A&W Country Meats, Inc.: Non-Compliance to Humane Livestock Handling in 2022 (USDA)
See the detail of the non-compliance of humane livestock handling that the USDA observed at the A&W Country Meats, Inc. slaughterhouse establishment in 2022.
You can also see other establishments that were non-compliant in 2022.
313.15(a)(1)
On 7/13/22 at approximately 0635 hours while observing HATS Category VIII, Stunning Effectiveness, as part of a routine Livestock Humane Handling Task at A&W Country Meats (M-10801), REDACTED, SCSI, observed the following humane handling (HH) noncompliance. The 1st animal to be stunned for the day, a black, young (less than 30 months), market steer anxiously waited in the knock box, thrashed around significantly, and attempted repeatedly to leap upward and out the front of the knock box. The experienced employee prepared for and waited patiently for the first attempt, which was ineffective. The first knock was unsuccessful due to the animal remaining in a standing position, hopping around slightly, shaking its head, eyes dazed but continuing to blink and track movement. Rhythmic breathing continued, but no vocalization was heard. The employee followed their written robust systematic approach (RSA) to humane handling, reloaded the same device and attempted to get the animal’s head up and away from the front concrete wall of the knock box so a second stun could be applied. The employee then applied a second, effective stun which rendered the animal unconscious prior to shackling, hoisting, sticking, and bleeding. After the head was removed and skinned, I observed two (2) indentations in the cranium; the first stun was incorrectly placed too low near the left eye, while the other stun was correctly placed in the middle of the forehead. Both indentations were approximately 1.5” in diameter. Taking more than one stunning attempt to achieve unconsciousness represents a noncompliance with regulation 9 CFR 313.15(a)(1), which states: "The captive bolt stunners shall be applied to the livestock in accordance with this section so as to produce immediate unconsciousness in the animals before they are shackled, hoisted, thrown, cast, or cut. The animals shall be stunned in such a manner that they will be rendered unconscious with a minimum of excitement and discomfort." Mr. REDACTED was verbally notified and is hereby notified in writing of this repeat Livestock Humane Handling non-compliance which will be associated with others for similar cause.
313.15(a)(1)
On 7/13/22 at approximately 0915 hours while observing HATS Category VIII, Stunning Effectiveness, as part of a routine Livestock Humane Handling Task at A&W Country Meats (M-10801), REDACTED, SCSI, observed the following humane handling (HH) noncompliance. The 4th animal to be stunned for the day, a black, older (over 30-month), market steer entered the knock box relatively quietly. The experienced employee administered the first attempt, which was ineffective due to the animal initially dropping to the ground, then immediately leaping back up to its feet and vocalizing. The employee followed their written robust systematic approach (RSA) to humane handling, reloaded the same device and attempted to get the animal’s head up and away from the front concrete wall of the knock box so a second stun could be applied. The employee then applied a second, effective stun which rendered the animal unconscious prior to shackling, hoisting, sticking, and bleeding. After the head was removed and skinned, I observed two (2), overlapping, deep, splintering indentations in the middle of the cranium, approximately 1.75” in diameter. Taking more than one stunning attempt to achieve unconsciousness represents a noncompliance with regulation 9 CFR 313.15(a)(1), which states: "The captive bolt stunners shall be applied to the livestock in accordance with this section so as to produce immediate unconsciousness in the animals before they are shackled, hoisted, thrown, cast, or cut. The animals shall be stunned in such a manner that they will be rendered unconscious with a minimum of excitement and discomfort." Mr. REDACTED was verbally notified and is hereby notified in writing of this repeat Livestock Humane Handling non-compliance which will be associated with others for similar cause.
313.15(a)(1)
On 6/15/22 at approximately 0645 hours while observing HATS Category VIII, Stunning Effectiveness, as part of a routine Humane Handling Assessment at A&W Country Meats (M-10801), Dr. REDACTED, in the capacity of “acting DVMS,” observed the following humane handling (HH) noncompliance. The 1st animal to be stunned for the day, a black, young (all baby teeth remaining) market heifer anxiously waited in the knock box, thrashed around significantly, and attempted repeatedly to leap upward and out the front of the knock box while the employee climbed the ladder, crossed the catwalk, and loaded the Cash non-penetrating captive bolt stunning device. The experienced employee prepared for and waited patiently for the first attempt, which was ineffective. The first knock was unsuccessful due to the animal remaining in a standing position, head remaining upright, eyes dazed but continuing to blink and track movement. Rhythmic breathing continued, but no vocalization was heard. The employee followed their written robust systematic approach (RSA) to humane handling, reloaded the same device, and attempted to get the animal’s head up and away from the front concrete wall of the knock box so a second stun could be applied. This took approximately one minute. The employee then applied a second, effective stun which rendered the animal unconscious prior to shackling, hoisting, sticking, and bleeding. After the head was removed and skinned, it was observed there were two (2), nearly overlapping indentations in the cranium, approximately 1.5” in diameter and just to the left of midline. Taking more than one stunning attempt to achieve unconsciousness represents a noncompliance with regulation 9 CFR 313.15(a)(1), which states: "The captive bolt stunners shall be applied to the livestock in accordance with this section so as to produce immediate unconsciousness in the animals before they are shackled, hoisted, thrown, cast, or cut. The animals shall be stunned in such a manner that they will be rendered unconscious with a minimum of excitement and discomfort." Mr. REDACTED was verbally notified and is hereby notified in writing of this Livestock Humane Handling non-compliance.
