KW Properties LLC: Non-Compliance to Humane Livestock Handling in 2023 (USDA)

313.16(a)(1)

HATS Category VIII: Stunning Effectiveness While observing stunning operations at approximately 1320, the CSI observed establishment personnel load a steer into the stunning area. An establishment employee utilized a .22 caliber long rifle to apply a stun attempt to the steer; the steer remained standing after the stun attempt. The establishment employee then applied a second stun attempt with the same firearm, after which the steer continued to stand and began tossing its head side to side and rearing back in the stunning area. The establishment employee then utilized a .22 magnum firearm to apply a third stun attempt. The steer remained standing, and the CSI noted bleeding from the steer’s nose as well as the steer vocalizing loudly. The establishment employee applied a fourth stun attempt with the .22 magnum; the steer remained standing and was vocalizing, but not tossing its head. Another establishment employee reloaded the .22 caliber long rifle and applied a fifth stun attempt to the steer; this resulted in the animal being rendered insensible. The steer remained insensible through the subsequent bleeding process. On post-mortem examination, the CSI observed a cluster of four penetrating holes in the skull in a tight cluster just rostral of the cranial vault and a fifth penetrating hole in the skull approximately 11⁄2” above the cluster that penetrated the cranial vault. The establishment does not operate under a robust systematic approach to humane handling. A review of PHIS did not identify any previous noncompliance’s with a similar root cause.