York Meats: Non-Compliance to Humane Livestock Handling in 2025 (USDA)

313.1,313.2

On July 1, 2025, I SPHV Dr. REDACTED observed the following noncompliance, while I was conducting an Odd Hour Inspection task at Establishment M6482. At approximately 1340 hours I arrived at the facility when I confirmed that all employees had left for the day. When I walked over to the pens, I observed signs of heat distress in more than 16 lambs that are being housed in the large uncovered, unnumbered pen beside pen 4. The lambs were all clustering toward the small corners of the shaded walls in the metal pen, excessively panting (open mouth breathing), some had foamy saliva coming from the corners of their mouths, while others were hunched over trying to get in between the areas with wet dirt near the water troughs. At approximately 1355 hours, I called Plant Manager REDACTED Jr. and left a voicemail of my observations describing how I would be issuing a noncompliance for inadequate measures for inclement weather of the facilities. Then at 1358 hours, I sent a text message with the same details included in my voicemail. At approximately 1420 hours, some of the lambs began stepping into the water troughs to keep cool. At 1423 hours Mr. REDACTED Jr. replied to my text message indicating he would find a solution. Thereafter, I informed Mr. REDACTED Jr. that I had just applied U.S. Reject tag number: B10-820171 to the pen holding the lambs as the condition of the lambs was not improving. Mr. REDACTED Jr. called me at 1432 hours to confirm that he and another employee would be arriving shortly to provide an umbrella for shading. Between 1450 hours and 1500 hours both employees arrived and worked together to place a large patio umbrella in the pen which the lambs immediately were drawn from the small, shaded region in the corner of the hot metal pen walls to the larger shaded area in the center of the pen provided by the umbrella. Management also began wetting the dirt in the pen along with the lambs which shortly thereafter stopped the lambs from panting and hypersalivating. The above is not in compliance with 9 CFR 313.1 & 313.2. Following a review of noncompliance records issued within the last 90 days, this noncompliance will not be associated as there are no other noncompliances of similar cause or circumstance within that range. At approximately 1515 hours, I removed the rejected tag from the pen, while staff mentioned how they would return around 1800 hours to check on the condition of the lambs. Per 9 CFR 313.1; Livestock pens, driveways and ramps. Per 9 CFR 313.2; Handling of livestock.