CRIMES WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES - gpvec

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Crimes Without ConsequenCes
One employee hit the hog from the floor [with captive bolt] and it did not stun
the hog, then another employee that was not trained hit it from on top of the
chute with the mechanical captive bolt stunner and it did not stun the animal.
The third employee was trained but the stunner miss fired two times and then it
hit but the animal went to its front knees and was not completely stunned, then
the employee got on the floor and hit the animal again; this time it stunned the
animal. 122
While observing the stunning operation on a bovine steer, the method used (a
22 caliber bullet to the brain) did not effectively render the animal unconscious
prior to being shackled. It took 5 more bullets to complete the stunning. 123
Humane handling of disabled animals
As of January 12, 2004, U.S. slaughter plants are prohibited from slaughtering nonambulatory
disabled cattle for human consumption. 124 However, disabled animals other
than cattle still may be slaughtered, and disabled cattle may continue to be unloaded at
slaughter facilities. In addition, cattle arriving at a plant in an ambulatory state may go
down while on the grounds of the establishment. 125 Federal regulations require: “Disabled
animals and other animals unable to move shall be separated from normal ambulatory
animals and placed in the covered pen provided for in Sec. 313.1(c).” 126 They also state:
“The dragging of disabled animals and other animals unable to move, while conscious,
is prohibited.” 127 Following are examples from federal NRs of failure to handle disabled/
downed animals in a humane manner:
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While walking toward the holding pens to take the temperature of a downer cow,
I observed three persons forcing the downer animal to get up with a rope and
one electric prod. The animal was bellowing and kicking the pen’s rods as [the
animal] was forced by establishment employees but it could not get up because
of an open wound in the leg. 128
This morning your employee informed me of a vehicle arriving with three
disabled cows in it…. I noticed there was no equipment suitable for humanely
moving the disabled livestock without the animal being dragged. I then asked
the driver being the only one around how he gets the animals off the truck and
his reply was he pulls them with a rope. I then explained to him the humane
procedure and showed him the FSIS directive 6900.1. He laughed but did not
move the animals. 129
122 NR issued to plant #02325M on November 19, 2003.
123 NR issued to plant #15768M on September 10, 2003.
124 Federal Register , Vol. 69, No. 7, January 12, 2004, pp. 1862-1874. Interim rule of January 12, 2004 was
affirmed with amendments in Federal Register notice of July 13, 2007 to be effective October 1, 2007. Federal
Register, Vol. 72, No. 134, July 13, 2007, pp. 38700.
125 FSIS inspection personnel may determine on a case-by-case basis the disposition of cattle that go down after
they have passed ante-mortem inspection. Moreover, non-ambulatory veal calves may be held for treatment.
Federal Register, Vol. 72, No. 134, July 13, 2007, p. 38700.
126 9 CFR 313.2(d)(1).
127 9 CFR 313.2(d)(2).
128 NR issued to plant #19751M on November 4, 2003.
129 NR issued to plant #04470M on October 23, 2003.
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