Cowboy Meat Company: 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 Cowboy Meat Company slaughterhouse establishment in 2025.
You can also see other establishments that were non-compliant in 2025.
313.15(a)(1)
HATS Category VIII - Stunning Effectiveness At approximately 1437 hours on 11/14/2024 at est. M47648, IPP observed the following noncompliance. While in the USDA office, IPP heard two gunshots in quick succession, with the second shot noticeably louder than the first. IPP proceeded to the kill floor, where IPP observed a beef cow still standing conscious in the knock box with an establishment employee aiming a .410 shotgun at the bovine, preparing for another shot. IPP immediately moved to the designated safe area as the employee administered another shot, which successfully rendered the bovine unconscious. US Reject tag No. B45531583 was applied to the stun box. IPP verbally notified the kill floor supervisor of the forthcoming noncompliance. Upon inspection of the dressed head, IPP observed three penetrating holes in the skull. Two shots were grouped together just above the bovine’s eyeline, and one shot positioned about half an inch below the grouping. The Denver Management Team was notified through supervisory channels. The establishment currently operates under a robust systematic approach to livestock humane handling and performed quarterly humane handling audits. There has been no noncompliance of the same or similar cause in the last 90 days.
313.2
HATS Category III: Water and Feed Availability On Thursday October 3rd, 2024, at approximately 0702 hours, while performing the “Livestock Humane Handling” task, I observed 4 beef in pen 1 that did not have access to water, as the water trough in their pen was empty. Although pen 2 had water available, the trough was not accessible to the animals in pen 1. This is in violation of 9 CFR 317.2(e) which states: “Animals shall have access to water in all holding pens and, if held longer than 24 hours, access to feed.” I notified the plant manager verbally of the noncompliance and again in writing with the issuance of this Noncompliance Record. There have been no noncompliance records issued for the same root cause in the past 90 days. The Denver District Veterinary Medical Specialist was notified through supervisory channels. This establishment operates under a robust systematic approach to the humane handling of livestock.
