2 Creek Butchery, LLC: Non-Compliance to Humane Livestock Handling in 2025 (USDA)

313.16(a)(3)

HATS Category VIII - Stunning Effectiveness At approximately 1015 on March 3, 2025, I (CSI REDACTED) was performing a Humane Handling task, with DVMO Dr. REDACTED, observing slaughter activities, for stunning effectiveness (HATS Category VIII) and observed the following noncompliance: Establishment employee delivered a shot to the front of the head of the hog in question. The hog fell. The employee proceeded to deliver a safety knock behind the ear of the hog in quick succession. For safety concerns, I was outside of the room but did have eyesight of animal through a window in the door. The animal had no movement when observed from this position outside of the room. The operator proceeded to stick the animal to cause exsanguination as normal, within seconds we heard the hog begin repetitive high-pitched vocalizations and observed rhythmic breathing demonstrating consciousness. Dr. REDACTED and I proceeded to enter the room and verify. We heard repetitive high-pitched vocalization and observed rhythmic breathing. Dr. REDACTED observed the animal’s eyes were moving and not fixed and dilated. The repetitive high-pitched vocalization continued for approximately 10-15 seconds, wherein the animal exsanguinated and passed away. At approximately 1038, I applied U.S. rejected tag number B-45799446 to the knock box and informed Establishment Owner REDACTED of my observations and the forthcoming noncompliance for this egregious event and failure to meet 9 CFR 313.16(a)(3).

313.16(a)(3),313.16(a)(1)

HATS Category VIII Stunning Effectiveness: On 10/30/24, at approximately 1458 hours, I, CSI REDACTED, observed the following noncompliance while performing a Livestock Humane Handling verification task at establishment #M947, 2 Creek Butchery. The slaughter floor operator employee was knocking an animal with a semiauto, 22-mag. rifle on a large Bull in the kill-box. (Dressed weight 1,019 lbs.) The first shot applied hit near the central forehead of the animal. The initial shot was not effective in rendering the animal unconscious. The animal remained standing, rhythmic breathing, eyes blinking and still moving around in the kill-box. The slaughter floor operator immediately applied a second shot to the center area of the animal’s forehead. The second knock was effective and rendered the animal immediately unconscious. IPP suspended slaughter operations until the issue could be resolved and then notified SPHV, Dr. REDACTED of the incident. No U.S. Rejected Tag was utilized as IPP remained in the immediate area. The establishment’s corrective action is to use a larger caliber firearm when slaughtering larger beef. As a preventive measure, the Plant Manager, stated the establishment will perform a visual ante-mortem evaluation of animal sizes prior to stunning them. This evaluation will be used to determine which caliber/gun to utilize for stunning each animal. IPP notified, the Plant Manager, of the non-compliance and the failure to meet the regulatory requirements of 9 CFR 313.16(a)(1) and 313.16(a)(3).