Slaughterhouse fights state humane slaughtering violations

A Springfield slaughterhouse that prides itself on transparency is contesting three alleged violations of Vermont livestock handling laws following a case of improperly stunning a sheep last January.

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Video: 'Humane' sheep slaughter demonstration

Slaughterhouse fights state humane slaughtering violations By Elizabeth Gribkoff Jun 22 2018 Photo by Bob LoCicero A Springfield slaughterhouse that prides itself on transparency is contesting three alleged violations of Vermont livestock handling laws following a case of improperly stunning a sheep last January. Vermont Packinghouse filed a motion to dismiss the charges, saying the state does not have jurisdiction over the federally inspected slaughterhouse. The matter was before the Agency of Agriculture in a hearing Wednesday. On Jan. 22, an on-site U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector saw an employee who “attempted to stun the sheep twice before having to reload the stunner to admit the third stun which rendered the animal insensitive to pain,” according to court documents. The USDA issued a suspension to Vermont Packinghouse, ordering the company to stop slaughtering sheep. The slaughterhouse submitted a plan to prevent future mis-stuns, as such incidents are known in the industry, prompting the USDA to lift the suspension, contingent upon successful weekly audits of sheep slaughtering for three months. Shortly after the incident, Vermont Packinghouse decided to stop processing small ruminants, including sheep, according to court documents. The USDA wrote to Vermont Packinghouse in May, closing its investigation of the January incident. Vermont Packinghouse attorney Mary Krueger argued that Vermont’s humane livestock laws were developed to apply solely to state-inspected facilities. She said those laws don’t apply a federally regulated slaughterhouse. Thea Schwartz, attorney for the state, argued that a state regulatory hearing was not the place to determine whether federal law would pre-empt the state action. “There may be other ways for you to challenge that, but this is not the place to do so,” she said. Hearing officer Mark Horowitz agreed with Schwartz, saying that he only had the authority in an administrative hearing to determine whether or not Vermont Packinghouse had violated state laws, not on whether or not state laws were applicable in this case. Assistant state veterinarian Katherine McNamara said in her testimony that the incident constituted an “egregious violation” of state laws as the employee not only mis-stunned the sheep, but failed to adhere to the slaughterhouse’s humane handling plan by allowing the animal to run away, partially stunned. “A rapid and effective stun means one shot and it’s done,” she said. McNamara added that after past violations and subsequent corrective actions to prevent further mis-stuns, the agency thought that “the establishment understood and was committed to this issue, and to us it became apparent that it was not.” Vermont Packinghouse co-owner Arion Thiboumery countered during the hearing that he believed the employee had followed the plant’s humane handling plan. The employee had restrained the sheep until it lost consciousness, as outlined in the plan, but the mis-stun resulted in the animal regaining consciousness and running to another part of the pen before it could be re-stunned, according to Thiboumery. Thiboumery said he was surprised the state was moving to impose extensive new conditions on how the plant would slaughter sheep when the plant did not slaughter sheep any more. Vermont Packinghouse has faced five temporary suspensions from the USDA since 2016. In each instance, employees failed to stun an animal effectively and render it immediately unconscious, as required under the federal Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. These violations have drawn the ire of multiple animal rights organizations — Mercy for Animals, a California-based animal protection group, called on the Vermont attorney general last year to investigate what it called “unfair and deceptive business practices.” The group argued that the violations at Vermont Packinghouse contradict its claims of ethical treatment toward animals. Vermont Packinghouse is the state’s largest slaughterhouse — 15,000 animals were slaughtered and processed there last year, Thiboumery said during his testimony. Thiboumery said in an interview Friday that he feels the slaughterhouse plays an important role in Vermont’s agricultural community by providing a place for farmers to process their meat locally, but said that “slaughtering animals is a difficult subject” for many people.