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Work at Slaughterhouse Is Halted After Graphic Undercover Videos

By CHRISTINE HAUSER

Compassion Over Killing video of slaughterhouse operations

Federal authorities have shut down a California slaughterhouse for investigation after an animal protection charity secretly filmed cows being electrically shocked, shot in the head, suffocated and undergoing other abuses.

The videos were filmed with a hidden camera by an investigator for the charity, Compassion Over Killing, who worked undercover at the Central Valley Meat Company in Hanford, Calif., from June 18 through July 2, the charity said. The investigator worked in the yard, then on the slaughter line, during that period, Erica Meier, the executive director for the charity group, said in an interview.

Raw footage was handed over to United States Department of Agriculture officials last Friday. Its Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a statement this week that it had received “distur bing evidence of inhumane treatment of cattle” at the meat company and suspended the work of inspectors there on Aug. 19, effectively forcing the plant to halt its slaughtering operations.

The U.S.D.A. statement continued:

Based on the videotape, in at least four instances, plant employees are observed excessively prodding cattle with an electric device, pulling their tails, or forcibly attempting to make cattle rise from a recumbent position. All actions are considered egregious humane handling violations or in regulatory noncompliance.

“Our top priority is to ensure the safety of the food Americans feed their families,” said Al Almanza, F.S.I.S. administrator. “We have reviewed the video and determined that, while some of the footage provided shows unacceptable treatment of cattle, it does not show anything that would compromise food safety. Therefore, we have not substantiated a food safety violati on at this time. We are aggressively continuing to investigate the allegations.”

U.S.D.A. food safety regulations state that, if an animal is non-ambulatory disabled at any time prior to slaughter, it must be condemned promptly, humanely euthanized, and properly discarded so that it does not enter the food supply.

While the decision affected companies and government programs, the U.S.D.A. said it did not issue a recall of any meat processed there. The slaughterhouse supplied about 21 million pounds of meat to the National School Lunch Program and other federal food initiatives in the year ending in September. One of its smaller buyers, the hamburger chain, In-N-Out Burger, said it stopped using the company as a supplier.

Mark Taylor, the chief operating officer of In-N-Out Burger, said in an e-mailed statement that the slaughterhouse provided the company with beef in chuck form that it used to make its own patties. Mr. Taylor wrote:

As soon as we became aware of the allegations regarding Central Valley Meat Company and their handling of cattle, we immediately severed our supplier relationship with them. In-N-Out Burger would never condone the inhumane treatment of animals and all of our suppliers must agree to abide by our strict standards for the humane treatment of cattle.

The action was widely followed on Twitter by animal rights organizations and advocates linking to the coverage.

Brian Coelho, the president of Central Valley Meat Company, told The Los Angeles Times that his company was cooperating fully with federal investigators. The meat plant has been in Hanford, about 200 miles north of Los Angeles, for 23 years.

Ms. Meier of the animal rights charity said the slaughterhouse was chosen randomly, although such undercover work starts with the expectation that the investigators are going to see cruelty, “We had no prior knowledge of specific violations or suspicions. The facility was hiring and our investigator applied for a job.”