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| "Mad Cow" Disease and Agriprocessors
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In the space of less than eight months, Agriprocessors was cited by the FSIS for violations possibly relating to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or "Mad Cow" disease, on at least five different occasions. A sixth violation dated April 2, 2006, concerning spinal cords may also be related, although this is not clear due to the redacted state of the document. The incidents are as follows: - March 2, 2006 - A FSIS inspector condemns a heifer for possible “Mad Cow” disease and further testing. The same inspector later discovers that this heifer has been slaughtered on the line despite the condemnation. The inspector notes this infraction as "very serious." Carcasses processed after the slaughter are identified by the FSIS with a U.S. Retain/Reject tag.
- March 5, 2006 - Related to the preceding violation, a FSIS inspector finds that 40 carcasses previously segregated and held for possible “Mad Cow” contamination were "ribbed," a further processing step.
- April 2, 2006 - A FSIS inspector reports that spinal cords, deemed "specific risk materials" by the FSIS, are not being removed according to procedures. Large parts of the document are redacted, leaving it unclear if the citation specifically relates to “Mad Cow” disease.
- May 16, 2006 - A FSIS inspector observes an employee failing to inspect teeth prior to head drop and failing to switch knives appropriately, violating “Mad Cow” disease monitoring and sanitation procedures.
- September 18, 2006 - The FSIS inspector on duty finds two cattle heads "well over" 30 months old with no identification stickers.
- October 6, 2006 - The FSIS inspector on duty finds one cattle head obviously over 30 months old with no identification tag.
Please feel free to download and browse through the original Food Safety and Inspection Service documents by clicking on the link below.
Download:
Non-Compliance Records - BSE.PDF
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