requirements for the disposition of cattle that become non-ambulatory disabled following ante-mortem inspection the food safety and inspection service fsis is proposing to amend the federal meat inspection regulations to remove the provision that states that fsis inspection personnel will determine the disposition of cattle that become non-ambulatory disabled after they have passed ante-mortem inspection on a case-by-case basis. this proposed rule will require that all cattle that are non-ambulatory disabled at the time be presented for ante-mortem inspection at an official establishment and all those that become non-ambulatory disabled after passing ante-mortem inspection be condemned and properly disposed of. all provisions in the srm final rule including the prohibition on the slaughter of non-ambulatory disabled cattle apply to official establishments and custom slaughter operations. as discussed in the preamble to the srm final rule although custom slaughter operations are exempt from inspection under section 23 a of the federal meat inspection act the meat and meat food products prepared in custom operations are still subject to the fmias adulteration and misbranding provisions 21 u.s.c. 623 . thus custom operators are prohibited from slaughtering and preparing products from non-ambulatory disabled cattle because the carcasses of these animals are considered unfit for human food 72 fr 38704 . in the preamble to the srm final rule fsis noted that fsis inspectors are not available to determine the disposition of cattle that become non-ambulatory disabled in a custom operation. therefore as explained in the srm final rule preamble if an animal becomes non-ambulatory disabled from an acute injury after its owner has delivered it to a custom operation for slaughter the custom operator may slaughter the animal for human food if both the operator and the owner of the animal did not observe any other clinical abnormalities that could be consistent with bse before the animal sustained the acute injury 72 fr 38704