AVMA's guidelines: Humane slaughter of animals

The AVMA Guidelines for the Humane Slaughter of Animals offer best practices for humanely ending the lives of animals raised for food or fiber. The newest edition of the guidelines, released in September 2024, is more user-friendly and improves readability by reformatting the content into species-specific chapters. Join Dr. Robert Meyer, chair of the AVMA Panel on Humane Slaughter, for an overview of these changes and how they impact you. 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Understand the process for creating AVMA s humane endings guidance, and how the guidelines should be used.
• Learn the breadth of species used for food and fiber covered by the guidelines.
• Identify where to find information on special considerations and religious slaughter within the guidelines.

Dr. Robert Meyer is professor emeritus of clinical sciences at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He received his DVM from Cornell University in 1980, and was board certified by the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia (ACVAA) in 1986. He was previously on the faculty at North Carolina State University from 1983 to 2003 and retired from full-time work at Mississippi State University in 2022. He is a past president of the ACVAA (2010-2012).  

Dr. Meyer chaired the inhaled methods sections of the 2013 and 2020 AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals, and the 2016 and 2023 AVMA Guidelines for the Humane Slaughter of Animals. He is a contributing member of the swine working group for the 2019 AVMA Guidelines for the Depopulation of Animals.