Criminal charges sought by Animal Equality for lamb cruelty
Update 9/11/24: A judge has decided in favor of District Attorney Travis Sides, allowing him not to prosecute Colorado Lamb Processors for animal cruelty. Sides originally argued that cruelty laws didn’t apply since the animals were being killed for food. Animal protection groups–including Animal Equality and Animal Partisan–argued this could set a harmful precedent for billions of farmed animals. Despite these concerns, Judge Charles Hobbs chose not to order DA Sides to prosecute.
Animal Equality—in collaboration with Animal Partisan and a local Colorado attorney—has requested criminal charges against Colorado Lamb Processors and one of its supervisors.
On March 28, 2023, a Public Health Veterinarian of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspected a slaughterhouse in Brush (Colorado) owned by Colorado Lamb Processors. The inspector found a conscious lamb on a conveyor belt bound for slaughter. The lamb had been ineffectively stunned.
The USDA inspector urged employees to contact a supervisor, who attempted to stun the lamb with a back-up device known as a hand-held captive bolt gun. Still, the lamb remained conscious, moving his head around quickly and bleeding out of their nose.
The supervisor attempted to stun the lamb a third time, still failing to render the lamb unconscious. Finally, the Slaughter Floor Manager stunned the lamb on the fourth attempt.
Despite the USDA’s acknowledgment of several violations of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Regulations, critics note that very little disciplinary action was taken for animal cruelty. Now, a coalition of animal advocates and legal counsel is asking the District Attorney to hold Colorado Lamb Processors responsible.
USDA fails to hold corporations accountable
Following the report, the USDA noted that Colorado Lamb Processors had violated federal regulatory requirements by failing to stun the lamb. The facility was issued a Notice of Intended Enforcement.
Colorado Lamb Processors submitted a “Plan of Action” to ensure the proper stunning of animals moving forward. However, nine months later, a nearly identical situation involving the improper stunning of a lamb was reported. Again, Colorado Lamb Processors was allowed to resume business only days after the incident without any consequences.
The complaint asserts that both Colorado Lamb Processors and the supervisor involved in the incident violated Colorado’s animal cruelty statute. This statute punishes any person, including corporations and limited liability companies, for mistreating an animal. The misdemeanor offense is punishable by up to 364 days in jail or a fine of up to $1,000 or both.
Animal cruelty: An industry-wide issue
Throughout its global investigations into the factory farming industry, Animal Equality has consistently found ineffective stunning before slaughter. Investigators have discovered a lamb’s head being torn from their body, chickens’ throats being slit, pigs being hoisted into scalding water, and cows being skinned–all while fully conscious.
Even more dire, USDA regulation of United States slaughterhouses has faced scrutiny for its inconsistency. When violations of state animal cruelty laws are found to have occurred at these facilities, corporations and employees are rarely held accountable.
For that reason, Animal Equality has launched a petition against factory farming in the United States. Hundreds of thousands have already pledged their support for lambs, pigs, cows, chickens, and other animals.
{firstname}, thank you for signing this petition to help animals.
Your voice is important as we create a world where all animals are respected and protected. Help us continue to spread the word, and please share this petition with your friends and family.
Share this petition
You can end this cruelty! Please sign our petition calling for ending factory farming in the United States.
Others have taken action at their own dinner tables, taking animals off their plates and, by extension, off the conveyor belt. By choosing plant-based proteins, you can prevent animals from an industry that profits from speed and profit over compassion and values.
Discover beginner-friendly resources and join a global community of advocates by subscribing to Love Veg today.
PROTECT THE INNOCENT
Lambs’ rich emotional lives allow them to build friendships and recognize facial expressions.
Protect these intuitive animals by choosing plant‑based meat alternatives.
