Hertzog Premium Beef LLC: Non-Compliance to Humane Livestock Handling in 2023 (USDA)

313.15(a)(1)

HATS Category VIII – Stunning Effectiveness On 10/06/2022, at approximately 1408 hours, while observing HATS category VIII – Stunning Effectiveness, I, CSI REDACTED observed the following humane handling noncompliance. The establishment employee opened the door to the knock area into the slaughter floor and motioned to FI REDACTED to exit the door and follow him. I followed FI REDACTED out of the room and we both observed a bull in the head catch with an apparent wound from a captive bolt stunning attempt on his head. The bull was standing, moving his head up and down, side to side, was blinking his eyes and looking around. The bull was not vocalizing and there was no visible blood. The employee attempted to use a steel to pith the hole, as per their normal procedure following a successful stun, but was unsuccessful. The employee was speaking Spanish to FI REDACTED asking what he should do. FI REDACTED responded that he should follow his stunning procedure. The employee responded that he thought he should stun the animal again. A second stun was applied which rendered the bull unconscious and it immediately dropped to the ground. I informed the establishment that I was taking a regulatory control action and applied US Rejected tag #B28649373 to the knock box. This is a failure to meet the regulatory requirements of 9 CFR 313.15(a)(1). It was confirmed on post-mortem examination, after skinning the head and observing the holes with Establishment Owner REDACTED that in the first stunning attempt the captive bolt did not penetrate the brain. The second attempt did which allowed them to subsequently pith the animal as per their normal procedure. Mr. REDACTED was informed of the forthcoming noncompliance and that the knock box would remain rejected until the establishment proffered preventive measures and corrective actions were implemented.