When word leaked that he had contacted me, he was fired. It was then that I decided it was time to initiate a more comprehensive investigation. As I expanded my investigation, I soon discovered that animals having their heads skinned while fully conscious was only the tip of the iceberg. There has been a dramatic change in the meat-packing industry in the last 15 years. Today, line speeds in packing plants run as fast as 1,100 animals per hour, which means that one worker is required to kill an animal every three seconds.
Workers know that if they stop that line, they are putting their jobs at risk.
The Humane Slaughter Act was enacted 40 years ago, and 20 years ago federal meat inspectors inside slaughterhouses, who are supposed to ensure food safety, were given the authority to enforce it. When inspectors observe violations, they are required to stop the slaughter line. They also must be rendered unconscious with ONE application of a humane stunning device prior to being bled or butchered. Cattle are generally stunned with a captive bolt device that shoots a metal rod into the head. Pigs are rendered unconscious with an electrical shock.