Description
Inspect livestock, animal housing and transport, and slaughter/meat processing operations to ensure compliance with animal health, welfare, quality, and food safety regulations.
- • Inspect livestock, farms, markets, transport vehicles, and related facilities for compliance with animal health, welfare, quality, and food safety laws.
- • Examine or test animals to detect infectious diseases, parasites, injuries, and drug or chemical residues and assess animal condition and quality.
- • Verify transport, holding, handling, and humane slaughter procedures meet regulatory requirements.
- • Collect samples from animals, carcasses, milk, feed, or environments and submit to labs for pathogen, residue, or diagnostic testing.
- • Interpret and enforce animal health and food safety regulations and explain required standards to producers, haulers, and processors.
- • Prepare reports, citations, and recommendations and advise ranchers, feedlot operators, and processors on corrective actions.
- • Inspect employee hygiene, animal handling practices, and biosecurity protocols at farms, markets, and plants.
- • Monitor operations and sanitary conditions of slaughter and meat processing plants handling livestock.
- • Inspect meat and by-products and processing steps to determine whether products derived from livestock are safe to eat.
- • Take enforcement actions, including quarantines, product or carcass holds, or facility shutdowns, if health or safety is compromised.
- • Verify grading, identification, and traceability practices, including tags, brands, and movement records, conform to standards.
- • Label and seal approved carcasses or lots and issue official inspection or grading certificates.
- • Examine, weigh, and measure live animals, carcasses, and by-products to certify qualities, grades, and weights.
- • Review feed formulas, medication usage, and withdrawal times for compliance with labels and regulations.
- • Provide consultative services on facility design, equipment, animal welfare programs, vaccination and biosecurity plans, and food safety systems.
- • Testify in administrative or legal proceedings regarding inspections or enforcement actions.
Related specializations
Interview options
Interview options
Interviewee gender
Interviewee accent
Available on paid plans only
Interview time
Related Pathways
Agriculture
View
Source
Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
Learn more
Sources & Standards:
This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
