Dive Summary:
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture sent members of its Safety and Inspection Service to Southern Quality Meats slaughterhouse in Pontotoc, Miss., Wednesday to investigate claims that pigs were abused prior to being killed.
- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals released a video showing what it says is a worker at the plant stunning pigs in multiple areas of the body as they squeal in a pen—a violation of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, a federal law stating that requires animals to be quickly and painlessly stunned via a 3-second jolt to the head or heart before they are killed.
- The video was allegedly filmed by a whistleblower, who recorded it on April 2 and turned it over to PETA, and the animal rights group has requested that interim State Superintendent of Education Lynn House halt all dealings with the company, which has sold $7.8 million in sausage to the Mississippi Department of Education since 2006.
From the article:
... Richard McIntire, spokesman for the USDA Food and Safety Inspection Service, told The Clarion-Ledger that the service's veterinary specialists and office staff went to Southern Quality Meats, in Pontotoc, "to begin review of the situation recorded on the video, gather more information from company officials and determine next steps." ...
