lUMANE SLAUGHTER HEARINGS BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON LIVESTOCK AND FEED GEAINS OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGßlCULTÜEE HOUSE OF EEPEESENTATIYES EIGHTY-FIFTH CONGEESS FIRST SESSION ON H. R. 176, H. R. 2880, H. R. 3029, H. R. 3049, H. R. 5671, H. R. 5820, H. R. 6422, AND H. R. 650J APRIL 2 AND 12, 1957 Printed for the use of the Committee on Agriculture Serial L UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1957 ROSS BASS, Tennessee DONALD E. TE WES, Wisconsin COYA KNUTSON, Minnesota DELEGATES W. PAT JENNINGS, Virginia E. L. BARTLETT, Alaska D. R. (BILLY) MATTHEWS, Florida JOHN A. BURNS, Hawaii RESIDENT COMMISSIONER II A. FERNÓS-ISERN, Puerto Rico Mrs. MABEL C. DOWNEY, Clerh JOHN J. HEIMBURGER, Coufisel FRANCIS M. LE MAY, Consultant SUBCOMMITTEE ON LIVESTOCK AND FEED GRAINS W. R. POAGE, Texas, Chairman CARL ALBERT, Oklahoma WILLIAM S. HILL, Colorado W. PAT JENNINGS, Virginia CHARLES B. HOEVEN, Iowa D. R. (BILLY) MATTHEWS, Florida RALPH HARVEY, Indiana JOHN A. BURNS, Hawaii II W. R. POluifl, TexasT""^^^^^^**" "JlUiUUl 11. iiI|iI'liiJiJilHi||iiillli I GEORGE M. GRANT, Alabama WILLIAM S. HILL, Colorado E. C. GATHINGS, Arkansas CHARLES B. HOEVEN, Iowa JOHN L. MCMILLAN, South Carolina SID SIMPSON, Illinois THOMAS G. ABERNETHY, Mississippi PAUL B. DAGUE, Pennsylvania CARL ALBERT, Oklahoma RALPH HARVEY, Indiana WATKINS M. ABBITT, Virginia PAGE BELCHER, Oklahoma JAMES G. POLK, Ohio CLIFFORD G. McINTIRE, Maine CLARK W. THOMPSON, Texas WILLIAM R. WILLIAMS, New York PAUL C. JONES, Missouri ROBERT D. HARRISON, Nebraska JOHN C. WATTS, Kentucky HENRY ALDOUS DIXON, Utah HARLAN HAGEN, California WINT SMITH, Kansas LESTER R. JOHNSON, Wisconsin OTTO KRUEGER, North Dakota VICTOR L. ANFUSO, New York CHARLES M. TEAGUE, California ROSS BASS, Tennessee DONALD B. TBWBS, Wis COYA KNUTSON, Minnesota DELEGATES W. PAT JENNINGS, Virginia E. L. BARTLETT, Alaska D. R. (BILLY) MATTHEWS, Florida JOHN A. BURNS, Hawaii ÍI RESIDENT COMMISSIONER A. FERNÓS-ISERN, Puerto Rico Mrs. MABEL C. DOWNEY, Clerk JOHN J. HEIMBURGER, Oounsel FRANCIS M. LE MAY, Consultant SUBCOMMITTEE ON LIVESTOCK AND FEED GRAINS W. R. POAGE, Texas, Chairman CARL ALBERT, Oklahoma WILLIAM S. HILL, Colorado W. PAT JENNINGS, Virginia CHARLES B. HOEVEN, Iowa D. R. (BILLY) MATTHEWS, Florida RALPH HARVEY, Indiana JOHN A. BURNS, Hawaii CONTENT H. R. 176, a bill to require the use of humane methods in the slaughter of livestock and poultry in interstate or foreign commerce, and for other purposes 1 H. R. 2880, a bill to require the use of humane methods in the slaughter of livestock and poultry in interstate or foreign commerce, and for other purposes 2 H. R. 3029, a bill to require the use of humane methods in the slaughter of livestock and poultry in interstate or foreign commerce and for other purposes 3 H. R. 3049, a bill to require the use of humane methods in the slaughter of livestock and poultry in interstate or foreign commerce, and for other purposes 4 H. R. 5671, a bill to require the use of humane methods in the slaughter of livestock and poultry in interstate or foreign commerce and for other purposes 4 H. R. 5820, a bill to promote the development and use of improved methods for the humane handling, transporting, and slaughtering of livestock and poultry in interstate and foreign commerce 5 H. R. 6422, a bill to require the use of humane methods in the slaughter of livestock and poultry in interstate or foreign commerce and for other purposes 6 H. R. 6509, a bill to require the use of humane methods in the slaughter of livestock and poultry in interstate or foreign commerce, and for other purposes 7 Statement of— Aaberg, Herman C, president of Livestock Conservation, Inc., Chicago, 111 143 Anthony, D. J., MRCVS, DVSM, FRSH, chief, veterinary officer, Brierley Hill, at the Marsh & Baxter headquarters plant, Stafford- shire, England 61 Babcock, Dr. Myra, Pleasant Ridge, Mich 48 Barner, Dr. Ralph D., professor of veterinary pathology. College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich 30 Bemelmans, Madeleine, Society for Animal Protective Legislation, New York, N. Y 50 Buttrick, Carlton E., president of the Animal Rescue League of Boston and an officer and director of New England Livestock Conserva- y tion, Inc 18,22 ^y Clarkson, Dr. M. R., deputy administrator. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture; accompanied by Dr. A. R. Miller, director, Meat Inspection Division, United States Department of Agriculture 9, 132 Caybaugh, Mrs. Blair F., president of the Humane Society of Harris- burg, Pa., and president of the Federated Humane Societies of Pennsylvania 21 Dorn, Hon. W. J. Bryan, a Representative in Congress from the State of South Carolina 66 Dawson, Hon. William A., a Representative in Congress from the State of Utah 122 Gesell, Mrs. Robert, Animal Welfare Institute, New York, N. Y 51 Greenwald, David H., counsel, American Federation of Retail Kosher Butchers, Inc 107 Griffiths, Hon. Martha W., a Representative in Congress from the 17th Congressional District of the State of Michigan 8, 129 IV CONTENTS Statement of—Continued Page ^JJâjifieid, Raymop^d J., executive assistant, the American Society for k theJp&^everïtioj'ôf^XUeltj^ to Animals, New York, N. Y 21 1 Ifeßfcana:,'"S"ôn. Edgar W.^ a Representative in Congress from Cal- ! ] ifornia. ____--.-,--.^4--4--> 128 j Iiol|V^4^>' Fran.pes *A^,fWashington, D. C 81 : liumkrié' Society of the Ijnilted States ^ 145 ■ J9hnspn^.Gliftoji.Evj p#-^ l^ichigan Humane Society, Detroit, Mich_ _ 18 ' JoTing0|i,; ¿eùbénî jaséis tant boordinator of legislative service. National Kearney, Paul W., Brooklyn, N. Y 57 La Roe, Wilbur, Jr., general counsel for the National Independent Meat Packers Association 88 Lewin, Rabbi Isaac, member of the executive committee of the Union of orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada, and professor at Yeshiva University, New York; accompanied by Rabbi Pinças Teitz 35 Liljenquist, L. Blaine, Washington representative, Western States Meat Packers Association, Inc., Washington, D. C 110 Macfarlane, John C, director, livestock conservation department of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 26,145 Mayer, Arnold, public relations director and Washington staff member of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America, AFL-CIO; accompanied by Larkin Birmingham, business agent, local 149, Baltimore, Md 59 Milburn, G. R. ''Jack," Grassrange, Mont., first vice president and chairman, legislative committee, American National Cattlemen's Association 33 Miller, Hon. George P., a Representative in Congress from the Eighth District of California 125 Morgan, Jo V., Jr., attorney, the American Humane Association 15 Myers, Fred, executive director, the Humane Society of the United States, Washington, D. C 1 67 Naramore, C. Raymond, vice president and executive director of the Humane Society of Rochester and Monroe County, N. Y., a member of the board of directors of the American Humane Association and chairman of the AHA committee on awards for humane slaughtering. 17 Neuberger, Senator Richard L., of Oregon 119 Perkins, Helen N., president of the Richmond Society for the Pre- vention of Cruelty to Animals, Richmond, Va 21 Pfeffer, Leo, attorney, New York, N. Y 34 Phillips, Rutherford T., executive director of the American Humane Association 23 Phillips, William T., operative manager of the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals 19 Prout, Mrs. R. I. C, president of the General Federation of Women's Clubs 77 Regensburger, R. W., of Swift & Co., appearing for the American Meat Institute ; accompanied by Alec P. Da vies 92 Sargent, Miss Virginia W., Animal Protective Association 80 Shaffer, J. J., managing director of the Anticruelty Society of Chicago. 19 Stevens, Mrs. Christine, president. Animal Welfare Institute 52 Additional data submitted to the subcommittee by— Holway, Mrs. Frances A., Washington, D. C: A letter from a United States Government inspector in a slaughter- house to the National Humane Society (and to you) 86 Poage, Hon. W. R.: American Farm Bureau Federation, Washington, D. C, letter of April 1, 1957 92 American Veterinary Medical Association, telegram of May 1, 1957 146 Humaneness of producing unconsciousness in pigs with CO2 56 HUMANE SLAUGHTER TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 1957 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMODITY SUBCOMMITTEE ON LIVESTOCK AND FEED GRAINS OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, Washington^ D, C, The subcommittee met pursuant to notice at 10:10 a. m., in room 1310, New House Office Building, Hon. W. E. Poage (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Eepresentatives Poage (chairman of the subcommittee), Albert, Jennings, Matthews, Hill, and Harvey. Also present: Eepresentatives Abernethy, Polk, Gathings, Jones, Thompson, Johnson, Dague, Mclntire, Dixon, Krueger and Teague (California) ; Devereux, Cooley, and Mrs. Griffiths. John Heimburger, counsel. Mr. POAGE. The committee will please come to order. We are here this morning to consider various humane bills that are before us. We have a number of bills, some of which possibly are duplicates. (The bills are as follows :) [H. R. 176, 85th Cong., 1st sess.] A BILL To require the use of humane methods in the slaughter of livestock and poultry in interstate or foreign commerce, and for other purposes Be it enacted "by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assemhled. That, as used in this Act— (a) The term "commerce" means commerce (1) among the several States or with foreign nations, (2)