True West Beef LLC: Non-Compliance to Humane Livestock Handling in 2024 (USDA)

313.15(a)(1)

HATS Category VIII- Stunning Effectiveness At approximately 1315 hours Tuesday, August 27, 2024, while observing stunning effectiveness, I observed the stun operator attempt to stun a steer with a pneumatic captive bolt device. The first stun attempt made contact with the animal's head however the animal was not rendered insensible. I observed the animal moving its head purposefully from side to side. The stun operator waited for the head movement to stop and immediately applied a second stun with the same pneumatic captive bolt device, which rendered the animal insensible. I verified that the skull had two penetrating holes. A regulatory control action was not taken due to the observed immediate and effective corrective actions. The Harvest Manager was verbally notified of the noncompliance. This noncompliance record is associated with MCA3118081212N-1. The establishment’s corrective actions failed to prevent the likeliness of recurrence. This establishment operates under a robust systematic approach to the humane handling of livestock

313.15(a)(1)

HATS Category VIII- Stunning Effectiveness At approximately 3:44pm while observing stunning effectiveness I observed the stun operator attempt to stun a steer with a pneumatic captive bolt device. The first stun attempt made contact with the animal's head however the animal was not rendered insensible. I observed the animal moving its head purposefully from side to side and blinking. The stun operator waited for the head movement to stop and immediately applied a second stun with the same pneumatic captive bolt device, which rendered the animal insensible. I verified that the skull had two penetrating holes. A regulatory control action was not taken due to the observed immediate and effective corrective actions. The Harvest Superintendent was verbally notified of the noncompliance. A review of recent records did not identify any noncompliance records with a similar root cause and this NR will not be associated. This establishment operates under a robust systematic approach to the humane handling of livestock.

313.1

HATS Category IV Ante-mortem Inspection HATS Category VII Slips and Falls On August 6, 2024, at approximately 1211 hours while performing Antemortem Inspection in yards I observed the following noncompliance. One steer was being moved from Pen #1 when it lost footing to both fore limbs and slipped and fell to its knees. The waffled concrete flooring area of Pen #1 was covered with a layer of manure. I verbally informed the establishment employee who was calmly moving the cattle and the Harvest Superintendent of the forthcoming noncompliance. No regulatory control action was taken. This noncompliance will be associated with NR# MCA2414081705N issued on 08/5/2024 for similar findings with the same root cause. You are hereby advised of your right to appeal this decision as delineated by Title 9 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 306.5. The District Veterinary Medical Specialist was notified. This establishment operates under a robust systematic approach to the humane handling of livestock.

313.1

HATS Category IV – Ante-mortem Inspection HATS Category VII Slips and Falls On August 5, 2024, at approximately 0608 hours while performing antemortem in yards I observed the following noncompliance. A group of steers were in the back alley and moving back into the pen when a steer that was turning around slipped to its knees hitting the concrete. At 0915 hours I observed a heifer in pen 5 slip to its knees as the cattle driver was pushing cattle in the next pen over. I called for a supervisor, and I informed him of the noncompliance. At 1135 hours I observed a heifer slip to its knees in the back alley as it was going back to its holding pen. At 1144 hours I observed another heifer slip to its knees as it was pushing into the herd of heifers. I informed the establishment employee who was calmly moving the cattle. I told him to get the supervisor, and I verbally informed the supervisor of the situation and that a noncompliance record would be documented. No regulatory control action was taken. This noncompliance will be associated with NR MCA0113085902 issued on 08/05/2024 for similar findings with the same root cause. The District Veterinary Medical Specialist was notified. This establishment operates under a robust systematic approach to the humane handling of livestock.

313.1

HATS Category VII Slips and Falls On August 2, 2024, at approximately 1145 hours while performing Antemortem Inspection in yards I observed the following noncompliance. One heifer was being moved through Pen #10 when it lost footing to all four limbs and slipped and fell to its belly. The waffled concrete flooring area of Pen #10 was covered with a layer of manure. I verbally informed the establishment employee who was calmly moving the cattle and the Harvest Superintendent of the forthcoming noncompliance. No regulatory control action was taken. This noncompliance will be associated with NR# MCA1414075430N /1 issued on 07/30/2024 for similar findings with the same root cause. You are hereby advised of your right to appeal this decision as delineated by Title 9 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 306.5. The District Veterinary Medical Specialist was notified. This establishment operates under a robust systematic approach to the humane handling of livestock.

313.1

HATS Category IV – Ante-mortem Inspection HATS Category VII Slips and Falls On July 30, 2024, at approximately 0551 hours while performing antemortem in yards I observed the following noncompliance. A group of steers was being moved through the back alley at a walk when one lost its footing and went to its knees in an area with a layer of manure coating the concrete. At 0903 hours while performing antemortem in yards I observed in pen 1 a steer turning around to exit the pen when it slipped to its knees. I informed the establishment employee who was calmly moving the cattle. I told him to get the supervisor, and I verbally informed the supervisor of the situation and that a noncompliance record would be documented. No regulatory control action was taken. This noncompliance will be associated with NR MCA0612072529 issued on 07/29/2024 for similar findings with the same root cause. The District Veterinary Medical Specialist was notified. This establishment operates under a robust systematic approach to the humane handling of livestock.

313.1

HATS Category VII - Slips and Falls On July 29, 2024, at approximately 1050 hours while performing antemortem inspection in the yards, I observed one heifer in the front alleyway slip. The heifer slipped onto both knees contacting the waffled concrete floor while traveling at a walk in the front alleyway across from the gate at pen #9. I observed an accumulation of fecal matter over the waffled concrete flooring at the site of occurrence. I verbally informed the employee and the Harvest Superintendent of the forthcoming noncompliance. A regulatory control action was not taken. This noncompliance will be associated with NR# MCA2612073626N issued on 07/24/2024 for same root cause. You are hereby advised of your right to appeal this decision as delineated by Title 9 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 306.5. The District Veterinary Medical Specialist was notified of this noncompliance. This establishment is operating under a robust systematic approach to the humane handling of livestock.

313.1

HATS Category IV – Ante-mortem Inspection HATS Category VII Slips and Falls On July 26, 2024, at approximately 0829 hours while performing antemortem in yards I observed the following noncompliance. A group of heifers were moving swiftly and a single heifer running out of pen 2 into the front alley lost its footing. The heifer’s back legs hit the concrete along with its belly and ribs in an area with a layer of manure coating the concrete. I informed the establishment employee who was calmly moving the cattle. I told him to get the supervisor, and I verbally informed the supervisor of the situation and that a noncompliance record would be documented. No regulatory control action was taken. This noncompliance will be associated with NR MCA4212075424 issued on 07/24/2024 for similar findings with the same root cause. The District Veterinary Medical Specialist was notified. This establishment operates under a robust systematic approach to the humane handling of livestock.

313.1

HATS Category VII - Slips and Falls On July 24, 2024, at approximately 1050 hours while performing antemortem inspection in the yards, I observed one steer coming out of holding pen #7 into the back alleyway slip. The steer slipped onto both knees at the open gate directly contacting the waffled concrete floor. I observed an accumulation of fecal matter over the waffled concrete flooring at the site of occurrence. I verbally informed the employee and the Harvest Superintendent of the forthcoming noncompliance. A regulatory control action was not taken. This noncompliance will be associated with NR# MCA4312072423N issued on 07/23/2024 for same root cause. You are hereby advised of your right to appeal this decision as delineated by Title 9 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 306.5. The District Veterinary Medical Specialist was notified of this noncompliance. This establishment is operating under a robust systematic approach to the humane handling of livestock.

313.1

HATS Category VII - Slips and Falls On July 23, 2024, at approximately 1109 hours while performing antemortem in the yards I observed one heifer coming out of holding pen #6 slip. The heifer slipped onto its left knee at the open gate against the waffled concrete floor, while being prodded over the hind area by an establishment employee with a thin flexible prodding pole. This prodding device had an attached blue plastic flag at its end. I observed an accumulation of fecal matter over the waffled concrete flooring at the site of occurrence. I verbally informed the employee and the Harvest Superintendent of the forthcoming noncompliance. A regulatory control action was not taken. This noncompliance will be associated with NR#MCA3116074322N issued on 07/22/2024 for same root cause. You are hereby advised of your right to appeal this decision as delineated by Title 9 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 306.5. The District Veterinary Medical Specialist was notified of this noncompliance. This establishment is operating under a robust systematic approach to the humane handling of livestock

313.1

HATS Category VII Slips and Falls On July 22, 2024, at approximately 0646 hours while performing antemortem in yards I observed a steer walking in the back alley slip to its knees against the concrete and fall to its brisket in an area with a layer of manure coating the concrete. At 0647 hours I observed a steer slip to its knees and hit its brisket against the concrete in the same alley. I informed the establishment employee who was moving the cattle. I saw the supervisor and informed him of the situation and that a noncompliance record would be documented. This noncompliance will be associated with NR MCA5012075619 for similar findings in the same area.

313.1

HATS Category VII Slips and Falls On July 19, 2024, at approximately 0554 hours while performing antemortem in yards I observed two steers coming out of the holding pen 5 slip the first slipped to its knees against the concrete and the second fell to its brisket in an area with a layer of manure coating the concrete. At 0556 hours I observed a steer slip to its knees against the concrete going back into pen 5. At 0618 I observed another animal in the front alley slip to its knees. I informed the supervisor REDACTED and informed him of the situation and that a noncompliance record would be documented.

313.1

HATS Category VII Observation for Slips and Falls On July 18, 2024, at approximately 0907 hours while performing the Humane Handling task, I observed a steer slip to its knee against the concrete in an area with a layer of manure coating the concrete. I verbally informed Harvest Superintendent, Mr. REDACTED and Harvest Supervisor, Mr. REDACTED of the forthcoming noncompliance. At 1117 hours while performing the Humane Handling task, I observed a steer slip to its knee against the concrete in an area with a layer of manure coating the concrete. I verbally informed Corporate Administer, Ms. REDACTED of the forthcoming noncompliance. Please see MCA1117071111N/1, dated 7/11/2024 for a similar noncompliance related to Humane Handling. You are hereby advised of your right to appeal this decision as delineated by 381.35 of 9 CFR. Documented by SPHV REDACTED

313.2

HATS Category III Handling During Ante Mortem Inspection On July 12, 2024, at 0535 while performing antemortem in yards I observed overcrowding of cattle in pen 1 there were 82 animals in this pen which normally has around 40 head of cattle. This overcrowding resulted in animals not being able to access water. I informed the establishment employee who was moving the cattle. The establishment employee acknowledged the situation and I had him call for his supervisor. His supervisor arrived and I informed him of the situation and that a noncompliance record would be documented.

313.1

HATS Category VII Slips and Falls On July 11, 2024, at approximately 0841 hours while performing antemortem in yards I observed a steer walking out of the holding pen 7 slip to its knees against the concrete and fall to its brisket in an area with a layer of manure coating the concrete. At 0903 hours I observed a heifer slip to its knees and hit its brisket against the concrete in pen 8. I informed the establishment employee who was moving the cattle. The establishment employee acknowledged the situation and I had him call for his supervisor. His supervisor arrived and I informed him of the situation and that a noncompliance record would be documented.

313.1

HATS Category VII Slips and Falls On July 2, 2024, at approximately 0546 hours while performing Antemortem in the yards I observed a heifer walking out of holding pen 5 slip to its knees against the concrete and fall to its shoulder in an area with a layer of manure coating the concrete. At 0601 hours I observed another animal in pen 2 slip to its knees and hit its brisket against the concrete. I informed the establishment employee who was moving the cattle. The establishment employee acknowledged the situation and I had him call for his supervisor. His supervisor arrived and I informed him of the situation and that a noncompliance record would be documented.

313.1

HATS Category VII Observation for Slips and Falls On June 10, 2024, at approximately 1226 hours while performing the Humane Handling task I observed two steers slip to their knees against the concrete in an area with a layer of manure coating the concrete. I informed the establishment employee who was moving the cattle. The establishment employee acknowledged the situation and I had him call for his supervisor. His supervisor arrived and I informed him of the situation and that a noncompliance record would be documented.

313.1

HATS Category VII Observation for Slips and Falls On May 29, 2024, at approximately 0550 hours while performing the Humane Handling task I observed a steer slip to its knee against the concrete in an area with a layer of manure coating the concrete. I informed the establishment employee who was moving the cattle. The establishment employee acknowledged the situation and I had him call for his supervisor. His supervisor arrived and I informed him of the situation and that a noncompliance record would be documented. At 1235 hours while performing the Humane Handling task I observed a steer fall onto its side hitting its shoulder and ribs on the concrete. I then observed a steer lose traction splay its legs and hit the concrete against its brisket knees and shoulder. I informed the establishment employee who was moving the cattle. The establishment employee acknowledged the situation and I had him call for his supervisor. His supervisor arrived and I informed him of the situation and that a noncompliance record would be documented.

313.2

HATS Category III: Water and Feed Availability At approximately 0945 hours, Thursday, April 18, 2024, I observed the water trough, behind the tub in the lead up alley, appearing low or out of water, after performing ante-mortem inspection on several pens. At this time, the establishment was operating and moving cattle through the lead up alley and tub, making it difficult to be able to view the entire trough to see where the water level was, however, there was no water visible from the cat-walk across the alley way. I returned to the trough around 1025 hours, while the area was not operating, I observed the bottom of the water trough to be completely empty and dry indicating that it had been out for a while. There was thirty head of cattle being stored in the lead-up alley, where this empty trough was to be these animals source of water during the establishment’s 45-minute lunch period. I took regulatory control action and rejected the restraining area until the cattle could be offered an opportunity to rest with water provided. I informed the hide-on supervisor that cattle were being held without water and that it will be documented in a noncompliance record. There are no associable noncompliance records in the past 90 days.

313.2

HATS Category III Water and Feed Availability On December 21, 2023, at approximately 0544 hours while performing the Humane Handling task I observed one of the automatic water troughs had no water available for the cattle to drink. I observed the cattle looking for water by putting their heads in the trough repeatedly. I informed the establishment employee who was moving the cattle that there was no water in that water trough for the cattle. The establishment employee acknowledged the situation and I had him call for his supervisor. His supervisor arrived and I informed her of the situation and that a noncompliance record would be documented. The supervisor went down to the holding pen where the cattle were being held. At approximately 0552 hours the water started running and I observed cattle immediately begin to drink. No regulatory control action was taken due to the observed immediate and effective corrective actions. The District Veterinary Medical Specialist was notified. There have been no noncompliance records issued within the past 90 days for the same root cause. This establishment has implemented a robust systematic approach to the humane handling of livestock.

313.1,313.2

HATS Category I – Inclement Weather and HATS Category VII - Slips and Falls At approximately 0830 hours, Wednesday, November 29, 2023, I observed icy conditions in the pen area. While observing cattle unload from a truck, the unloading area was covered in ice that concealed the establishment’s waffled concrete. I observed four animals skid on the ice, while unloading from a livestock trailer. While performing ante-mortem inspection on a pen of cattle, I observed one animal slip and fall to its brisket in the back alley, near pens 1 and 2 where there was ice covering the waffled concrete. As the cattle were being driven back into pen 10, on the back side of the pen, I observed another animal slip on ice and fall to its brisket. While observing animals being driven into the serpentine, near the other side of pen 10, I observed two more animals slip on ice and fall to their briskets as well. I verbally informed the hide on supervisor that the poor flooring conditions and observations of multiple animals slipping and falling would be documented in a noncompliance record. Areas in the alleys where ice was covering the ground were rejected by IPP with US Rejected tags B46570610-B46570612. These rejected areas include the back alley and the truck unloading area. The District Veterinary Medical Specialist was contacted through supervisory channels. There are no known associable noncompliance records issued within the past 90 days. This establishment operates under a robust systematic approach to the humane handling of livestock.