Stagecoach Meat Company, 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 Stagecoach Meat Company, LLC slaughterhouse establishment in 2024.
You can also see other establishments that were non-compliant in 2024.
313.30(a)(4)
HATS Category IX: Return to Consciousness At approximately 10:32am while performing a Livestock Humane Handling task, I the SPHV, accompanied by the CSI and establishment manager, observed stunning, sticking, and bleeding of a market swine. This was the 8th and final hog of the day. I observed the stunning operator apply the electrical current device to the head of the swine, and the swine immediately collapsed to the ground in right lateral position. The swine did not show any signs of consciousness at this time and was immediately stuck for bleeding while on the floor. As the animal was bleeding; the swine began vocalizing in increasingly rapid fashion and managed to right itself to a sternal position. The swine then moved back into lateral position and was observed to be rhythmically breathing. The eyes were not visualized due to safety precautions and the positioning of the swine. The stunning operator asked me, the SPHV, if he should stun again. I responded that stunning again should be up to his discretion, to which he again asked me what he should do. The SPHV instructed the stunning operator to deliver another electrical current stun to the rhythmically breathing and vocalizing right lateral positioned swine, to which complete unconsciousness was immediately observed as rhythmic breathing and vocalization ceased. The stun operator stuck the swine for bleeding again, but little to no bleeding was observed. The SPHV immediately contacted the District Veterinary Medical Specialist (DVMS) to report the observations, and then applied US Reject Tag #B41418880 to the stun box at approximately 10:37am. Establishment manager was verbally notified of the forthcoming noncompliance due to the swine returning to consciousness following an effective stun. The CSI inspected the carcass at the final rail inspection stand at approximately 10:55am and observed that the initial stick for bleeding angled into the shoulder, thereby incompletely lacerating the carotid artery and jugular vein, along with observing multiple blood clots within the neck and shoulder region. The SPHV also inspected the carcass and concurs with the observation that was reported by the CSI. There have been no noncompliance records issued for the same root cause in the past 90 days. This establishment has implemented and maintained a Robust Systematic Approach to the Humane Handling of Livestock.
