FSIS

Over the past decade, FSIS has not had a sufficient number of veterinarians and remains unable to overcome this shortage, according to FSIS officials. The agency's goal was to have 1,134 veterinarians on staff in fiscal year 2008, but it fell short of that by 166 veterinarians, or 15 percent.

FSIS headquarters officials and veterinarians working in slaughter plants differed on the impact of this shortage. Headquarters officials told us that, despite the shortage, the agency has been able to meet its food safety and other responsibilities by redistributing the workforce. For example, in some cases, FSIS has assigned one veterinarian to several slaughter plants or assigned only one to plants that previously had two. In contrast, several veterinarians working in slaughter plants told us that, because of inadequate staffing, they are not always able to meet their responsibilities and perform high-quality work. For example, veterinarians told us they cannot always verify crucial sanitation and security checks of the plant or promptly log data on animal diseases and welfare.

In early 2008, veterinarians also told us they did not always have time to ensure the humane treatment of livestock. Inhumane treatment triggered an investigation that led to the largest beef recall in U.S. history. More specifically, in February 2008, the Humane Society of the United States released videos to the public that documented abuse of cattle awaiting slaughter at a plant in Chino, California. These alleged abuses, which took place in the fall of 2007, included electrically shocking nonambulatory “downer” cattle, spraying them with high-pressure water hoses, and ramming them with a forklift in an apparent attempt to force them to rise for slaughter. These acts are not only cruel, they pose a risk to the safety of the food supply, because downer animals are known to be at greater risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy. FSIS regulations require that downer cattle be separated to await disposition by an inspector, even if they become nonambulatory after an inspector has approved the animal for slaughter during the preslaughter inspection. On February 1, 2008, the plant voluntarily ceased operations pending investigation by FSIS into the alleged abuses. On February 17, 2008, the plant announced that it was voluntarily recalling approximately 143 million pounds of raw and frozen beef products because of its failure to notify FSIS of the downer cows and the remote possibility that the beef being recalled could cause adverse health effects if consumed. The release of the videos by the Humane Society led congressional committees and USDA to question how such events could have occurred at a plant in which FSIS inspectors were assigned. At the request of the Secretary of Agriculture, USDA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) is leading a criminal investigation that is ongoing at the time of this report. In addition, OIG conducted an audit of FSIS's controls over preslaughter activities and reported in November 2008 that controls to demonstrate the sufficiency and competency of FSIS' personnel resources could be strengthened to minimize the chance that such events could recur, among other things.³

Veterinarians and other FSIS officials we interviewed told us that, at the time of the incident, only one veterinarian was assigned to the plant that was the source of the recall, whereas two had been assigned in past years.

FSIS officials told us that there are several reasons for the agency's ongoing shortage of veterinarians. For example, most veterinarians do not want to work in the unpleasant environment of a slaughterhouse. Furthermore, veterinarians are trained to heal animals, but FSIS veterinarians are hired to oversee the slaughter of animals. The job can also be physically and emotionally grueling, and many of the plants are in remote and sometimes undesirable locations. In addition, as a result of staff shortages, there is little opportunity to take time off for training that could lead to promotion. Finally, FSIS veterinarians told us that their salaries do not sufficiently compensate for the working conditions and are low relative to those of other veterinarians. According to OPM's Central Personnel Data File, the mean annual salary for FSIS veterinarians in 2007 was $77,678; in contrast, the mean salary for private-practice veterinarians was $115,447 in 2007, according to the most recent data from the American Veterinary Medical Association.

FSIS has taken several steps to address the shortage. For example, it awarded 35 recruitment bonuses totaling more than $583,000 in the first 9 months of fiscal year 2008. FSIS also has internship programs that have, according to agency officials, increased awareness and generated interest in veterinarian work at the agency. For example, over the past 5 years, FSIS has established agreements with 16 veterinary schools to provide volunteer training opportunities to veterinary students with an interest in food safety and public health. In fiscal year 2008, there were 26 participants in the program, compared with only 1 when the program began in 2003. Two participants have thus far returned to FSIS for full-time employment after graduation. FSIS also has a paid veterinary student program that is designed to provide experience directly related to the student's educational program and career goals. Since 2002, when FSIS began tracking this program, 77 students have participated, and 6 have become full-time employees. In addition, FSIS has sought special hiring authorities from OPM. For example, in July 2008, the agency was delegated authority to hire a limited number of retirees at full salary instead of at the reduced salary required for those with annuity income. Officials told us they hope this will encourage retired veterinarians to join FSIS, but, as of the date of this report, no retirees have been hired through this program. FSIS intends to track the effectiveness of this special hiring authority. Moreover, FSIS has proposed implementing a demonstration project that would allow the agency to test a pay system that offers more competitive salaries to veterinarians, among others. OPM requires that agencies undertaking such a project provide OPM with an analysis of the impact of the project results in relation to its objectives. OPM officials told us the project may be implemented in July 2009. Finally, OPM has in the past granted FSIS the ability to make immediate job offers to veterinarians without following prescribed competitive procedures, which can slow the hiring process. This “direct-hire authority” expired in 2007 and was not renewed at that time because, according to FSIS officials, USDA did not provide the expiration notification to FSIS. We were recently informed that USDA received approval from OPM on November 25, 2008, for direct hire for FSIS veterinarians lasting through December 31, 2009. However, FSIS officials raised concerns about the length of time of the authority, among other things, stating that it takes 5 to 6 months to renew this authority.