Crime

Slaughterhouse Tied to USDA Found Butchering Animals Alive and Now Gets Shut Down

Undercover Videos Lead to Shut Down of Calif. Slaughterhouse and Arrest of Two Florida Men

One group went undercover to obtain footage of the illegal slaughter of animals in Florida. Two men have been arrested in the case thus far. (Image WSVN-TV screenshot)

FRESNO, Calif. (TheBlaze/AP) — Advocates for the humane treatment of animals — including those headed to slaughter — claim victory this week as a Central California slaughterhouse was shut down thanks to an undercover video showing dairy cows being tortured as they were butchered. In a separate incident, two men accused of inhumane, illegal slaughter of pigs and other animals in Florida were arrested late last week.

Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which inspects meat facilities, suspended operations Monday at Central Valley Meat Co. in Hanford, Calif., which slaughters cows when they lose their value as milk producers.

The USDA received hours of videotape Friday from Compassion Over Killing, an animal welfare group, which said its undercover investigator was employed by the slaughterhouse and made the video over a two-week period in June.

“USDA considers inhumane treatment of animals at slaughter facilities to be unacceptable and is conducting a thorough investigation into these allegations,” said Justin DeJong, spokesman for the Food Safety Inspection Service.

Four minutes of excerpts the animal welfare group provided to The Associated Press showed cows being prepared for slaughter. One worker is seen suffocating a cow by standing on its muzzle after a gun that injects a bolt into the animal’s head had failed to render it unconscious. In another clip, a cow is still conscious and flailing as a conveyor lifts it by one leg for transport to an area where the animals’ throats are slit for blood draining.

“The horror caught on camera is sickening,” said Erica Meier, executive director of Compassion Over Killing, based in Washington, D.C. “It’s alarming that this is not only a USDA-inspected facility but a supplier to the USDA.”

Online USDA records show the company has contracted to sell ground beef to USDA food programs.

Within hours of seeing the video, the USDA’s Office of Inspector General sent investigators who found evidence of “egregious inhumane handling and treatment of livestock.”

“FSIS suspended operations at the facility and is prepared to take further action as warranted by the investigation,” DeJong said.

The USDA had at least two inspectors stationed at the site, and federal officials, when asked whether they had neglected their duties, said only that the investigation is ongoing.

Central Valley Meat Co., owned by Brian and Lawrence Coelho, declined to comment on the video, saying company officials had not seen it.

“We were extremely disturbed to be informed by the USDA that … our plant could not operate based upon a videotape that was provided to the Department by a third party group that alleged inhumane treatment of animals on our property,” said a company statement.

Brian Coelho added, “Our company seeks not just to meet federal humane handling regulations, but exceed them.”

Meier produced pay stubs confirming the undercover operative’s stint working at the slaughterhouse.

The videos show workers pulling downed cows by their tails and kicking them in an apparent attempt to get them to stand and walk to slaughter. Others shoot downed cows in the head over and over as the cows thrash on the ground. In one instance, the video shows workers trying to get cattle to back out of a chute while repeatedly spraying them with water and shocking them.

Veterinarians specializing in humane handling were a part of the USDA’s rapid initial inspection that led to the shutdown at Central Valley Meat Co. The USDA told plant officials Sunday that it was withholding inspection marks and “immediately suspending the assignment of inspectors at the facility.”

“It’s a good sign that the USDA is taking this seriously, but I want to see what comes next,” said Meier, adding the video will be posted on the organization’s website Tuesday. “The footage clearly speaks for itself, but this is not an isolated incident. Investigation after investigation of these places is revealing cruelty.”

In a separate incident last week, WSVN-TV reports two men were arrested in Miami-Dade County, Fla., on several charges of inhumane treatment of pigs they illegally butchered and sold the meat. Gelio Hernandez and Angel Busurot plead not guilty to the charges in court Friday. Here is more from WSVN-TV on the case:

Investigators say Busurot was the ringleader of the slaughtering operation and has been slaughtering animals for quite some time. Richard Couto of the Animal Recovery Mission said, “This guy has been butchering animals alive for years and years.”

[...]

7News obtained exclusive video of the horrific slaughters. According to authorities, the suspects would kill the animals, including pigs and goats, while they were still alive; then, they would illegally sell the animals’ meat. “The animals are being beaten, they’re not being fed properly,” said Couto, “and worst of all, is that they’re being taken apart prior to death.”

The operation was once shut down back in 2010 but re-emerged. “They weren’t hit hard enough with penalties and prosecuted properly,” said Couto.

Undercover Videos Lead to Shut Down of Calif. Slaughterhouse and Arrest of Two Florida Men

(Image: WSVN-TV screenshot)

Watch WSVN-TV’s report:

The two men, if convicted of the charges, could face up to 15 years in prison.

Comments (94)

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  • garbagecanlogic
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 11:51am

    This depicts why mexicans have no qualms with beheading, skinning alive, or slitting throats of people. This is ingrained in them from their work habits. Lets let more of them into our country so we can encourage them to continue their practices.

    Praise Be To Obama. Psalm 109:8

    The U.S. Out Of The U.N.
    The U.N. Out Of The U.S.

    Report Post »  
    • oneshiner
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:18pm

      Can’t stand sick, inhumane people. Who and what kind of people enjoy torturing animals? I remember about 13 years ago I was on the north end of Lake Buchanan, the town of Tow, Tx. We were walking around the lake and stopped to see some men cleaning fish.
      One azzwhole was scaling his fish alive and I thought I was going to vomit right there. People are so cruel and have no feelings. No wonder!

      Report Post »  
    • ultraright
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:36pm

      ONESHINER, while your halo indeed shines bright, I would advise you not to watch animals being butchered lest you drown in your upchuck. By the way, how do you process you fish?

      Report Post »  
    • RamonPreston
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 1:20pm

      To clean fish:
      Use a sharp knife and cut down behind the head breaking the backbone…but not all the way through.
      Make a cut from the tail to the “head” along each side of the dorsal fin.
      Now the fillet will pull out leaving the inards in the skin. Works well.

      Report Post » RamonPreston  
    • banjarmon
      Posted on August 23, 2012 at 1:52am

      Big Question….. To kill an animal for food or STARVE….I will kill the animal the fastest way I know how….BANG!!! YUMMMM YUM

      Report Post » banjarmon  
    • georgette
      Posted on August 23, 2012 at 1:30pm

      They gave up their humanity to do this vile thing……there is nothing human in them…….having no respect for life….for that which they did not create……they passed judgement upon themselves. I would not want to stand in their shoes before the Living God Who created life ….

      Report Post »  
  • ultraright
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 11:31am

    No one,except a few twisted folks, is for cruelty!

    However, most negative comments to this article come from the squeamish and the grossly ill-informed. Having extensive farm and moderate butcher experience, I can tell you that a momentary shock or a spray of water can greatly encourages an animal to stop balking in a loading chute. We seem to accept the use of water cannons and rubber bullets for human control.

    When an animal is shot in the head it is not abnormal for it to “thrash around” in its dead state. A chicken will flail around after its head is completely gone. This is just a part of the food chain experience most people have insulated themselves from. I believe we have become an imbalanced people because of this. We champion animals rights over human lives. A human heart the size of my thumb can be squashed with little more than a whimper from this society, but kill a dog with a gun and you may go to jail. CRAZY!!!

    Report Post »  
    • The Giver
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 11:43am

      Early abortion rips the arms and legs off without any stunning or anesthesia. Partial birth abortion allows the body to come out and then the base of the skull is stabbed while the head is not born yet. You’re right. We stop those little hearts that science now shows us are beating at 6weeks or less.
      Two wrongs don’t make a right.
      They are both wrong.

      Report Post » The Giver  
    • mastice
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 11:59am

      @The Giver
      “Two wrongs don’t make a right.
      They are both wrong.”

      While I don’t disagree with your abortion stance… what exactly are you promoting there? We stop killing (and eating) animals?

      Report Post » mastice  
    • mastice
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:06pm

      @ultraright

      Spot on. As another person who comes from an agricultural background, and grew up around livestock, I agree completely. Some people are almost like a child who finds out, for the first time, that their beloved fried chicken nuggets used to be that walking/squawking/covered in feathers chicken that had to be killed… just so that child could eat those chicken nuggets dipped in their favorite sauce.

      I still crack up over a user comment posted to an article like this one long ago… where they stated (quite proudly) that we need to “save animals, purchase all your meat from the grocery store”.

      Report Post » mastice  
    • ultraright
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:18pm

      Yip, MASTICE, comments like the one you quoted just show us the brilliance of our brave new world.
      SCARY!

      Report Post »  
    • AintLIBSjuzGreat
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:27pm

      dont be an idiot Mastice shall we kill all the predators my cat kills things for fun shall i kill it ? you toolbag ya

      Report Post »  
  • kathystone
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 11:04am

    Is the sentence ” killing the animals while they were alive..” an error? Unfortunately, salughter houses are mechanized more than ever now so the machines don‘t slow down if there is an animal who does not get knocked out prior to having it’s throat cut. By the way, IF it was a kosher slaughter plant, the animals are NOT stunned just hoisted up by one leg, blessed by the rabbi who slits it’s throat and it hangs there, watching it’s own blood run into the drain beneath it. Now, where is my steak

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    • The Giver
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 11:36am

      Too bad that we who believe in the sanctity of LIFE should allow animals to suffer so much in order to become our food. That increases adrenaline in the animal which is probably not healthy for consumption. Of course they have to be alive in order to be killed. Maybe they stun them first before slaughter. We‘ll all be responsible for what we’ve done here when we close our eyes for the last time.

      Report Post » The Giver  
    • rangerp
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:04pm

      Giver

      So what do you think about the way Muslims kill their animals? Do you speak out against it?

      You know they slit the animals throat, and let it die a slow death?

      Report Post » rangerp  
    • RamonPreston
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 1:25pm

      The reason for that is so the thrashing animal will lose more blood. Human are NOT supposed to eat meat with the blood in it. The Jews are right.

      Report Post » RamonPreston  
    • eric6161
      Posted on August 22, 2012 at 1:45pm

      I think Che Guevara was inspired by kosher law. He would drain most of the blood from those men he enjoyed seeing before his beloved firing squads… I guess so they would make it look like they were willing to die for the communists. But he only killed tens of thousands of people…not millions like his hero, the communist – Stalin.

      Report Post »  
  • userconsumer
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 10:51am

    I think this is just a diversion. There is no way this is how we get our meat. There are not enough cows in the world to cover the hamburger demand from just mc donalds alone. there are seven in my city, I work at a restaurant and cant see how they can cover all the restaurants and stores in the us without making meat by unnatural ways. But big sis i have no intentions of trying to change what you do, im just saying

    Report Post »  
    • Gorp
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:00pm

      @Userconsumer:

      I worked at SuperValu in MN for 8 1/2 years driving truck. The size of our warehouse buildings and all the food that went out of there every day just amazed me. On a decent day we’d ship around six million pounds. As far as unnatural growing of crops and raising of animals, I’m not sure. I know there are Hybrid seeds for veggies etc. that have been engineered so they grow faster. I don’t know how they can grow a cow or pig faster than nature grows them. There is probably a way to do it but I don’t see multitudes falling over dead from eating it.

      There are a few exceptions as to what I will eat, Anchovies and bugs comes to mind, but I figure as long as it makes a turd I’ll eat it. The only reason we eat is to give both ends something to do.

      As far as killing animals. Do it as quickly as you can so they suffer very little.

      Report Post » Gorp  
    • listeninginVT
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:23pm

      most us beef comes from Canada. Canada‘s ’rules’ follow US standards, US standards are the LOWEST in the world for actual food safety and quality. Most, meaning all industrialized nations, won’t touch our beef/pork/chicken for sale at grocery because of GMO, hormones, etc.. that are not legal in their countries, they know it is beyond bad for people to consume, I’m not sure if that touches fast food places though. I do know that when I was first finding out what other countries will accept and not from the US and why, the studies that confirm ‘eating this makes you sick’ type of thing, I was shocked. We are brainwashed that USDA and FDA = safe food. Not even close, it really means the most poisoned substandard ‘food substance’ around. Here RAW milk and organic farmers are being hounded and prosecuted and put out of business, in Europe they are putting up RAW milk stands all over so people can buy a healthy nutritious drink anywhere…2 completely different directions. I’ve had many friends come back from other countries and proclaim how the food tasted so different, so much better and it was a shock to come home to crappy food.. Did you know that US wines aren’t, for the most part, sold in EU? Because US wineries us a flouride based pesticide that shows up super concentrated in the wine, many 100% higher than an ‘acceptable’ level.. I could go on and on,the US has substandard and dangerous policies that the rest of the world rejects (including GMO). research fo

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  • Melika
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 10:28am

    Before I leave to get some work done: Kudos to The Blaze for hiring Lis Klamas. This is yet another crap-tacular posting of non-sense mixed with stupid journalism. She always gets a lot of comments simply because what she posts is so moronic and/or misleading, we can’t help but comment.

    Report Post »  
    • rangerp
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 10:32am

      do you think these liberal moon bats will go after the Muslim folks for the way they kill animals?

      They face the animal towad Mecca then cut the animals throat, and let it die slow.

      Report Post » rangerp  
    • Melika
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 10:53am

      Cutting an animal’s throat is not dying slowly. Messy, but not slow. It will quickly lose consciousness. It is relatively painless and once enough blood has been lost, it dies. As opposed to shooting one in the field and waiting for either internal bleeding to kill the animal while it is conscious and aware, or waiting for asphyxia to occur if you hit the lungs. Even just pretending shooting an animal kills it “right away” what do you think is happening inside that bullet wound? It’s bleeding to death internally. The difference between a slashed throat and a bullet is the wound. As much as I can’t stand Muslims (yeah, I’m racists/sexist/religionist – whatever), the throat slitting is very humane. Doing it in front of their kids with a “hurray!” party is quite disturbing, but the killing itself is humane.

      Report Post »  
    • rangerp
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:08pm

      Melika

      I have killed hogs with a .22 to the head, and they hit the ground dead. You aim about a half inch above the eye line.

      I have also slit the throats, and I can tell you that it takes a good bit longer, and the animal kicks around and make a whole lot more fuss.

      I can kill them either way and not give a flip of a wooden nickel, They are pigs.

      I just find it funny that the liberl animal activist crowd will not speak a peep about the muslims, nor will the femenists groups talke bad about them.

      Report Post » rangerp  
    • Melika
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:38pm

      I wasn’t meaning to sound so critical of your post and I apologize. I think my point was more in line that there are far worse and longer ways to die than a slit throat (as is often done in slaughter houses as opposed to traditional hunting) and I suppose was more of a response to all the people who think its terrible to do.

      If I had a choice, I would definitely go with a shot in the head as opposed to throat slitting (or at least what we do which is knock-out), but there are reasons for doing it this way. The fact that Muslims do this doesn’t bother me so much as the party they have while doing it.

      You are absolutely right that these activists never say anything about these people, how they treat their animals or their women. I think the reason is, they respect their “culture”. The only people not allowed to have a culture or societal mores are white Americans.

      Report Post »  
    • Cesium
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 2:25pm

      @RangerP “I can kill them either way and not give a flip of a wooden nickel” I already knew this before but no, you are definitely not a Jew.” This is something a gentile says. psychopath

      Report Post »  
  • vayapues
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 10:05am

    Its clear that this group does not care at all about the compassionate killing of animals. They are trying to end the slaughter of animals all together. Which is why they go way over board in their complaints.

    Shooting an animal repeatedly in the head is supposed to be a bad thing? Really? What should they do then? Shoot it once, and if it doesn’t die, just stand around it and what? Watch it suffer? Compassion demands that they shoot it again.

    Other parts of the video also completely undermine their efforts. Kicking the animals to get them to move? Have they ever ridden horses, lol. Kicking is not cruel. What should they say? “Oh please Mrs. Cow, will you please walk?”

    There are a couple of legitimate complaints, such as the cow being hooked by the leg prior to death. But even that appears to be more of an accident, than a rule. A very unfortunate incident to be sure. Something that the company needs to address in training. But it was clearly not the way things generally go on there, and very clearly not intentional.

    If the group came forward with this single complaint, and then asked the company to explain it, and address it, they would have legitimacy. Instead, they come forward with what is mostly nonsense, clouding their efforts entirely.

    Making the group look like nothing more than a radical bunch of 1960′s hippie protestors with no intellegence of any kind. Which is too bad. Because their legitimate complaint should be addre

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  • Melika
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 9:56am

    This is the BEST line in the entire article: “… the suspects would kill the animals, including pigs and goats, while they were still alive…”
    Holy crap! These jerks killed these animals BEFORE they were dead!

    Report Post »  
    • politicianssuck
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 10:13am

      It’s just like the old saying “I was afraid I would wake up dead”… Wake up dead?

      Anyway, joking aside I love my bacon in the morning but I don’t want them tortured. Leave that to lions that eat their pray alive.

      Report Post »  
    • Melika
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 10:26am

      Me neither, but I’m not seeing cruelty here. The reality is, if this kind of cruelty was actually happening all the time (I mean the bad shooting or the cow with one leg) this company would go out of business simply because it couldn’t compete. The meat processing industry is stream-lined in a way people rarely know or understand. Killing quickly IS the norm. They don’t want to waste any time at all with a kill longer than 30 seconds. These guys try to shave off seconds from the kills. Ditto for butchering. It’s hard to butcher something quickly if its still kicking around. Accidents, inappropriate handling CAN occur, but it certainly wouldn’t be chronic – the market just wouldn’t allow it. I can promise you, if the guys doing the killing were holding up the line because they couldn’t get it done right, they would be fired.
      The other thing we don’t consider are the feelings of the workers. These guys are normal people, they didn’t wake up one morning and say, “I want a job butchering animals”. They have to develop a disconnect with what they are killing to do their jobs, which is the only reason why I feel it is OK to have someone legitimate (not Vegans) keeping an eye on them to make sure they don’t go overboard with it (the callousness). It‘s also why I’m willing to give someone a second chance. Sometimes a person needs to be told they have become to callous. If done properly, most people will understand it. But we don’t do that – we punish severely, which

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  • Rayblue
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 9:55am

    At the close of a cultures golden age the animals are abused first.
    Some of the attitudes show the decline.

    Report Post » Rayblue  
  • annieoakley
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 9:37am

    The Muslims are going to make us kill the animals by slitting their throats and letting them bleed to death. It is Halal and they are doing this now. Mostly goats and never hogs of course are killed this way. I am sure the chicken killing, in one of our Presidents books, was “halal. Wonder how the dog meat he ate was killed?

    Report Post »  
    • vayapues
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 9:51am

      it is not inhumane to kill them this way. They die immediately.

      Report Post »  
  • rangerp
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 9:20am

    Hmmmmm, but how many innocent little babies were murdered last week in America via abortion?

    How many young children are living a nightmare because our government has turned their back on them, and allowed them to be adopted by degenerate homosexuals?

    How many white women were raped by black men last year in America, but we don’t speak about this problem, because it violates political correctness and the multicultural education standards?

    How many U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan this year, as we bumble along with no real goals or set strategy under the current White House?

    If you butcher animals, I hope you do it properly, when compared to these other problems though, I don‘t weight it very high if you don’t.

    Report Post » rangerp  
  • Landon410
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 9:13am

    butcher‘em dead butcher’em alive, either way their still delicious!

    I clean fish alive

    Report Post »  
  • BurntHills
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 9:11am

    we wonder what their immigration status was.

    Report Post » BurntHills  
  • kadster01
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 8:43am

    One word comes to mind: abortion.

    Report Post »  
  • cz_smitty
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 8:26am

    Who cares, what harm to the MEAT? Oh, none, then shut up USDA and get me a cheesburger!

    Report Post »  
    • cz_smitty
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 9:52am

      …maybe Doova I am all those things, but come on, these are SLAUGHTER HOUSES! Do you really buy the garbage that we have to be kind to them while they are on the way to being under that plastic, I guess you think, they appear under by magic? They are being killed and cut up, can you insult them more than that? Now go on back in the kitchen, I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and french fried potato…..

      Report Post »  
  • amerbur
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 8:23am

    The owner said what the government said about us “that this is wet lands” is not true. Is the EPA involved here? I would bet there is a whole lot more to this story.

    Report Post »  
  • watashbuddyfriend
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 8:22am

    Fines and jail time are not harsh enough!

    Report Post »  
    • Doova
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 8:50am

      I agree.

      Report Post » Doova  
    • Gorp
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 8:52am

      I have been a meat eater from the time I could chew meat. I hunted as a kid in northern MN. My Dad taught me to kill the animals quick with as little pain as possible. Back then, before I needed glasses and the eyesight wasn’t up to par, I got head shots when possible. We used to take Deer with a .22 rifle with head shots. Not bragging, but I could hit a Partridge or Pheasant in flight with the .22 rifle. All of that, along with Rabbits was our main source of meat back then. I am now 66 years old and don’t hunt anymore, not because I’m too old but I can afford to buy my meat. Back then Dad got mad when we missed because we were wasting the ammo.

      Like I said, I love to eat meat but I also believe in a quick kill. These people should be put in prison and never see the light of day again.

      Report Post » Gorp  
    • termyt
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 9:06am

      So we should execute them, then? For killing animals marked for death improperly? I hope you also support the death penalty for murders. If not, then I pray you are never a judge over anyone as you have absolutely zero sense of propriety. Even if you do, you are on shaky ground.

      Like every other complaint I’ve seen against those who professionally end animal life, there are real issues mixed in with animal rights nonsense. I’m thinking “Compassion Over Killing” is not advocating for the proper slaughter of animals. I may be wrong, but I‘m gonna go out on a limb here and guess they’d rather it not happen at all.

      Not incapacitating an animal before you lift it by one leg and send it to get it’s throat slit – Legitimate beef (no pun intended. OK, it was totally intended.)

      Shooting a cow in the head over and over while it flails. Um, OK – I think they mean it to die, so that’s why they are shooting it. I’m not sure that counts a cruelty. Incompetence perhaps, but I‘m not sure how it’s cruel to attempt to kill something you are legal trying to kill.

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  • kcares
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 8:18am

    I have gotten close to not wanting to read these articles anymore. Our country is sick, one teacher having sex with mulitple students, this one butchering animals before they are put to death, killing babies, occupiers, guns to cartels, amenesty to illegals, on and on. When are the people of the US going to stand up to all the crime and insanity, starting with the top?

    Report Post » kcares  
    • poorrichard09
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 8:49am

      kcares: I hear you. I’ve been thinking about all the craziness going on and came the conclusion that we are watching a society disintegrating right before our eyes.

      Report Post »  
    • Doova
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 8:51am

      I know I feel the same way, but we need to know so we can do something to stop it.

      Report Post » Doova  
    • CMDR6
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 8:54am

      I think it is kinda sick that you equate the “buchering of animals before they are put to death” with all of the other ills of the world concerning people you mentioned. These are ANIMALS!! not people! Heck, the way the Muslims and Jews kill their animals so that they are Halal or Kosher is the slit their necks so they bleed out while still “alive”. Do you scream at them??
      Get a freakin’ grip! and get some balance in your perspective please

      Report Post » CMDR6  
    • SacredHonor1776
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 12:32pm

      “Heck, the way the Muslims and Jews kill their animals so that they are Halal or Kosher is the slit their necks so they bleed out while still “alive.”

      The Hmong people also ritualy kill their animals without any so called “humane” methods (I.E they also slit the animals throat IIRC).

      I agree, this is how animals were traditonally slaugheed for years… It actually is one of the quickest ways for an animal to die… Its probably many times more humane than shootig a “bolt” into an animal’s head (if that is what passes as a ‘humane method’ now adays).

      Reminds me when Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs leare for himslf that traitional methods are often more humane than moe progressive/modern methods.. As he discussed methods of lamb castration;
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-udsIV4Hmc

      Report Post »  
  • AJAYW
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 7:58am

    There is a right and a wrong way to do any job. Butchering is no exception, Those that use methods that are not quick and painless should be charged, If found guilty get jail time and barred from every working in the industry again.

    Report Post »  
    • BetterInformed
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 8:34am

      So how do you know it’s painless. Ever been killed properly in a slaughter house? The object here is to kill the animal. The argument is how to make yourself feel better about eating your burger. The job description of slaughter house workers is “kill as many animals as you can as quickly and inexpensively as possible”. I’m sure that for every single incident of an improper KILLING they have hours of proper KILLINGS. Mistakes occur in all industries including slaughter houses. The fact remains, whatever your idea of a good killing is it is still a KILLING and whatever the animal is experiencing is conjecture. I have to go and flip my burger.

      Report Post »  
    • Doova
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 8:57am

      Hey Betterinformed I think its pretty obvious that butchering an animal while its still alive is painful. Does it cost more to make sure the animal is dead before butchering, I think not. You and your loser friend cz smitty need to stop hanging out and find some compassion in your life. It amazing how people dont care about how the food gets to their table. Evil is evil!

      Report Post » Doova  
    • Gorp
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 9:01am

      @Betterinformed:

      I’ve been killed twice in a slaughter house. The first time really really hurt. The second time I didn’t feel a thing.
      So there is a right way to do it.
      Sorry, I just couldn’t resist. Gotta go and flip my steak on the grill.

      Report Post » Gorp  
    • Melika
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 10:15am

      Wait a minute, Doova. The accusation is that they “butchered” the animal while it is alive, while the example given was that the animal had its throat cut while it was still alive. There is a big disconnect between those statements. Cutting the throat IS the way to kill a large animal. It is relatively painless and the animals quickly die while preserving as much of the carcass as possible so that NOTHING goes to waste. The air gun can kill the animal, but its purpose is to knock it out. No where in this article or in any of the linked articles is there any indication that they began carving up the parts before the creature was dead, which would only happen if the throat WASN’T cut. In a processing facility, that couldn’t happen.
      Let’s also not forget post death kicks and tremors. Most things when they die still have spasms in the system that occasionally occur – which means you could cut a film to show that & even though the animal is dead, claim it was still alive because a muscle twitched a bit.
      Cattle are tough animals, you could beat one a whole bunch and not phase it, so I question what appears to be “cruelty” when a lay person sees it. The people who posted this video are strict Vegans – they will manipulate anyone to get what they want and they tend to go after the small Mom and Pop places that can’t afford full time lawyers. They play on your sheltered existence.

      Report Post »  
  • shorthanded12
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 7:57am

    Whats smells fishy with this story USDA? Better known as a Gubment agency need I say more?

    Report Post »  
  • country_hick
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 7:56am

    “The USDA had at least two inspectors stationed at the site…”

    There is NO excuse for this whether there are inspectors on site or not! Stock holders should be calling for the firing of ANY management that knew or should have know how the animals were being treated.

    The inspectors and their supervisors should also be fired. You can bet that the inspectors will be defended by their unions and just reassigned. The supervisors will end up being transferred and promoted ala Fast and Furious BATFE discipline standards.

    Report Post »  
    • MellowCat
      Posted on August 27, 2012 at 3:25pm

      You are so right. The USDA is throwing a bone at the people that care about animal welfare to make them appear serious. They usually give the abuse a wink and a nod while they go play Farmville on Facebook. Meanwhile, the animal welfare “nuts” are doing their jobs for them and acting “surprised” that the abuse goes on and on an on. What is really telling is the states that have instituted “Ag-Gag” laws to make it illegal to video or audiotape anything in the slaughterhouse. They seem to have forgotten what Freedom of Speech is to pander to their Big-Ag campaign donors. Sickening.

      Report Post » MellowCat  
  • grimmster
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 7:56am

    Obviously the USDA was doing its job….The USDA is a joke,as are its inspectors,who, ,can be bought off quite easily.Slaughter houses that employ illegals seem to have a higher incidence of animal cruelty, imagine that.But i cant believe this happened in california, what with all the treehuggers and peta idiots out there……

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  • biohazard23
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 7:49am

    Oh my Lord… That’s just…. Ugh…

    Report Post » biohazard23  
    • 000degrees
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 8:04am

      I’m glad these people were stopped. Common sense is needed not barbaric treatment… Oh btw…How many abortions took place in the US this week??????? just wondering…..

      Report Post »  
    • biohazard23
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 8:35am

      True that, my friend.

      Report Post » biohazard23  
  • JACKTHETOAD
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 7:47am

    HELLO PETA! Let’s get busy…

    Report Post » JACKTHETOAD  
  • johnjamison
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 7:46am

    People can be so cruel it almost makes me think some of us deserve a special he77. We slaughtered hogs when I was young but we would put them down quick and as painless as we knew possible.

    Report Post »  
  • The_Almighty_Creestof
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 7:43am

    “According to authorities, the suspects would kill the animals, including pigs and goats, while they were still alive; then, they would illegally sell the animals’ meat.”

    Huh?

    Report Post »  
    • piper60
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 7:50am

      I think what they mean is, the butchering would start before the animal was dead. Like they were still in the process of dying?

      Report Post » piper60  
    • PATRIOTMAMA
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 8:07am

      I think they meant “butcher” the pigs while still alive. Makes me sick to even write those words I can see the error happening just from that. There are countries all around the world that do far worse and on purpose because they think the adreneline makes the meat taste better. None of it is even close to acceptable. When we loose the respect for life, all life, then we loose our humanity. This is wrong and I applaud this group for doing something about it not just protesting and regulating. This goes to show that just putting laws in place isn’t the solution. PROSECUTING people like this is the only solution that does any good. These animals give their lives to sustain ours and that sacrifice alone demands respect for them. This is reprehensible!!!

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    • hillbillyinny
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 8:12am

      Actually, the “approved” USDA slaughter method is to use a “stunner unit,” meaning a unit that shoots the animal in the head in such a way it is rendered unconcious BUT still alive. the animal is then transported (mechanically often since they are so heavy) by a rear leg to where the throat is slit quickly, the head and hide removed and the animal hung for an appropriate period of time for bleed-out.

      As a producer of beef and lamb I have had many animals processed in a smaller USDA plant in my part of the country. This is the process that is always used, and in the two to three smaller plants, it is accomplished quickly, humanely (as much as I HATE that word used for animals), and professionally. There is always a USDA inspector standing right there to examine the animal. The animal MUST walk to the “kill floor” (cannot be dragged or carried!), and the animal must be completely stunned before movement to the slaughter floor.

      Meat that is not hung and bled-out properly is VERY POOR QUALITY meat, and in some cases could be a danger to humans if certain diseases are present–deer wasting disease, sheep Scrapie, cows BSE although all of these reside primarily in the spinal cord and brain.

      Large plants CAN CUT CORNERS AND “HIDE” THINGS. Personal responsibility comes into all of this, and since our complex of requirements doesn’t leave much time for this or profit, some people take it into there own hands. . .

      Buy your food local when possible!

      Report Post »  
    • The Jewish Avenger
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 8:21am

      the adreneline makes the meat taste better…

      Also reaqd the post on the stunner method…

      You have to actually kill and animal to eat it…

      Not sure how I feel about this one… food is food.

      Would I field dress a deer that was still alive?
      No.

      So… I guess that’s it but for the ASPCA/PETA ‘s to win on this just urks me somehow…

      Report Post » The Jewish Avenger  
    • johnjamison
      Posted on August 21, 2012 at 11:15am

      I saw part of a movie once where they showed dogs being butchered alive in some asian country.Images of live skinned dogs being butched and the sounds they made are beyond horrorible.Some of those images will never going totally away. But I can‘t changed those things I can however treat my animals even the one I’ll eventually eat with decency and compassion as longs as they’re alive.

      Report Post »  
  • rangerp
    Posted on August 21, 2012 at 9:38am

    well stated there Jackel Man

    Report Post » rangerp  
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