Ovid Meat Co., LLC: Non-Compliance to Humane Livestock Handling in 2024 (USDA)
See the detail of the non-compliance of humane livestock handling that the USDA observed at the Ovid Meat Co., LLC slaughterhouse establishment in 2024.
You can also see other establishments that were non-compliant in 2024.
313.15(a)(1)
On August 22nd, 2024, at 10:02 AM. I, the CSI, observed the following humane handling noncompliance. While in the USDA Office, that is on the other side of the wall from the slaughter floor, I overheard the hand-held captive bolt (HHCB) device discharge. Immediately I heard a swine begin vocalizing very loudly so I immediately proceeded to the slaughter floor. Once I arrived on the slaughter floor, I observed two swine in the stun box area with the stun operator. One of the animals was laying in the stun box area unconscious and the second animal was observed standing, pacing back and forth and continuing to vocalize very loudly. The Plant manager promptly arrived on the slaughter floor and entered the stun box area while retrieving the readily available backup HHCB device and applied a second stun to the live animal. This successfully rendered the swine unconscious. I verbally notified the Plant manager that I would be taking regulatory control and put US Reject Tag NO. B13 448677 on the stun box area. I contacted my Frontline Supervisor, and the Denver District Management Team was notified through supervisory channels. Upon inspection of the head, I observed one stun hole about one inch away from the right eye with a second stun hole in the target zone of the forehead. I then verbally notified the Plant Manager of the forthcoming noncompliance record. The plant manager verbally informed me that he would be removing the current employee from stunning and have that employee retrained, while another more experienced employee would be doing the stunning as a corrective measure, as well as maintaining proper functioning stunning mechanisms. Production was allowed to run at 12:22 pm when US Reject Tag was removed from the stun box. This establishment has not implemented a robust systematic approach to the humane handling of livestock. The establishment failed to meet the regulatory requirements of 9 CFR 313.15(a)(1) The captive bolt stunners shall be applied to livestock in accordance with this section so as to produce immediate unconsciousness in the animals before they are shackled, hoisted, thrown, cast, or cut. The animals shall be stunned in such manner that they will be rendered unconscious with a minimum of excitement and discomfort. 9CFR 313.15 (b)(1)(iv) The operation is an exacting procedure and requires a well trained and experienced operator. He must be able to accurately place the stunning instrument to produce immediate unconsciousness. He must use the correct detonating charge with regards to kind, breed, size, age and sex of the animal to produce the desired result.
