If an animal goes down or shows signs of illness AFTER receiving ante-mortem inspection before slaughter, the establishment must:

If an animal goes down or shows signs of illness AFTER receiving ante-mortem inspection before slaughter, the establishment must:

• A. Immediately notify the FSIS veterinarian
• B. Do nothing
• C. Euthanize immediately
• D. Schedule a review later

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that ante-mortem inspection determines if an animal is fit for slaughter, but anything that happens after that clearance is handled during post-mortem inspection. If an animal goes down or shows signs of illness after it has already passed ante-mortem, there isn’t an immediate action required by the plant at that moment. The disposition and any necessary measures are left to the post-mortem evaluation and FSIS veterinarians. This setup exists because post-mortem inspection is designed to catch issues that aren’t evident before slaughter. If the animal remains healthy at post-mortem, the carcass can proceed; if problems are found, the carcass can be condemned or otherwise handled accordingly. So no immediate steps are mandated by the plant for a downed or ill animal that already cleared ante-mortem.

The key idea is that ante-mortem inspection determines if an animal is fit for slaughter, but anything that happens after that clearance is handled during post-mortem inspection. If an animal goes down or shows signs of illness after it has already passed ante-mortem, there isn’t an immediate action required by the plant at that moment. The disposition and any necessary measures are left to the post-mortem evaluation and FSIS veterinarians.

This setup exists because post-mortem inspection is designed to catch issues that aren’t evident before slaughter. If the animal remains healthy at post-mortem, the carcass can proceed; if problems are found, the carcass can be condemned or otherwise handled accordingly. So no immediate steps are mandated by the plant for a downed or ill animal that already cleared ante-mortem.