Lamb Hit With Crowbar At Carteret Slaughterhouse, Federal Agent Says

CARTERET, NJ — A safety inspector with the U.S. Department of Agriculture said he witnessed a worker hit a lamb with a crowbar while the lambs were being herded inside a slaughterhouse in Carteret.

This happened on the afternoon of Sept. 8 at Carteret Abattoir, which is a meat processing facility located at 2 Roosevelt Avenue, an industrial section of Carteret. Lambs and cows are regularly slaughtered there.

Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone is investigating this incident, her office confirmed. However, as of Thursday no criminal charges have been filed.

The USDA report is publicly available: A federal inspector was touring the facility for routine inspections when he said he witnessed the employee “hitting a lamb on the back with a crowbar” on September 8.

"The worker lifted the crowbar above his head and struck the animal so hard that the agent could hear the impact of the strike," wrote the USDA in their report.

"On September 8 at approximately 2:46 p.m., the Consumer Safety Inspector (CSI) observed an employee driving lambs to the pens," wrote the federal government in their report. "During his observation, he saw the employee hitting a lamb on the back with a crowbar. The employee raised the crowbar above his head before striking the animal. When the crowbar struck the animal, the CSI could hear the impact of the strike; however, the CSI did not see the employee strike another animal. The lamb did not cry out or make any noise. The CSI immediately stopped the employee from further using the crowbar and then stopped production and took regulatory control. The CSI informed the Plant Manager of the incident, and stated that, due to the forceful striking of the animal, he would be documenting a noncompliance for a humane handling violation."

Because of this, the USDA said it would not be giving the Carteret slaughterhouse passing marks for inspection, and it will also have its inspection approvals suspended.

"The incident is considered egregious because the employee beat an ambulatory animal," wrote USDA inspector Todd Furey in his letter.

Carteret Abattoir can appeal the USDA's decision. They did not respond to requests for comment from an NJ.com reporter.

On Tuesday, PETA sent a letter to Prosecutor Ciccone, asking her to investigate the incident. It was PETA that uncovered the USDA letter. PETA says it has no video or photos of this occurring.

“Lambs in slaughterhouses experience such terror and pain when their throats are slit, yet for this little lamb, the experience was made even more horrific by a slaughterhouse worker who beat her with a crowbar,” says PETA vice president Daniel Paden. “PETA is calling for a criminal investigation on behalf of this lamb and urges everyone to help prevent all slaughterhouse violence by going vegan.”

PETA wrote that because the USDA's report "carries no criminal or civil penalties," animal cruelty criminal charges from the county prosecutor "are this victim’s only chance at a measure of justice."

PETA argues that sheep, pigs, cows, chickens, turkeys and other animals feel pain and fear and value their lives, just as humans do. U.S. federal officials have not prosecuted any inspected slaughterhouses for acts of inhumane animal abuse since at least 2007, says PETA.