Abe's Kosher Meats LLC: Non-Compliance to Humane Livestock Handling in 2022 (USDA)

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HATS Category II: Truck Unloading HATS Category V: Suspect and Disabled On 2/16/2022 at approximately 0755 hours, while observing the unloading of cattle from a livestock trailer with the CSI and establishment QA, I observed the following noncompliance. I was standing on the driver side of the livestock trailer and truck and observed seven beef cattle exit the trailer. I observed the truck driver on the outside driver side of the livestock trailer utilizing a rattle paddle on the side of the trailer to encourage the cattle to exit. The cattle had stopped exiting the livestock trailer and I observed the truck driver enter the back end of the livestock trailer. No further cattle were exiting the trailer, when I looked into the back of the livestock trailer, I observed two beef cattle lying in sternal recumbency, with their bodies lying crosswise and their heads facing the front of the livestock trailer. These two animals were at the back of the trailer, blocking the exit, and preventing the remaining sixteen cattle from exiting the livestock trailer. I observed the three internal doors of the trailer, which separate the trailer into sections, open within the livestock trailer. I observed the kill floor supervisor enter the livestock trailer and utilize a hand-held battery-operated electric prod, one time, on the disabled bovine on the left side of the trailer. I observed that animal rise on its own and turn around and exit the livestock trailer and additional cattle followed. The other disabled animal did not rise, but while the remaining sixteen cattle were exiting the livestock trailer, I observed the disabled heifer being stepped on, kicked and turned lengthwise and into lateral recumbency by the exiting cattle. Once all other cattle had exited the livestock trailer, I observed that disabled heifer slowly rise on her own and exit the livestock trailer. No regulatory control action was taken. I verbally notified the kill floor supervisor that I would be issuing a noncompliance record for inhumane handling for the disabled heifer being stepped on by multiple other cattle during unloading. When I entered the kill floor, I located the HACCP Coordinator and discussed the event with her and verbally notified the HACCP Coordinator that I would be issuing a noncompliance record for inhumane handling for the disabled heifer being stepped on by multiple other cattle during unloading. There have been no noncompliance records issues for the same root cause within the past 90 days.

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HATS Category III: Water and Feed Availability At approximately 1320 hours, Wednesday, February 9, 2022, I, CSI REDACTED, observed five dairy cows during truck unloading and ante-mortem inspections. The five cows were put into the outside round pen. When the cows were put in the pen, I observed that no water barrels were in the pen the cows were in. At approximately 1410 hours, I went back to the pen area and observed the same pen of five cows still weren’t offered water. I reentered the establishment and informed the Kill Floor Supervisor of the cattle being held without water and that it will be documented in a noncompliance. The establishment immediately supplied the cattle with water after being notified of the noncompliance. There are no associable noncompliance records in the past 90 days.

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HATS Category VII: Slips and Falls On January 10, 2022, at approximately 0800 hours, I observed cattle being unloaded and led into the pens. There was a large patch of ice, approximately 7 feet by 3 feet, spanning nearly the width of the lead up alley. I observed most of the 45 cows walking through the lane slip on the ice. One cow slipped and fell onto the ice. The cow was able to rise on her own and did not appear injured. I put US Rejected tag B45435575 on the lead up alley and informed the kill floor supervisor of the large ice patch and of the noncompliance. There have not been any non-compliances for the same root cause in the past 90 days.