Criminal Probe of Slaughterhouse Sought After Bull Shot Five Times Over 20 Minutes

For Immediate Release:
August 14, 2018

Contact:
Audrey Shircliff 202-483-7382

PETA has obtained a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report revealing a recent violation of law at York Meats outside of Fallon, in which workers shot a bull in the head four times and then left the conscious animal to suffer for 20 minutes before returning to shoot him again. In response, PETA sent a letter today calling on the Churchill County Sheriff to investigate the slaughterhouse and, as appropriate, file criminal cruelty-to-animals charges against the facility and the workers responsible for the animal’s suffering.

“These disturbing revelations show that this bull suffered a prolonged, agonizing death at York Meats,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA is calling for a criminal investigation on behalf of the bull who suffered at this facility and the members of the public who care about him.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—notes that other animals have a central nervous system and sense of self-preservation, just as humans do, and that the only way to prevent cows, pigs, chickens, and others from suffering in slaughterhouses is to go vegan.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA’s letter to Churchill County Sheriff Ben Trotter follows.

August 14, 2018

The Honorable Ben Trotter

Sheriff of Churchill County

Dear Sheriff Trotter,

I hope this letter finds you well. I would like to request that your office investigate and file suitable criminal charges against York Meats and the worker(s) responsible for shooting a bull in the head five times and leaving the gravely wounded animal to languish for 20 minutes on July 25 at its slaughterhouse located at 3600 York Ln. outside of Fallon. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) documented the incident in the attached report, which states the following:

“On July 25, 2018 … the FSIS Consumer Safety Inspector (CSI) was observing slaughter operations … when the CSI heard four gunshots from the knock box. The CSI … observed a mature bull that had been [shot] four times, with four entry holes in its forehead, that was still breathing. The bull was breathing, kneeling on its front legs, and had its head raised, with eyes moving and looking around. The CSI asked the stunner employee what the problem was, and the employee stated the animal was too large for the .17 magnum rifle. … Mr. Mori Sr. went to retrieve a larger gun. Approximately 20 minutes later, your establishment effectively stunned the bull with a .38 magnum pistol.”

This conduct appears to violate Nevada Revised Statute § 574.100. Importantly, FSIS action does not preempt criminal liability under state law for slaughterhouse workers who perpetrate acts of cruelty to animals.

Please let us know what we might do to assist you. Thank you for your consideration and for the difficult work that you do.

Sincerely,

Colin Henstock

Investigations Specialist