Cloud's Meats Inc.: Non-Compliance to Humane Livestock Handling in 2025 (USDA)

313.16(a)(1)

On February 12, 2025 at approximately 0727 hours, while performing Category VIII – Stunning Effectiveness of the Humane Handling task, the following noncompliance was observed: I was outside the kill room door in the safe area while a heifer was stunned with a .20 gauge shot gun. I heard the gunshot. After the gunshot, I opened the door and observed the animal was standing upright, breathing, opening its mouth, and moving its head slightly side to side. The kill room employee notified me to shut the door because a second knock was to be performed. I waited outside the door and almost immediately heard a gunshot. I opened the door and observed the second stun was effective. REDACTED, Plant Management, was notified of the noncompliance. FLS, Dr. REDACTED was contacted and notified. Due to the immediate effective action taken by the kill room employee, it was determined to be a non-egregious stunning failure. After discussion with Dr. REDACTED and with a developing trend of stunning failures, U.S. Retain/Reject tag # B-20626394 was placed on the knock box pending long-term corrective actions. In discussion with Mrs. REDACTED, she stated the cause was an issue of stun placement and the corrective action would be retraining with documentation provided. The U.S. Retain/Reject tag was removed at approximately 0822 hours. Upon further investigation after the skull was skinned in the area of the stuns, two bullet holes were identified. One hole was at the crossing point of the medial canthus of the eye to the base of the opposite horn. Another hole was approximately 1.5 cm below and approximately .5 cm right of the crossing point of the medial canthus of the eye to the base of the opposite horn. The establishment failed to meet the regulatory requirements of Title 9 CFR 313.16(a)(1). Mrs. REDACTED was verbally notified of the forthcoming noncompliance. This noncompliance is being associated NR# OTZ2612022005N dated 02/05/25 for a similar cause.

313.16(a)(1)

On February 05, 2025, at approximately 1040 hours while performing Category VIII – Stunning Effectiveness of the Humane Handling task and with the presence of Dr. REDACTED, DVMO, I (CSI REDACTED) observed the following noncompliance: I was outside the kill room door in the safe area while a goat was stunned with a .22 rifle. I heard the gunshot. After the gunshot, I heard the animal vocalizing, opened the door, and observed the animal standing upright, breathing, and moving. The kill room employee notified us to shut the door because he had to do a second knock. I waited outside the door and almost immediately heard a gunshot. Dr. REDACTED opened the door, and I observed the second stun was effective. A U.S. Reject/Retain tag was not applied to the knock box due to this being the last animal for inspected slaughter. Plant management, REDACTED, and Plant Owner, REDACTED, were notified and FLS, Dr. REDACTED, was contacted and notified. Due to the immediate effective action taken by the plant employee, it was determined to be a non-egregious stunning failure. Upon further investigation after the skull was skinned in the area of the stuns, two bullet holes were identified. One bullet hole was approximately 1 cm above and 1 cm left of the crossing point drawn from the medial canthus of each eye to the base of the opposite horn. The other bullet hole was 1.5 cm above and .5 cm left of the crossing point as described. Further investigation into tracking the trajectory of each bullet hole by using an approximately 5 inch stainless steel stem thermometer, it was determined that one bullet hole (referenced above first) tracked to the center of where the brainstem exits into the spinal column, and the other bullet hole (referenced next) tracked just left and towards the nose approximately 1.5 to 2 cm from where the brainstem exits into the spinal column. The establishment failed to meet the regulatory requirements of Title 9 CFR 313.16(a)(1). Mr. REDACTED was also informed of the forthcoming noncompliance record. This noncompliance is being associated NR# OTZ3613010515N dated 01/15/25 for a similar cause.

313.16(a)(1)

On January 15, 2025, at approximately 0740 hours while performing Category VIII – Stunning Effectiveness of the Humane Handling task and with the presence of Dr. REDACTED, DVMO, I (CSI REDACTED) observed the following noncompliance: I was outside the kill room door in the “safe area” while a longhorn steer was stunned with a .22 rifle. I heard the gunshot. After the gunshot, Dr. REDACTED opened the door, and I observed the animal was standing with its head down and tilted to the left. The kill room employee notified us to shut the door because he had to do a second knock. I waited outside the door and almost immediately heard a gunshot. Dr. REDACTED opened the door, and I observed the second stun was effective. The second stun was performed with a .410 shotgun. U.S. Reject/Retain tag #B-45880119 was applied to the knock box. Plant management, REDACTED and REDACTED, were notified, and the SDO was contacted. After discussion with the SDO and with no history of noncompliance as well as the immediate effective action taken by the plant employee, it was determined to be a non-egregious stunning failure. In discussion with REDACTED, Plant Owner, he stated the issue was corrected, and they were using the shotgun instead of the .22. The U.S. Reject/Retain tag was removed at approximately 0759 hours. Upon further investigation by skinning the skull in the area of the stuns, two bullet holes were identified. The smaller hole was approximately 3⁄4 of an inch above and 1⁄2 an inch to the right of the larger hole. The larger hole was approximately 1 inch above a line drawn from the medial canthus of the eye to the base of the horn. The smaller hole was above and to the right as described. The establishment failed to meet the regulatory requirements of Title 9 CFR 313.16(a)(1). Mr. REDACTED was also informed of the forthcoming noncompliance record.