I emailed you last July about Animal Outlook’s investigation of Bravo Packing, which slaughters cows for dog food and horses for exotic animal food. Our undercover investigator captured footage of a cow in the final moments of her life. Our video showed this cow in apparent extreme distress, unable to stand likely from an illness or injury.
Disabled cows should be protected under federal and state laws, but this made no difference for this suffering cow.
The last moments of her life were spent being shot multiple times in the head with a handheld captive bolt. The first shot, which should have rendered her unconscious by punching a hole through her skull and into her brain, failed. Instead of taking the time to ensure she was unconscious, she was instead dragged from the transport trailer by a chain and slammed to the concrete floor into a pool of blood and feces.
Watch our undercover investigation of Bravo Packing above
In total, this cow was shot four times in the head with the captive bolt, but it took more than 10 minutes for her to stop moving. In that time her distress, pain and suffering are apparent through her agonized vocalizations and her uncontrolled movements. This can only be described as egregious cruelty.
Not only did the workers at this facility show no care for the well-being of this cow, violating federal and state laws, we also believe they disregarded food safety regulations. Our undercover video showed a pair of carcasses being prepared for use as animal food close to pools of blood, standing water and mounds of feces.
Previous to our investigation, in October 2020, a sample Performance Dog Food, a Bravo Packing product, was obtained by Animal Outlook. This sample tested positive for Salmonella. We reported these findings to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) who issued a recall of Bravo Packing products in March 2021. After our investigation, the FDA also performed their own inspection, which not only confirmed our finding of Salmonella, but also detected Listeria in Bravo Packing products.
Last week, the Department of Justice (DOJ), on behalf of the FDA, filed a legal complaint against Bravo Packing in the New Jersey federal court seeking to halt their operations until they comply with federal food safety requirements.
Just over a week after filing this complaint the DOJ entered into an agreement with Bravo Packing whereby the slaughterhouse would remain open provided they agreed to hire a “sanitation expert” to assess its compliance with federal laws, train its employees on cleaning and handling requirements, submit regular reports to the FDA, allow unannounced FDA inspections, and recall any food distributed since early 2021. Bravo Packing’s repeated violations of the law pushed the FDA to enter uncharted territory—the agreement represents the first time the FDA has ever entered into such an agreement with an animal food manufacturer.
While the DOJ lawsuit is focused on food safety, the complaint could possibly help end the suffering of countless cows and horses subjected to Bravo Packing's cruel and unsanitary practices. This would be a win for countless cows and horses who will never have to face the horrendous cruelty so many animals have been forced to endure at the Bravo Packing facility.
Thank you. Together we will build a better tomorrow for all animals.
With gratitude,
Cheryl Leahy
Executive Director
P.S. You can find out more about our investigation of Bravo Packing by clicking here. You can also read more about the FDA’s legal complaint against Bravo Packing here.
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