JBS Souderton, Inc.: Non-Compliance to Humane Livestock Handling in 2025 (USDA)

313.2

Humane Handling Livestock Inspection Category VI- On July 21, 2025, at approximately 1430 hours, while conducting a Humane Handling Livestock Inspection task at est. M1311, I, CSI (REDACTED) observed approximately 15 cattle being moved from Pen 2 toward the serpentine. I noticed a pen runner hitting the animals with a rattle paddle in an attempt to make them move up to the serpentine. This employee hit the animals with the rattle paddle 3-4 times in the face and 3-4 times in the neck area. I immediately had a QA technician call the supervisor (REDACTED). I explained that it is the establishments’ responsibility to move cattle through the slaughter process calmly and with a minimum of excitement as well as with minimal use of driving instruments. The supervisor spoke with the employee and corrected the behavior. Right after this, in the same area, I observed the same employee and a new hire hitting another animal in the face with a rattle paddle. The animal was shaking its head every time it was hit with the rattle paddle. I called out to the employees to tell them to stop, but neither one stopped. I went down to the serpentine to make them stop. REDACTED (Slaughter Ops Manager), REDACTED (Slaughter floor), and REDACTED (Barn Supervisor) arrived, and I explained to them what I had observed and that this was non-compliant with 9CFR 313.2(a) and 313.2(b).

313.1,313.2

On Thursday 05/15/2025 at approximately 2330 hours, I, CSI (REDACTED) observed a noncompliance at JBS Est. 1311 M as I performed Humane Handling Inspection. Specifically, as I stood on the catwalk IPP observed a Canadian steer's neck caught in-between the gate of the E coli bath and the gate close to the serpentine. The animal's eyes popped open and appeared startled. It swung its neck left to right, became lose, backed out and released itself. Immediately thereafter, another Canadian steer's neck was caught in the gate, it too was startled for a while, but it also backed out and released itself. I walked closer and observed that the chain on the gate of the E.coli bath was unattached and left dangling on the gate. Barn Lead, REDACTED was attending to one of the drivers. As soon as he was done, I told him what I saw. He immediately asked the barn handler to make the corrective actions and attach the chain on the gate of the E.coli bath to prevent the cattle from harming themselves. The barn handler obeyed. There after another truck load of Canadian steer entered the same location, but the barn person left the gate open again, leaving room for the situation to reoccur. Chris again asked the barn handler to keep the gate attached when the cattle entered the E coli bath. On further examination of the pens, IPP observed the gates of three pens had unattached chains and some of the cattle in the pens rested in a triangle area formed due to the unattached gate, creating an opening for injury to the livestock. I showed them to Chris, and he went down and made the corrective actions by attaching the chains. I also noticed that some pens had rusted chains with broken parts, while others had no chains whatsoever. This written notification is being issued to Corporate Administrators REDACTED and REDACTED, and Supervisors REDACTED and REDACTED for the plant's failure to apply the Meat and Poultry Regulations of [ 9 CFR 313. and 313.2].

313.2

HATS Category III: Water and feed availability. On January 09, 2025, at approximately 1030 hours while performing my Humane Handling task, I found the humane handling noncompliance of animals having no access to water. The animals in the following pens had no access to water: · Pen 18, holding 33 cows (grass fed) · Pen 19, holding 36 cows (grass fed) · Pen 32, holding 35 heifers. *Pens 18 and 19 share a water trough and at that moment it was empty/had frozen pipe due to cold temperatures outside. *Water trough in pen 32 was empty. I took regulatory control action and rejected pens using tags NO. B-46 610836, 837, and 838. Immediate Corrective Actions provided by the establishment were to send animals from pen 18 and 19 to the serpentine for immediate slaughter, and animals from pen 32 were moved to pen 33,34,35. Establishment called maintenance to address the situation right away. Once maintenance fixed the water troughs and water access was restored, I removed the USDA Tags. QA employee was notified about the situation, REDACTED (HACCP Coordinator) REDACTED (Slaughter Manager) and REDACTED (Barn Supervisor at that moment) were notified of the non-compliance. The establishment had failed to comply with 9CFR 313.2(e): Animals shall have access to water in all holding pens and, if held longer than 24 hours, access to feed. There shall be sufficient room in the holding pen for animals held overnight to lie down.

313.1

On 10.25.2024 at approximately 0745 I observed the following Humane Handling non-compliance for HATS category VII slips and falls: Approximately 7 out of 32 Canadians slipping and falling to either knees or their side as they moved out the Canadian scale/chip reader to a designated pen 24. There was no employee driving the animals in near proximity as he was waiting for the animals to go through Canadian scale/chip reader. The bedding around the corner of the Canadian scale/chip reader was pushed away exposing bare slippery concrete. As that was the last Canadian truck no regulatory control was taken. REDACTED (Barn supervisor) and REDACTED (HACCP Coordinator) were notified of the non-compliance. Establishment fails to comply with regulation 9CFR 313.1 (b) Floors of livestock pens, ramps, and driveways shall be constructed and maintained so as to provide good footing for livestock. Slip resistant or waffled floor surfaces, cleated ramps and the use of sand, as appropriate, during winter months are examples of acceptable construction and maintenance.