PETA Blasts USDA’s Toothless Response to Native Slaughterhouse Cruelty

For Quick Launch:
January 30, 2023

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Johnstown, Pa. – In the present day PETA fired off a letter to Paul Kiecker, administrator of the Meals Security and Inspection Service on the U.S. Division of Agriculture (USDA), condemning the company’s failure to refer abuse documented at Pudliner Packing exterior Johnstown for prison prosecution and asking that it achieve this instantly. The letter comes on the heels of newly launched information revealing a cow’s damage on the native slaughterhouse after her leg acquired caught between a truck and a loading dock, inflicting her to fall “fully down” onto her abdomen and limp as soon as she acquired again up.

This slaughterhouse has been discovered to have violated federal legislation no less than 13 instances since June 2019. The August 2022 damage is the most recent in a string of animal welfare violations. Earlier incidents embody repeatedly capturing a pig and several other cows within the head as much as 4 instances, chopping the throat of 1 cow whereas she was acutely aware and crying out, confining animals with out water on a number of events, and inflicting animals to fall on hazardous surfaces.

“The USDA’s toothless response to those repeated violations emboldens slaughterhouses like Pudliner to proceed abusing and neglecting animals,” says PETA Vice President Daniel Paden. “PETA is asking on the USDA to implement the legislation and refer all intentional cruelty and egregious abuse for prison prosecution.”

The group explains that within the 44 years that violations of the Humane Strategies of Slaughter Act have been topic to prison sanctions below the Federal Meat Inspection Act, there is no such thing as a proof of a single occasion by which the USDA labored with the Division of Justice to file prison costs towards a licensed slaughterhouse.

PETA—whose motto reads, partly, that “animals usually are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For extra data on PETA’s investigative newsgathering and reporting, please go to PETA.org or comply with the group on Twitter, Fb, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Kiecker follows.

January 26, 2023

Paul Kiecker

Administrator

Meals Security and Inspection Service

U.S. Division of Agriculture

Pricey Mr. Kiecker:

I hope this letter finds you properly. I’m writing to you to comply with up on the petition for rulemaking that PETA and others submitted to the Meals Security and Inspection Service (FSIS) to, amongst different issues, amend company rules requiring that every one intentional cruelty and egregious or reckless abuse be referred for prison prosecution in gentle of FSIS’ obvious failure to ever train its discretion to take action.

Particularly, the petition notes that FSIS has successfully eradicated prison sanctions for licensed institutions by apparently by no means referring abuse for prosecution. Since submission of the petition, FSIS’ abdication of obligation has continued to lead to substantial animal struggling. That is demonstrated clearly by Pudliner Packing, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, which FSIS has cited for no less than 13 violations of the Humane Strategies of Slaughter Act (HMSA) since June 26, 2019. Given the exceptional historical past of persistent, egregious violations of legislation at Pudliner Packing—and the in depth ache and struggling they’ve prompted—we urge FSIS to refer this matter for federal prison costs instantly.

Your personnel have documented the next incidents within the connected stories.

• August 17, 2022: “A pink and white Bovine was coming off the truck, and because the bovine stepped off the trailer onto the loading dock, her again foot acquired caught within the hole between the trailer and loading dock, and the bovine fell fully down onto her ventrum, together with her leg down by means of the hole. The plant worker instantly knowledgeable the truck driver to maneuver the truck ahead so she might be launched. As she was launched, she instantly stood up on her personal and was limping as she walked into the pen. When she was standing nonetheless, she favored the correct hind limb by bearing little to no weight on it.”1
• November 24, 2021: “A dairy cow was noticed in holding pen two. The 2 water barrels exterior of pen two have been frozen on high permitting no entry to water.”2
• November 23, 2021: “At 0708 hours a pig was noticed within the runway/unloading ramp space with no water accessible on the time of remark. Additionally within the inside pen space a swine and two sheep have been being held with no entry to water. Containers have been accessible within the pens … however water was not accessible on the time of remark.”3
• November 22, 2021: “A swine was noticed in pen primary. No water was accessible on the time of remark. A container was within the pen … however was empty.”4
• November 19, 2021: “At 0705 hours a pig was noticed in pen primary with no water accessible on the time of remark. Additionally within the adjoining unloading space a swine was being held with no entry to water. Containers have been accessible within the pens however … water was not on the time of remark. Institution staff have been notified and water was put into the containers at roughly 0825. At 1025 hours it was noticed that the swine in pen primary didn’t have entry to water. The container was within the pen however … had been turned over.”5
• November 9, 2021: “Within the barn space cattle have been being unloaded from a truck. The cattle walked down the ramp and as they tried to gradual on the backside the cattle slipped and fell with their our bodies coming into contact with the ground of the pen.”6
• November 3, 2021: “Within the barn space cattle have been being unloaded from a truck. The cattle crossed over pen one into pen two. In pen two, two of the cattle slipped and fell with their our bodies coming into contact with the ground of the pen. … Upon examination of pen two no anti-slip kind product had been added.”7
• July 15, 2021: “A cow with the ear tag quantity 7 was positioned in a small holding pen within the barn close to the ramp with no entry to water.”8
• June 11, 2021: “The plant worker moved a boar swine within the knock field for gorgeous. The first gorgeous operator fired utilizing the 0.410 firearm and hit the swine in between the eyes, however the boar swine remained standing. … The first stunner waited for the animal to cease transferring [his] head then made the second shot with the 20-gauge. The boar dropped and was shackled and hoisted for sticking/bleeding. Examination of the cranium revealed 2 holes within the brow of the animal. This remark confirmed that the primary gorgeous try didn’t successfully render rapid unconsciousness.”9
• November 16, 2020: “Institution personnel have been gorgeous a dairy cow within the gorgeous space with a .410 shotgun. After the primary shot, the Client Security Inspector (CSI) noticed the animal [was] acutely aware, as [she] was nonetheless standing. After the second gorgeous try with the .410 shotgun, the CSI noticed the animal nonetheless standing, alert and searching round. Institution personnel then successfully surprised the animal with a 20-gauge shotgun. Upon examination, there have been three distinct holes within the head.”¹⁰
• August 11, 2020: “Institution personnel have been gorgeous a beef cow … with a .22 magnum rifle. After two photographs, the Meals Inspector (FI) noticed the animal in a state of consciousness as [she] was nonetheless standing. After the subsequent shot try, the [CSI] noticed the animal in sternal recumbency, alert and searching round. The plant then successfully surprised the animal with the fourth shot. After the bovine was skinned out, just one massive gap was noticed within the skull.”1¹
• January 27, 2020: “Institution personnel surprised a Holstein dairy cow within the gorgeous space with a firearm, then proceeded to winch [her] into the world to be shackled and hoisted. Whereas the bovine was hanging on the rail, the CSI was in a position to decide that the animal was not insensible as [she] was vocalizing loudly and searching round. The institution worker ignored the vocalization and continued to hold the bovine, then made the bleeding reduce on a acutely aware animal. Shortly after the bleeding reduce, the animal misplaced sensibility. After the bovine was skinned out, three holes have been noticed within the skull.”1²
• June 26, 2019: “The [federal inspector] … was listening to the firearm gorgeous of a cow …. He heard the primary gunshot however didn’t hear the animal fall. He heard a second gunshot after which heard the cow bellowing from the alley. He heard a 3rd gorgeous try with the hand-held captive bolt and heard the cow fall. The workers introduced the animal into the slaughter ground and eliminated the pinnacle. Three holes have been noticed within the cranium.”1³

FSIS claims that “[i]nvestigators from [its] enforcement division and from USDA’s Inspector Common … stand able to work”1⁴ with U.S. attorneys to prosecute violations of the HMSA. Nevertheless, we’re unaware of even one occasion by which FSIS collaborated with the Division of Justice (DOJ) to file prison costs towards a licensed slaughterhouse within the 44 years that violations of the HMSA have been topic to prison sanctions below the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA). The FMIA classifies such offenses as misdemeanors and gives penalties of imprisonment of as much as one 12 months and/or a tremendous of as much as $1,000.1⁵

The truth that inhumane dealing with has endured at Pudliner Packing for therefore lengthy below your company’s watch makes it abundantly clear that FSIS’ 13 enforcement and different actions are woefully ineffective. Absent the long-overdue referral of this and plenty of different issues for prison prosecution, Pudliner Packing—and the remainder of the nation’s licensed slaughterhouses—is emboldened by FSIS’ toothless responses and continues to violate the HMSA, with no worry of penalties or vital penalties.

Legal prosecution is in the perfect pursuits of the animals slaughtered at Pudliner Packing in addition to the American public. Accordingly, we ask that FSIS ahead all its enforcement actions, noncompliance information, and memorandums of interview associated to this institution to the U.S. Division of Agriculture’s Workplace of the Common Counsel or Workplace of Inspector Common for referral to U.S. Legal professional for the Western District of Pennsylvania Cindy Ok. Chung. It’s time for the DOJ to carry prison costs towards all these answerable for this astounding historical past of violations—and for FSIS to train its authority by lastly and often holding those that abuse and neglect animals in violation of federal legislation accountable in a significant and efficient approach. We additionally urge you to take motion instantly to implement the revisions to company rules proposed by the 2015 petition to make sure that present legal guidelines and insurance policies are literally enforced.

Thanks in your consideration of this essential matter.

Sincerely,

Colin Henstock

Investigations Challenge Supervisor

1Food Security and Inspection Service, Noncompliance Report, Pudliner Packing (Aug. 17, 2022) https://www.peta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/pudliner-packing-noncompliance-records.pdf. Final accessed January 24, 2023.

2Food Security and Inspection Service, Noncompliance Report, Pudliner Packing (Nov. 24, 2021) https://www.peta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/pudliner-packing-noncompliance-records.pdf. Final accessed January 24, 2023.

3Food Security and Inspection Service, Noncompliance Report, Pudliner Packing (Nov. 23, 2021) https://www.peta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/pudliner-packing-noncompliance-records.pdf. Final accessed January 24, 2023.

4Food Security and Inspection Service, Noncompliance Report, Pudliner Packing (Nov. 22, 2021) https://www.peta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/pudliner-packing-noncompliance-records.pdf. Final accessed January 24, 2023.

5Food Security and Inspection Service, Noncompliance Report, Pudliner Packing (Nov. 19, 2021) https://www.peta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/pudliner-packing-noncompliance-records.pdf. Final accessed January 24, 2023.

6Food Security and Inspection Service, Noncompliance Report, Pudliner Packing (Nov. 9, 2021) https://www.peta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/pudliner-packing-noncompliance-records.pdf. Final accessed January 24, 2023.

7Food Security and Inspection Service, Noncompliance Report, Pudliner Packing (Nov. 3, 2021) https://www.peta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/pudliner-packing-noncompliance-records.pdf. Final accessed January 24, 2023.

8Food Security and Inspection Service, Noncompliance Report, Pudliner Packing (July 15, 2021) https://www.peta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/pudliner-packing-noncompliance-records.pdf. Final accessed January 24, 2023.

9Food Security and Inspection Service, Noncompliance Report, Pudliner Packing (June 11, 2021) https://www.peta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/pudliner-packing-noncompliance-records.pdf. Final accessed January 24, 2023.

10FSIS District 60 Supervisor Dr. Lynda Lilyestrom, Reinstatement of Suspension, Pudliner Packing (Nov. 16, 2020) https://www.peta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/4999-noros-11162020.pdf. Final accessed January 24, 2023.

1¹FSIS District 60 Supervisor Dr. Lynda Lilyestrom, Discover of Suspension, Pudliner Packing (Aug. 11, 2020) https://www.peta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/4999-nos-08112020.pdf. Final accessed January 24, 2023.

1²FSIS District 60 Supervisor Dr. Lynda Lilyestrom, Reinstatement of Suspension, Pudliner Packing (Jan. 27, 2020) https://www.peta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/4999-ros-012720.pdf. Final accessed January 24, 2023.

1³FSIS District 60 Supervisor Dr. Lynda Lilyestrom, Reinstatement of Suspension, Pudliner Packing (June 26, 2019) https://www.peta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/4999-noros-062619.pdf. Final accessed January 24, 2023.

1⁴U.S. Division of Agriculture, FSIS, “Beneath Secretary for Meals Security Shares Some Perception on the Humane Dealing with of Livestock,” (Jan. 7, 2011) https://www.usda.gov/media/weblog/2011/01/7/under-secretary-food-safety-shares-some-insight-humane-handling-livestock. Final accessed January 24, 2023.

1⁵U.S. Congress, United States Code: Meat Inspection, 21 U.S.C. §§ 676(a), (1982) https://www.govinfo.gov/content material/pkg/USCODE-2010-title21/pdf/USCODE-2010-title21-chap12-subchapIV-sec676.pdf. Final accessed January 24, 2023.