USDA Shuts Down Slaughterhouse

On
October 27th, Bartels Packing, a slaughterhouse and meat packing facility
in Oregon was suspended by The United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) for improper practices. During a random inspection, the
company was seen using a bolt gun improperly.

Typically,
a bolt gun is used to shoot livestock in the head to render the animal unconscious
before dying. Workers at the Oregon facility, however, were found to be
shooting the animals elsewhere.

In
2013, the Oregon slaughterhouse was fined by the USDA $13,000 for polluting
local waterways.

Slaughterhouses
are normally shut down by the USDA based on food safety issues, but rarely due
to animal welfare concerns.