If bars can use webcams, why can't USDA?
Maybe I'm missing some privacy thing, but an individual with a small video camera initiated the largest meat recall in U.S. history.
So why isn't the U.S. Department of Agriculture making use of the same technology?
Public watering holes are jumping on the bandwagon.
The New York Times reports that bar Webcams are a growing phenomenon in cities like Boston, Denver, Chicago, San Diego, Minneapolis, and even tourist spots like Key West.
The idea is: with a Webcam installed in a bar or restaurant, potential customers can call up the live video stream online or by mobile phone so they can survey the crowd before venturing out.
People who want a quiet night can scout for a bar with a mellow scene, and those who want a lively night can look for the crowds. (Webcam bar promoters say it's typically a 50-50 split between the two camps.)
For the promoters, the online traffic equals money. Relatively new services like Barmigo and Barseenlive sell flat-rate subscriptions to the bars for licensing the Webcams and promoting their sites, and other upstarts like Baroptic.com are seeking to sell advertisements to liquor companies like Coors and Bacardi to run against those video streams.
So why isn't the U.S. Department of Agriculture making use of the same technology?Public watering holes are jumping on the bandwagon.
The New York Times reports that bar Webcams are a growing phenomenon in cities like Boston, Denver, Chicago, San Diego, Minneapolis, and even tourist spots like Key West.
The idea is: with a Webcam installed in a bar or restaurant, potential customers can call up the live video stream online or by mobile phone so they can survey the crowd before venturing out.People who want a quiet night can scout for a bar with a mellow scene, and those who want a lively night can look for the crowds. (Webcam bar promoters say it's typically a 50-50 split between the two camps.)
For the promoters, the online traffic equals money. Relatively new services like Barmigo and Barseenlive sell flat-rate subscriptions to the bars for licensing the Webcams and promoting their sites, and other upstarts like Baroptic.com are seeking to sell advertisements to liquor companies like Coors and Bacardi to run against those video streams.
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BarfBlog -
March 24, 2008 9:48 PM
Julie Schmit reports in USA Today Tuesday that the abuse of non-ambulatory cattle at a California slaughterhouse has renewed calls for a ban on the slaughter of such animals, and newly released government records show such mishandling in past years...
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USDA with web cams, many of their own inspectors have a hard enough time trying to use their own email. How and when would these cameras be installed? Would the USDA pay the processors for the lost production time during installation or would the taxpayers foot the bill. If the cam fails during production does the facility have to stop production in the cam area until it is repaired? In my experiences any electronic device doesn't last very long in a food processing plant. The sanitation crew will have destroyed it within days of its installation.
Having an inspector on the production floor is the best possible type of inspection. I believe it is also better for the government and the processing facility, after all facility are the ones paying for the inspectors. Even though the facilities pay for the inspectors they get no say in who is their inspector. If a facility files a complaint against one of its USDA inspectors nothing stops that inspector from retaliation against the facility.
Do we really want to head in the direction where we pay USDA vets to set in front of computer screen all day? Or will the USDA recruit from a lesser-educated group to be the eyes of our government’s inspection agency.
When hospitals and surgeons begin to let the government and patients record their operations is when I will agree with this.
Bravo! This is a very interesting idea. I say this as a former military health inspector (not a vet, but fairly close). Plus, thanks for telling me about barcams.
To Cody, I don't think any of the limitations you've described are actually limitations, if you think about it. There certainly would be problems in implementing such an idea, though, such as unwillingness of companies to allow it.
It would be easy enough to mount cameras inside waterproof plastic bubbles or something, so there would be little likelihood of damage from water or anything else. The cameras could be pre-mounted in the bubbles so then the bubbles just need to be placed (screwed in, hung, whatever) in strategic places in the plants. There would be little to no downtime.
Of course the USDA wouldn't pay for any downtime if there was any. They don't pay the plant when there is a safety or health violation. The onus of paying for and maintaining the cameras should fall to the companies, just as they are responsible for paying for inspections.
If this were to happen, I don't think USDA vets need to watch the webcams 24/7. They should spot check randomly. In addition, the video could be streamed on the web, perhaps with a record feature so regular people could watch and record violations at their local plant. Even spot checks would be a huge incentive for workers to do the right thing at all times. If you think that people wouldn't want to watch it, check out the viewing stats on cheddarvision.
Finally, at least some surgeons do allow the public to videotape at least some surgeries: it's on cable all the time.
I use to answer customer complaints at a bakery, we had people all the time tell me that our bread was going to kill someone because they believe we were using chlorine as an ingredient to make chlorinated flour. Are these really the people you want to watch live video and file complaints?
What would the ultimate purpose of these cameras be, to assist the USDA see "downer" animals or for animal welfare violations. Perhaps both but the American people most of them do not understand what is required to handle livestock. I have 20 years growing up in a cow-calf operation and several years in slaughter processing plants. Many of the violation seen Westland video turn my stomach, but where do you draw the line. At the public's opinion or at the USDA's. If consumers believe groups like PETA have the American consumers best interest in mind they are very mistaken.
Interesting ideas about webcam use- which I build on about crowdsourcing in this blog post:
http://influence.forumone.com/archives/211-Slaughterhouse-Webcams-Crowdsourcing-Food-Safety-Inspection.html