UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION INTO TEXAS CATTLE AUCTION

New video of an undercover investigation at Erath County Dairy Sales, a live animal auction located in Dublin, Texas where major beef producers such as JBS and FPL Foods have purchased cows for slaughter, reveals extreme cruelty and pervasive illegal activity that could directly impact the safety of our food system.

WATCH SEED’s UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION >

 

PHOTO GALLERY 1

Violations of USDA Animal Disease Traceability Regulations

During the course of the investigation, SEED’s investigator uncovered the illegal practice, directed by the livestock auction’s owner, of removing and replacing cows’ federal identification tags. By replacing these tags, ECDS was essentially erasing the cows’ true ownership, travel, and disease histories, allowing the cows to be sold as “organic” for a much higher price. This egregious, fraudulent conduct prevents government officials from effectively tracing disease outbreaks when they occur in animals, directly affecting the safety of our food system.

 
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PHOTO GALLERY 2

Animal Cruelty

SEED’s investigation into ECDS also revealed systemic animal cruelty and neglect. Sick cows were left to suffer for long periods of time without veterinary treatment or euthanasia and cows and calves were left in pens for long periods of time with no access to food or water. The overuse of electric prods on downed or injured cattle by auction employees was commonplace. On multiple occasions, employees attempted to euthanize cows with a rifle, requiring multiple attempts, sometimes with significant periods of time in between, during which the cows were left to suffer amongst euthanized cows in what are known as “dead piles.”

 
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PRESS RELEASE >>

Undercover investigation exposes public health threats, fraud, and cruelty connected to the dairy industry.


New video of an undercover investigation at Erath County Dairy Sales in Texas reveals cruelty and criminal activity in the dairy and live animal auction industries that directly impacts the safety of our food system.

WHAT SEED REPORTED TO THE USDA

Criminal Cruelty to Livestock Animals by ECDS Owners and Management

Every day that he was employed by ECDS, SEED’s investigator witnessed sick, injured, and dying cattle transported to and dropped off at the facility by a number of dairy farms and auction markets. Our investigator repeatedly reported these animals to other employees and to his ECDS manager, who dismissed our investigator’s reports.

Our investigator observed firsthand the following incidents, which he documented on video, in photographs, and in his daily written reports:

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Improper euthanasia and refusal to provide care for or euthanize animals who are clearly suffering, even after being put on notice.

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Severe neglect of sick, injured, and otherwise non-ambulatory animals and animals left for prolonged periods of time without food or water.

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Proactive acts of animal cruelty, including the overuse of electric prods on non-ambulatory animals, the use of electric prods on animals’ sensitive areas including their eyes, faces, and genitals, and hitting and slamming gates into animals.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON OUR INVESTIGATION,

PLEASE CLICK THE LINK HERE (PDF).