Williamsburg Packing Company Inc.: Non-Compliance to Humane Livestock Handling in 2023 (USDA)

313.5

HATS Category VIII, Stunning Effectiveness. At 1546 on 08/29/2023, I, Dr. REDACTED, SPHV/IIC, received a phone call while at another establishment from CSI REDACTED and Second Processing Supervisor/Acting Manager Mr. REDACTED. At approximately 1530, Mr. REDACTED was notified that two pigs had fallen into the pit of the CO2 elevator. It was explained to him by the CO2 chamber operator that the pneumatic door of the CO2 chamber had a faulty air valve. Two of the pigs that had been driven to the chamber to await the elevator had gotten their noses underneath this pneumatic door and were able to lift it up. Due to the pressure of the pigs behind them, these two pigs were pushed forward and fell 12 feet to the bottom of the pit into approximately 3-4 feet of water. Mr. REDACTED was notified of this event once the pigs had fallen into the pit. By the time he had arrived at the stunner about 5 minutes later, the pigs had already lost consciousness and were dead from the CO2. He then notified CSI REDACTED of this incident. Upon my phone conversation with Mr. REDACTED, he stated that they would not be slaughtering for the remainder of the day. They were not able to retrieve the two pigs from the pit until the next morning due to the CO2 levels. The next morning (08/30/2023), when I arrived at the establishment at 0800, the second pig was being pulled out of the pit. The first had already been placed in a condemn barrel and denatured. On visual observation of the second pig, there were no obvious indicators of broken bones or other injuries. I spoke with Mr. REDACTED who walked me through the above incident. He stated that he has replacement parts for the pneumatic door on order and that they should be arriving in 10-12 weeks. In the meantime, he has set up a second/outer manual door in front of the pneumatic door. He has trained the employees who drive the pigs to the stunner to always keep that door closed until the elevator is at the entrance to prevent this from reoccurring. I notified him that I was satisfied with this response, and they could continue normal slaughter operations, but that an NR would be written. While this incident is noncompliant with 9 CFR 313.5 (a) (2) and 313.5 (b) (2), this was a non-egregious equipment failure as the two pigs did not experience major injury and were rendered unconscious within 5 minutes of falling. Plant personnel promptly and effectively identified and corrected this noncompliance.