slaughter”.
If granted, the petition would create a problem of divided jurisdiction and encourage activists in state agencies to intervene and bring legal action against processing plants that function under federal jurisdiction.
If there are deficiencies in handling live animals and poultry before slaughter, it is the responsibility of federal inspectors to enforce provisions of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act.