www.eagletimes.com
Video: A short 3 minute documentary
Humane(?) Slaughter in the UK
Packing company suspends sheep slaughter following mis-stun Packing company suspends sheep slaughter following mis-stun | February 13, 2018 By PATRICK ADRIAN padrian@eagletimes.com SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — The Vermont Packinghouse has stopped processing sheep to improve handling operations after a sheep set for slaughter was mis-stunned last month, according to company executives. Vermont Packinghouse General Counsel Mary Krueger explained the plant wants to take time to review practices and equipment. On Jan. 23, a slaughterhouse employee was reportedly thrown off focus when the electric stunner failed to fire on first attempt and pointed it in the wrong position when he a second time. The animal suffered momentarily before the stunner was recharged and administered effectively. Slaughterhouses stun livestock to render them insensitive prior to slaughter. Mis-stuns can occur if the animal moves its head when administering the shot, which results in the animal remaining conscious and feeling the pain. While acknowledging mis-stuns are sometimes a risk of the trade, General Manager Arion Thiboumery said his company is working to avoid them. “Humane slaughter is at the core of our mission. When an accident like this happens, there is a ripple effect throughout the plant ,” Thiboumery wrote in a public letter released Jan. 26. “We are extremely disappointed when an animal suffers on our watch, and we promise to always remain humble and learn and improve from our mistakes.” After coming under scrutiny following a suspension by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in October 2016, the company upgraded equipment and tightened its practices. Between 2016 and spring of 2017, the plant incurred four violations for animal cruelty, involving three cattle mis-stuns and two mishandled pig slaughters. Vermont Packinghouse has since purchased specialized equipment to keep the cattle and pigs immobile when stunning, Thiboumery said, who added that the company spent $1 million last year in upgrades to the slaughterhouse and expansion of the plant’s cooling and storage capacity. The general manager said last month’s incident marked the plant’s first mis-stun involving a sheep since the factory opened in 2014. He said the company wants to be more proactive. In the past four years, the company has grown from 10 employees to 60. Krueger said the company would explore areas that include floor procedures, employee training and types of equipment. The general counsel notes that equipment for each type of animal processed is different, with specifications varying according to each species size and strength. The mis-stun of the sheep resulted in a one day suspension by USDA inspectors. Krueger said reason was to enable plant operators to ensure equipment is functioning properly and procedures would be ready to resume. The closure only involved the slaughterhouse. All other departments in the plant remained in operation. Vermont Packinghouse is one of the few slaughterhouses that allow visitors to watch its operations through a glass window.
No comments :
Post a Comment
Please keep your comments polite and on-topic. No profanity