RENO, NEV. — The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) stated that a notice of suspension was recently issued for the meat processing plant at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), also known as Wolf Pack Meats.

The agency stated in its letter that it found evidence that the facility failed to comply with the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA), the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA) and other regulatory requirements.

On March 21, FSIS Inspection Program Personnel (IPP) said it observed an employee attempt to stun a ram with a primary handheld captive bolt. However, the report from the IPP indicated that employees at the university plant needed to administer five attempts at stunning the ram before it was unconscious.

“IPP noted that the time between the third stunning attempt and the fifth attempt, which rendered the ram unconscious, was approximately 1 minute and 30 seconds,” FSIS said in its notice.

The IPP then informed the plant manager to stop the slaughter line and not stun any additional animals.

The letter stated the incident was “an egregious act of inhumane handling animals in connection with slaughter,” and the establishment failed to effectively stun a ram so that it was immediately unconscious on the first stun attempt. 

FSIS explained that this was a violation of Title 9 which states, “The captive bolt stunners shall be applied to the livestock in accordance with this section to produce immediate unconsciousness in the animals before they are shackled, hoisted, thrown, cast, or cut. The animals shall be stunned in such a manner that they will be rendered unconscious with a minimum of excitement and discomfort.”

The agency also said that it held multiple meetings with plant management at Wolf Pack Meats discussing humane handling procedures including discussion on the malfunction of handheld captive bolts. FSIS said the meetings happened on Oct. 5, 2023, Dec. 22, 2023, Jan. 19, 2024 and Feb. 29, 2024.

Following the incident, the University of Nevada provided background to MEAT+POULTRY on what occurred on March 21. Wolf Pack Meats received a notification from a USDA inspector and a subsequent report of non-compliance. University officials said that the facility submitted a plan of corrective action the same day and was accepted by the USDA. On March 22, employees received training for employees involved in the process. 

UNR stated that Wolf Pack Meats resumed harvesting operations on March 28.

“The University of Nevada, Reno takes animal welfare seriously, and we sincerely apologize for the incident which occurred on March 21,” UNR said in a statement. “Handling of animals at University facilities is done using humane practices, and we will continue to collaborate regularly with federal partners to improve processes to ensure this standard is met.”