Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation: Non-Compliance to Humane Livestock Handling in 2025 (USDA)

313.15(a)(1)

HAT Category VIII: Effective Stun 9 CFR 313.15(a)(1). On July 17, 2025, I, SCSI REDACTED, observed a head on the head chain with a knock hole at the top of the pole that exited through the pole into the meat of the crown. The head was removed from the line and showed to General Foreman REDACTED and Superintendent REDACTED. Mr. REDACTED stated that he would go talk to the employees knocking. I went to the knock box to observe the knocking. At 21:30 while observing the knocking of the cattle there was an ineffective stun. The knocker struck the animal at the top of the pole with the pneumatic captive bolt device. The animal continued to move its head and blink but did not vocalize. The knocker rendered the animal unconscious on the second attempt. I observed that the initial knock penetrated the hide but did not penetrate the skull. The knock box was rejected with U.S. Rejected tag NO. B40140425 and production was halted. Area supervisor REDACTED was notified of what occurred and that a non-compliance record would be issued. He was also told that he could resume knocking. General foreman REDACTED and Superintendent REDACTED were also notified of the event and verbally notified that a non-compliance record would be issued. This noncompliance was in violation of 9 CFR 313.15(a). Similar ineffective stun noncompliance was documented on 7/9/25. The establishment has an active robust systematic approach program. The establishment has failed to comply with 9 CFR 313.15(a) (1). A similar non-compliance record was documented on July 9, 2025, with NR UHM5804075910N-1.

313.15(a)(1)

On July 09, 2025, while conducting a Humane Handling Outreach, DVMS Dr. REDACTED and SPHV Dr. REDACTED, observed an ineffective stun in the knocking box, at approximately 1045 hours. While using the pneumatic captive bolt gun, an attempt to knock the animal was off center resulting in the ineffective stun. The immediate second attempt rendered the animal unconscious and security knock was then administered. This is grounds for a Noncompliance under CFR 313.15(a)(1). The establishment has a Robust Humane handling system, and no recent Humane Handling issues. Technical Services Manager REDACTED was present and verbally notified that a non-compliance record would be issued.

313.15(a)(1)

On March 28, 2025, I, CSI REDACTED conducted a routine Humane Handling task to verify stunning effectiveness, per the Humane Activity Tracking System (HATS), at the knocking box. At approximately 2156 hours. I observed the knocker use the captive bolt gun to attempt to knock an animal. The knocking gun struck the animal in the area of the orbital of the right eye. I noted blood and bone in the entry wound. The animal began to vocalize as well. The knocker made a second attempt with the captive bolt gun and struck the animal in the correct area. I verified that the second knock attempt rendered the animal unconscious. At approximately 2158 hours I initiated regulatory control and rejected the knock box with U.S. Rejected tag NO. B32286217. FSQR Supervisor REDACTED was present at the time. Mr. REDACTED was verbally notified that a non-compliance record would be issued. The establishment has a robust humane handling program. The establishment has failed to comply with 9 CFR 313.15(a)(1).

313.1,313.2

At approximately 0500, I CSI REDACTED, went to the yards for Ante-Mortem inspection and Humane Handling Task. I observed the following noncompliance. There were 15 head of overnight cattle held in the alley way between the Suspect pen and pens #1 and #2 with no access to water. I immediately called for yards Supervisor REDACTED and Harvest Superintendent REDACTED and showed them my findings. Upon investigating, the cattle had been unloaded at the plant and off the scale at 1942 hr. on Tuesday night which means they would have been without water for approximately 9 hours. Supervisor REDACTED had yard employees move the 15 head to empty pen #16 giving the cattle access to 2 water tanks. I informed Superintendent REDACTED that a noncompliance report would be forthcoming. Superintendent REDACTED informed me that their corrective action is to have 3rd shift yard employees walk the perimeter of the pens to make sure all cattle are in pens and have access to water. Upon further investigation, Harvest Manager REDACTED informed USDA that the cameras show the cattle being penned at approximately 1945. Then at approximately 2359 cattle can be seen coming into the alley way. Apparently, the gate was popped open and 15 head came out around the gate into the alley way, pushed the gate closed, trapping them in the alley way.

313.15(a)(1)

On 11/11/24, at approximately 1905 hours, while performing the HATS Category VIII, Stunning Effectiveness portion of the Human Handling task, I, CSI REDACTED, observed the following noncompliance. The employee in the knocking area attempted to render a heifer unconscious with a compressed air captive bolt. His first and second knocking attempts contacted the animal’s dorsal portion of the poll, and I observed on both shots that the animal remained conscious, as indicated by its continued movement of the head and eyes tracking the captive bolt device. He then administered a third security knock which was successful in rendering the animal unconscious. I initiated regulatory control by affixing U.S. retained tag# B32286143 to the knocking box. I then informed General Foreman REDACTED, Superintendent REDACTED, and FSQR Supervisor REDACTED, of my findings. All three managers were informed that a noncompliance record would be issued. The establishment has failed to comply with 9 CFR 313.15(a)(1). I verified the three separate knocking holes to the faceplate of the skull at the pre-evis cabinet adjacent to the head dropper’s station. Superintendent REDACTED and FSQR Supervisor REDACTED were present.

313.1

HATS Category IV: Ante- mortem Inspection At approximately 1610 hours while I was starting to perform Ante Mortem inspection. A yard’s employee, and I, observed a beef that was standing up and trying to free its head that was stuck in the concrete wall by the middle alley of pen 18. The animal was trying to free its head by pulling its body backwards. The animal was not bleeding or injured and was not slipping when it was attempting to free itself. Company personnel came out and tried to free the beefs head, but the company employees were unsuccessful. The company employees then asked if they could stun the animals in the holding pen with its head stuck in the concrete wall, which I approved and reminded them that this would be a company condemn. The stun was successfully applied, and the company removed the carcass from the holding pen after the pen was emptied of live animals. I had to go into the slaughter floor from the yards at around 1727 hours. I returned to the holding pens to perform antemortem inspection on more cattle at 1926 hours. When I was finished with antemortem inspection at approximately 1947 hours, I observed that holding pen 18 was the next in line to be filled with live animals. I verbally informed yards personnel that they could not use holding pen 18, because of the beef that had gotten its head stuck earlier in the day. I then took a regulatory action by tagging up the pen with USDA retained Tags B 20 593009 and B 20 593010. I verbally informed company personnel that a non-compliance record would be documented. The event was non-compliant with regulation §313.1 (a), “Livestock, pens, driveways and ramps shall be free from sharp or protruding objects which may, in the opinion of the inspector, cause injury or pain to the animals. Loose boards, splintered or broken planking, and unnecessary openings where the head, feet, or legs of an animal may be injured shall be repaired.” This NR is being documented due to observed noncompliance and to prevent recurrence of entrapment and prevention of injury to animals. The Denver District Veterinary Medical Specialist was contacted. There have been no noncompliance records issued for the same root cause in the past 90 days. This establishment operates under a robust systemic approach to the humane handling of livestock.

313.15(a)(1)

On October 11, 2024, at approximately 2210 hours while I, the SPHV, was performing the stunning effectiveness humane handling task, a Consumer Safety Inspector (CSI) and I observed the stun operator attempt stun a beef on the brisket conveyor with the pneumatic captive bolt device and the beef was not rendered unconscious. I observed the beefs head was moving in a controlled manner and eyes were blinking. A second stun attempt was effectively applied by the stun operator with the same pneumatic captive bolt device. I immediately took regulatory control action by stopping the slaughter line until the Harvest Superintendent arrived and elected to replace the stun operator after I explained what I had observed. The regulatory control action was lifted and the slaughter line resumed operations. I then accompanied the Harvest Superintendent and reviewed the ineffective stun event on the company's video tape and verbally informed the Harvest Superintendent that a non-compliance report would be written. The Harvest Superintendent informed me that the stunner would be retrained. This event was non-compliant with regulation §313.15 (a)(1) states: “The captive bolt stunners shall be applied to the livestock in accordance with this section so as to produce immediate, unconscious in the animals before they are shackled, hoisted, thrown, cast or cut." The Denver District Management Team was notified through supervisory channels. There have been no noncompliance records issued for the same root cause in the past 90 days. This establishment operates under a robust systemic approach to the humane handling of livestock.