Abe's Kosher Meats LLC: Non-Compliance to Humane Livestock Handling in 2023 (USDA)

313.15(a)(1),313.15(a)(3),313.2(f)

HATS Category VIII: Stunning Effectiveness At approximately 11:55am on Wednesday April 26, 2023, the CSI was conducting a Humane Handling task and observed the following: The plant manager notified the CSI of needing antemortem performed and the CSI followed the plant manager outside to the unloading zone. A REDACTED livestock trailer was backing up. Once the livestock trailer stopped the plant manager opened the door to the trailer and I observed a dairy cow down on its right side with its back facing the door. The plant manager had to stop the cows from unloading off the trailer and stepping on the down cow. I observed the down cow to be exhibiting slow shallow breathing and the plant manager requested the stun operator to come outside to stun the down dairy cow The stun operated arrived with two hand-held captive bolt devices (HHCBD) and handed one to the pen handler. All three plant employees were inside the livestock trailer, and I observed the plant manager putting his hands on two cows, thereby preventing them from unloading. When the stun operator was in place, he reached down and lifted the cow’s head by the ear. The stun operator applied the first stun attempt, and I observed the cow’s head immediately fall limp to the trailer floor and the back feet got stiff and shook. The stun operator retrieved the second HHCBD from the pen handler and applied a second “security” stun and the cow did not move or vocalize. I did not observe any signs of consciousness in the dairy cow. The plant manager took a chain and hooked the chain to the pens and around the left back leg of the dairy cow and moved the trailer forward to pull the animal off the trailer. The cow hit the ground and to everyone’s surprise immediately stood up and walked to the left. I observed blood coming out of the nose and the two stun holes in the head. The plant employees restrained the cow in between two gates and the stun operator applied a third effective stun with the HHCBD. The dairy cow remained insensible throughout the subsequent bleeding process. I verbally notified the plant manager that a non-compliance would be issued and applied U.S. Reject Tag NO. B-45 862292 to the stun box. The Denver District Management Team was notified through supervisory channels. The establishment operates under a robust systematic approach to humane handling of livestock. A review of PHIS did not identify any previous noncompliance’s with the same root cause in the past year. This document serves as written notification that your failure to comply with regulatory requirements could result in additional regulatory or administrative action.

313.2

HATS Category III: Water and Feed Availability At approximately 2000 hours, Tuesday, January 31, 2023, I, the CSI, observed twenty-five dairy cows in a pen being held overnight. The pen had three water troughs. The ambient temperature was approximately 16 degrees. The first water trough I observed was frozen across the top with at least an inch of ice. There was a small hole in the ice, approximately two inches in diameter. The other two water troughs were empty. I reentered the establishment and informed the Fabrication QA of the cattle being held without access to water and that it will be documented in a noncompliance. A regulatory control action was not taken as I observed 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.