A videotape released by an anti-cruelty group raised serious concerns about operations at a large hog slaughter plant and prompted a USDA investigation, says the Washington Post. The footage was filmed by an employee of the nonprofit Compassion over Killing at Quality Pork Processors in Austin, Minn., which is a supplier of Hormel, the maker of Spam.
It shows “pigs being dragged across the floor, beaten with paddles and sick to the point of immobility” and animals covered with manure being sent down the processing line, says the Post. A QPP offiicial, Nate Johnson, told the newspaper that, “Had it (the video) been allowed to show the entire sequence of these events, all of these hogs were all handled appropriately.”
USDA spokesman Adam Tarr said the department could not comment definitively during an investigation. “The actions depicted in the video under review are appalling and completely unacceptable, and if we can verify the video’s authenticity, we will aggressively investigate the case and take appropriate action,” Tarr told the Post.
The Post said the video “shines a light on a government-approved pilot program … which allows processors like QPP to assume more responsibility over the inspection process.” Under the HACCP-based Inspection Models Project (HIMP), USDA puts fewer inspectors on the production line while doubling the number of safety checks within a facility and placing more attention on food safety. On average, the five processors in HIMP also were “allowed plants to increase their line speed — on average, participants in the pilot program process roughly 120 extra hogs per hour, according to the USDA.”
USDA says HIMP is an improvement on the traditional “poke and sniff” visual inspection process. According to the Post, former inspectors and factory workers say the new program is weak on animal welfare and puts meatpackers in charge of sorting out diseased and contaminated carcasses.