Grand Isle Slaughterhouse Closed Following Charges of Inhumane Treatment

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A worker shocked this infant calf in an attempt to get him to stand. The HSUS

Some unfortunate news (or fortunate, depending on how you look at it) in animal welfare in Vermont — the Vermont Agency of Agriculture announced today that they and the USDA would be suspending the respective licenses of the Bushway Packing, Inc., in Grand Isle, the only abattoir in the state that slaughters infant veal, or "bob" calves, because of alleged animal abuse. 

The charges were leveled by the Humane Society of the United States after a lengthy investigation of the facility's practices. HSUS provided the state and federal agencies with undercover footage of apparent abuse, which led to the license suspension. The allegations against Bushway are pretty grotesque — shocking infant calves who couldn't stand with electric prods, kicking, slapping and throwing calves and "failure to ensure that stunned calves had been rendered insensible to pain." You can read more about that last allegation in the HSUS report below.

Noted animal behavior specialist Dr. Temple Grandin from Colorado State University apparently reviewed the undercover video shot inside the Bushway facility and called the practices "unacceptable." To read Grandin's letter in PDF form, click this: Download 10-17-09-grandin-vogel-letter-on-bushway

The links to the two undercover videos are here and here. Warning: it's graphic and disturbing.

Bushway is one of a dwindling number of slaughterhouses in Vermont. In 1984, there were 20 slaughterhouses in the state. At present, there are only eight facilities that kill animals for meat. Many of Vermont's meat animals get shipped to New York or Massachusetts for processing.

Apparently, the slaughterhouse is certified by Northeast Organic Farming Association-VT to process organic meat. It also does custom meat processing. Bushway has only been open for about a year, started by John McCracken and Terry Rooney in an effort to stanch the flow of calves out of state.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture is currently investigating the facility.

To read the HSUS report, click here.

To read the Vermont Agency of Agriculture report, click here. 

To read more about the veal industry in Vermont from 7D's Suzanne Podhaizer, click here.

Comments

[Diane]

I hope the owners of that forsaken place and everyone who works/ed there has a long, slow burn in Hell.

[Cathleen]

I agree, I hope the owners do burn in hell. The people that can do such evil things are threats to society at large. I truly hope that the government throws the book at them for numerous animal cruelty charges.

[Bea Elliott]

Absolutely no such thing as "humane" slaughter! Go Vegan!

[Marsha]

This goes on everywhere. These people are monsters and need to stop this immediately. Thanks to the Humane Society for exposing what goes on.

[B D]

I hate to say it but, thanks these wonderful fellers... Excerpted from the Burlington seventy-five cent press.

MONTPELIER — Vermont's two U.S. senators are hailing an agreement that is expected to bring $350 million in new federal aid to dairy farmers.

Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders say the money will help to address dire circumstances for Vermont's dairy farmers, who face milk prices at historic lows.

The Senate approved the money last month, but until Wednesday, there wasn't agreement on how it should be distributed.

Sanders says the money will result in significant aid to Vermont's farmers.

Yessiree! you finish the article an way you wish.

Vermont's dairy farmers, recipients of a $350m windfall, will now be able to raise more dairy cattle, to produce more milk that no humans actually need, add significantly to waterway pollution throughout the State and as a result, produce even more unwanted, useless byproducts (such as male calves), to keep the remaining slaughterhouses in business.

You go Bernie & Patrick! Nice job.

[B D]

Sorry for the typo's in my previous post. I always seem to get distracted at the sight of innocent creatures being treated like crap by "humans".

[brewster]

"I always seem to get distracted at the sight of innocent creatures being treated like crap by "humans"."

Sort of like Burlington taxpayers and Jonathan Leopold.

[Lauren Ober]

We just posted the Humane Society undercover videos. The slaughterhouse owner claims they're doctored and that they didn't do anything wrong. I guess that's for the USDA and possibly the courts to decide.

[Joyce Holsten]

This is shocking and horrifying to learn that's it's happening here in Vermont. But sadly this is happening everywhere all the time.

The only solution is to go vegan and stop supporting dairy products. It's so true, there's no such thing as 'humane slaughter'. Farm animals are intelligent sentient beings that value their life as we value ours.

I only included by blog because I have a passion for creating delicious vegan food and desserts. The more people I inspire to choose humane and ethical diets, the more animals I save. Being a vegan is nothing radical, it's compassionate.

[Andy]

The people you see doing this are sick pathetic crap. They are mad!

This happens every day, every week all over the country..every glass of milk has a chunk of veal in it.

If you have the stomach...look at a video from a pig investigation in Pennslvania. Go to Mercy For Animals Website...yes a bunch more sick people torturing animals.

Go Vegan...don't continue to be part of meat industry cruelty.

[GEE D]

One solution to this is to "Go Vegan", but in the meantime while we wait for the world to become vegans, millions of harmless farm animals who are vegans themselves are subjected to barbaric treatment by humans every hour of every day. The question is "What can we do NOW to end this torture?"