Swaggerty Sausage Company, Inc.: Non-Compliance to Humane Livestock Handling in 2025 (USDA)

313.15(a)(3),313.15(a)(1)

HATS Category VIII: Stunning Effectiveness At approximately 1405 at M8314 Swaggerty Sausage while observing plant employees attempt to stun a non-ambulatory animal, I, SPHV REDACTED observed a non-compliance. A hog was tagged as a non-ambulatory disabled animal, isolated from other animals, and given U.S. Suspect tag M-2829606. The animal was sitting down near the back corner of pen 4. The establishment' primary stunner’s initial attempt with a handheld captive bolt (HHCB) device was observed to contact the animal but was ineffective as the animal vocalized while attempting to right itself and crawl away from the employee. The establishment stunning employee recognized the failure, repositioned, and delivered an immediate and effective corrective action stun with handheld captive bolt device, rendering the animal insensible, and it remained so thereafter. A security knock with HHCB was then applied by a second establishment employee, in accordance with the establishment’s humane handling program. I immediately tagged the knock box with U.S. Reject tag B25641631 and notified establishment Supervisor REDACTED of the non-compliance.