Green Bay Dressed Beef, LLC: Non-Compliance to Humane Livestock Handling in 2022 (USDA)

313.2

At approximately 0430 hours, CSI REDACTED was performing HATS categories IV (Antemortem Inspection) and V (Suspect and Disabled) in the barn and observed the following noncompliance.  CSI REDACTED observed a group of cull dairy cows in pen 31-32, which is a long, narrow pen (approximately 12 feet wide and 60 feet long) with a gate at each end.  Barn personnel opened a gate to move the animals out into Alley 2 for antemortem inspection.  Inside the pen, there was a laterally recumbent cow, lying across the width of the pen and blocking the path toward the open gate.  Two barn employees assisted the cow into sternal recumbency, but the animal was unable to stand. While the two barn employees stood at the down cow’s side to support her in sternal recumbency, another barn employee moved several other cows through a space between the down animal and the side of the pen.  A black cow tried to jump over the down cow but stopped when the two barn employees near the down animal put up their hands.  The black cow turned away from the down cow, but the barn employee moving cattle in the pen redirected her back toward the space between the down cow and the side of the pen toward the open gate.  The black cow then jumped over the down cow between the two barn employees, who moved out of the way.  The down cow fell over onto her right side into lateral recumbency.  At that time, barn employees stopped moving cattle around the down cow.  The gate at the other end of the pen was opened to move the rest of the cows out of the pen, and the down animal was humanely euthanized. Shortly after this, SPHV Dr. REDACTED arrived in the barn, and CSI REDACTED told her of his observations.  Dr. REDACTED discussed the situation with Barn Foreman REDACTED, who provided acceptable corrective actions and preventive measures, and therefore, a regulatory control action was not taken.  Dr. REDACTED notified Mr. REDACTED that a noncompliance record would be documented for the failure to meet the requirements of 9 CFR 313.2.