Cruelty charges sought against Wisconsin meat packing company for breaking steer’s tail during slaughter
CURRENT STATUS: (Active) District Attorney declined charges; Animal Partisan is exploring other legal avenues
February 15, 2023
Animal Partisan and Animal Equality have jointly asked the District Attorney in Walworth County, Wisconsin to file animal cruelty charges against a meat packing company and its General Manager. The request, filed under a Wisconsin law that allows private parties to petition the District Attorney for criminal charges, seeks criminal punishment for Wilson Farm Meats, an Elkhorn, Wisconsin meat packing company that received recent acclaim and awards at the Wisconsin State Fair.
The request for criminal charges stems from a March 9, 2022 incident that was observed and documented by a United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) inspector. The USDA inspector observed Wilson Farm Meats’ General Manager shouting and cursing at a steer while twisting his tail to force him into the stunning restraint for slaughter. Upon examination of the steer’s carcass after slaughter, the USDA inspector discovered the animal’s tail was bloody and broken. The USDA temporarily suspended operations at the slaughterhouse after the incident and cited it for violating federal law regarding the welfare of animals at slaughter.
The request for criminal charges comes just weeks after a Wisconsin university published a study highlighting the prevalence of tail twisting and broken tails in the animal agriculture industry. In the December 30, 2022 study, researchers from the University of Wisconsin–River Falls’ Department of Animal Food and Science found that a staggering 46% of cows at one dairy farm studied had broken tails. The study, published in the official journal of the American Dairy Science Association, noted that “[t]ail injuries can cause substantial pain and distress” and suggested further research into the welfare implications and prevention of broken tails.
“The treatment of animals used for food is hidden behind the walls of slaughterhouses and only rarely comes to the public consciousness. But here, we have the words of a federal inspector who witnessed cruelty firsthand and explained in great detail how Wilson Farm Meats’ treats animals when no one is looking,” said Will Lowrey, Legal Counsel for Animal Partisan. “The abuse of a helpless animal during his final moments before slaughter is unconscionable and demands criminal punishment.”
Animal Partisan and Animal Equality assert that Wilson Farm Meats’ and the General Manager’s actions violated Wisconsin’s animal cruelty law which punishes anyone who causes unnecessary or excessive pain or injury to an animal. Violation of Wisconsin’s animal cruelty law carries penalties ranging from of fines up to $10,000 and/or incarceration ranging from nine months to three and a half years.
“Abusing an animal in order to ‘get the job done’ is unacceptable – and criminal,” said Sarah Hanneken, Legal Counsel for Animal Equality. Hanneken, who was born and raised in Wisconsin, praised the state’s no-nonsense laws on corporate liability, adding, “When an employee of a company – especially a high-level employee like [the General Manager] – commits a crime in the course of their job duties, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has said the company itself may be prosecuted. Wilson Farm Meats must be held accountable for the treatment of animals in its operations. That is the surest way to prevent animal cruelty in the future.”
Please consider supporting our ongoing work of challenging injustice to animals used in agriculture and research. Whether you’re most comfortable donating, signing-up for our emails, or sharing connections and information you think might help our work, we want you on our team.