Colorado Lamb Processors: Non-Compliance to Humane Livestock Handling in 2025 (USDA)
See the detail of the non-compliance of humane livestock handling that the USDA observed at the Colorado Lamb Processors slaughterhouse establishment in 2025.
You can also see other establishments that were non-compliant in 2025.
313.15(a)(1),313.15(b)(1)(iii)
HATS Category VIII: Stunning Effectiveness On 11/06/2024 at approximately 07:15 am, the humane handling trained FI observed a lamb with an extreme prolapse initially standing in holding pen 6 on ante-mortem inspection. The lamb eventually laid down and the establishment separated her from the other animals. The establishment elected to stun the lamb with the prolapse outside in the holding pens. The stun operator retrieved a hand-held captive bolt (HHCB) device from the office. While the animal was in sternal recumbency, the FI observed the stun operator apply the first stun attempt to the poll, which was ineffective at rendering the animal unconscious. The FI observed the animal continue to breath while holding her head and neck up with her eyes blinking and tracking. The FI did not observe any blood coming out of the stun hole on the top of the head and the tongue was still in the mouth. The stun operator immediately reloaded the HHCB device and applied a second stun attempt to the same location in the poll, which was ineffective at rendering the animal unconscious. The FI heard the lamb grunt and observed the lamb continue to breath while holding her head and neck up with her eyes blinking and tracking. The stun operator discussed the event with the employees who were present while reloading the HHCB device and applied a third stun attempt, which rendered the lamb unconscious. The FI observed the lamb remain unconscious while being bled out. The SCSI informed the QA Manager, Harvest Manager, and Maintenance Manager of the forthcoming noncompliance and applied U.S. Reject tag B – 45 969822 to the restrainer controls. Upon inspection of the dressed head, three penetrating stun holes were observed in the poll. The Denver District Management Team was contacted through supervisory channels. There have been no noncompliance records issued for the same root cause within the past 90 days. This establishment operates under a robust systematic approach to the humane handling of livestock.
