This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

I would like to comment on Reps. Michael K. McKell and Lee Perry's op-ed, "Commissioner deserves credit for solving meat-inspection problem, not blame" (Oct. 24, 2015).

The representatives decried The Salt Lake Tribune for forsaking the "fourth branch of government" (the free press) responsibilities and putting out "deadline-driven stories".

Tribune reporter Kathy Stephenson spent a week and contacted at least six people about the story. Some of those individuals did not wish to speak on the record but did verify the many concerns I had about the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF). I also need to point out that the meat inspection issue is just the tip of the iceberg of the problems at UDAF. I also believe that The Tribune did exactly what the free press should do, and that is bring to light problems that may affect the Utah public. I was always taught that there are three branches of government, not four, and that each branch of government was to be a check and balance on the other two branches. I didn't know that the legislative branch was to be a cheerleader for the executive branch.

The representatives stated "We immediately reached out to UDAF to understand what really happened …"

The representatives apparently made their conclusions based on one single source ­— Commissioner LuAnn Adams. If the representatives really wanted to know what was going on in the department, they would have conducted a more thorough investigation. I call on them to do just that, and perform a proper investigation to what is going on at UDAF.

The representatives stated that "UDAF did lose authority to continue meat inspections ... This was the result of an audit by USDA …. The oversight of the on-site veterinarians was under the authority of Hess, the acting state veterinarian at the time."

While I did approve the time sheets of the veterinarians overseeing meat inspection duties at the slaughter facilities, one of my biggest complaints has been that, despite state law that directs the state veterinarian to be the one overseeing not only animal health, but meat and poultry inspection and brand inspection, Commissioner Adams and Director Cody James took me (the acting state veterinarian) completely out of any decision making concerning meat and brand inspection. I don't understand how those in charge at UDAF can take the state veterinarian out of any and all decisions (despite state law) and then when things go bad, they blame the state veterinarian!

The representatives stated that "Veterinarians were certifying meat they had not seen."

This is totally false and does a great disservice to the slaughter facility in question. There has never been meat that has been produced at that facility intended for human consumption that has not received all of the needed inspection steps. The representatives should apologize to the facility in question for making Utah citizens think that meat for human consumption was not properly inspected. If that had been the case, there would have been a recall, and there was no recall.

The representatives stated "The sign of a true leader is one who accepts responsibility for making a mistake and takes the action necessary to stop that mistake from happening in the future. Adams … dealt with the issue and put in a process to prevent it from happening again."

The representatives have again ignored the fact that Commissioner Adams is going against state law, and that is the primary issue. As long as these types of decisions continue, this will not be the end of problems at UDAF. Commissioner Adams has done nothing to address this problem.

Warren J. Hess DVM was employed with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food for 11 years until his resignation in October, 2015. Hess was voted the "2014 Veterinarian of the Year" by the Utah Veterinary Medical Association and served as president of the UVMA in 2000.