JBS Souderton, Inc.: Non-Compliance to Humane Livestock Handling in 2023 (USDA)

313.15(a)(2),313.2

HATS Categories: VII: Slips and Falls, and VI: Electric Prod/Alternative Object Use At approximately 1500 hours on 9/21/2023, while verifying HATS Category VII: Slips and Falls and HATS Category VI: Electric Prod/Alternative Object Use, I (REDACTED) observed the following non-compliance: The stunning employee was working through a mixed lot of both dairy and beef cows. As the operator opened the restrainer in the knock box to release a stunned dairy cow, a smaller beef cow that had not been stunned yet was also released from behind the dairy cow and fell out of the knock box. This beef cow had not been shackled and fell onto the takeaway table, where she then slid onto the floor, regained her footing and proceeded to run through the sticking area before being corralled back into the barn area. After the cow had been corralled back into the barn, I notified barn management that they should immediately stop knocking and the knock box was tagged with US Reject Tag #B-46583900. This is non-compliant with 9CFR 313.2(a) and 9CFR 313.15(a)(2) which states that “The driving of the animals to the stunning area shall be done with a minimum of excitement and discomfort to the animals.” Mr. REDACTED (QA Superintendent) and Mr. REDACTED (Slaughter Superintendent) were notified verbally and in writing of this non-compliance. After conferring with Dr. REDACTED (FLS) and Dr. REDACTED (SPHV), the Reject tag was removed from the knock box and the plant was allowed to resume knocking for the remainder of the production day.

313.1

On April 6, 2023, I CSI (REDACTED) observe following non-compliance. On April 5, 2023, Inspector REDACTED observed that the Pen No. 26 didn’t have enough wood chips bedding and also noticed that Pen No. 54, 55 and 56 was wet. He notified the Barn Supervisor and Quality Assurance personnel. Quality Assurance personnel tagged both pens to be fixed. In the morning of April 6, 2023 around 7:15am, Inspector REDACTED observed that QA Tags were removed from pen 26 and pen 54, 55, 56 and pens were not fixed and animals were in the pens 26 and pen 54, 55, 56. Immediately, he notified the Barn Supervisor, and they took out the animals from the pen 26 and put more wood chips bedding and put back the animals into the pen. Approximately at 8:05am, I went down to the barn and I observed QA tag was removed and animals were in pen 54, 55, 56. I observed that pen 54, 55, 56 was still wet. I immediately took regulatory control action and rejected the pen and place a reject tag No. B-45 505498. All animals were removed from that pen to a different pen.