Froehlich Packing Company: Non-Compliance to Humane Livestock Handling in 2021 (USDA)

313.1

Category IV Handling During Ante-Mortem On 9/3/21, at 0825 hours, while performing the review and observation portion of the Livestock Humane Handling task, during Ante-mortem in the barn area of the establishment the following noncompliance was observed. In pen number two, metal on the wall was bent and the corner was protruding out towards the animal holding area. There were two swine in this pen at the time. Neither of these animals appeared to be injured. Mr. REDACTED was immediately notified verbally. This pen was rejected using US Reject tag no. A5263444 to prevent injury to animals. This is noncompliance with 9 CFR 313.1. A search of PHIS did not show any recent similar noncompliance.

313.15(a)(1),313.16(a)(1)

HATS Category VIII - Stunning Effectiveness On June 7th, 2021 at approximately 12:35pm, while performing humane handling verification activities, CSI REDACTED observed the following noncompliance. The plant employee moved a sow in the stun box for stunning with a captive bolt, the captive bolt fired and hit the sow in between the eyes (1st attempt), the sow remained standing and looking around. She was well alert. CSI REDACTED saw blood on the cement floor dripping from her nose. The plant employee retrieved the .22 magnum rifle and fired the second shot within seconds. The sow remained conscious and was still standing. Immediately the employee shot the .22 rifle in between the eyes for a 3rd attempt. The employee reloaded the .22 rifle and shot the sow 1 inch above the previous shot between the eyes (4th attempt). CSI REDACTED contacted SPHV Dr REDACTED The sow was bleeding, standing, and vocalizing loudly. The employee left the slaughter floor to retrieve the plant owner at this time. The plant owner came out to the kill floor within 2 minutes and he fired rifle between the eyes (5th attempt). The sow dropped. The plant owner and employee opened the stun box and the sow rolled out onto the floor and then stood up and continued to vocalize. The plant owner and the employee got her to walk back into the stun box, once back into the stun box the plant owner used the captive bolt (6th attempt). She remained standing and vocalizing. The plant owner immediately shot the sow with the .22 rifle (7th attempt) the sow fell and got back up in standing position and vocalizing. He shot (rifle) the sow for an 8th attempt and she remained standing. The plant owner stunned the sow with the captive bolt, the sow fell and was rendered unconscious at approximately 12:54 pm (9th). Examination of the skull revealed a single full-thickness holes in the forehead of the animal. The skull was crushed all around the full thickness hole due to the multiple stunning attempts. Regulatory control action was applied to the knock box US Retain tag # B37530286. There have been no humane handling noncompliances within the past 90 days. Plant Owner was notified verbally of the Noncompliance and the establishment’s failure to adhere to the regulatory requirements of 9 CFR 313.16(a)(1).