Michael Diamond

The Asbury Park (N.J.) Press

USDA suspends Catelli Bros. operations after reviewing secret video taken by Humane Society

Catelli Bros. says it is one of the nation%27s biggest veal and lamb companies

Government says videos contained inhumane handling and slaughter of cattle at the facility

SHREWSBURY, N.J. — Slaughterhouses aren't places for the squeamish, but a secret video taken last year of calves at a Catelli Bros. plant was enough for federal regulators to draw the line.

The U.S Department of Agriculture, after reviewing the Humane Society's video, suspended the Collingswood, N.J.-based company's operations in Shrewsbury and started an investigation into the company's treatment of cattle, the animal rights group said Monday.

"We commend USDA for taking action to shut down the operation at Catelli Bros.," said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States. But he also called on regulators to close a loophole "that perpetuates continuing cruelty to young calves."

Catelli Bros. says it is one of the nation's biggest veal and lamb companies, with about 250 employees. It supplies both grocery stores and restaurants.

Spokesman Tony Catelli said the firm is "deeply concerned" about the allegations and is "cooperating fully" with federal regulators. "Any mistreatment of animals at our facility is unacceptable," he said in a statement.

The incident also prompted a statement from Catelli Duo, a restaurant in the Voorhees Town Center. The eatery's menu notes "Catelli Brothers veal" is included in its "signature house meatball."

"Catelli Bros. and Catelli Duo are two separate companies," it said. "The restaurant sources their meats from a number of suppliers and would never condone the inhumane treatment of animals."

It isn't clear how the Humane Society obtained the footage at the Shrewsbury plant. The group said it sent an investigator into Catelli Bros. at random last year.

The video, posted Monday on YouTube, shows still-conscious calves hanging upside down on a conveyor belt, and a calf being prodded while struggling to walk. The Humane Society said those actions violated a law that requires the slaughtering industry to use methods that prevent needless suffering.

The Department of Agriculture didn't respond to a request for comment. But a letter obtained by the Asbury Park Press said the agency's Food Safety and Inspection Service initiated the action after it determined that the business failed to handle animals humanely.

It said it received five videos Friday that contained edited scenes. Two scenes contained what the agency said was inhumane handling and slaughter of cattle at the facility.

In one instance, a calf was conscious while it was on what's known as the kill line. The law requires slaughterhouses to keep animals in a state of complete unconsciousness throughout the shackling, sticking and bleeding, regulators said.

In another, a disabled calf, still conscious, was dragged. The law prohibits the dragging of animals unable to move, regulators said.

The USDA said Catelli's operations would remain suspended until it could assure the agency had a process in place to treat the animals humanely.

Tony Catelli said the firm has retained "one of the nation's leading experts on animal care and handling in meat plants, and he was on site within 24 hours to help us gather facts and identify necessary changes to ensure that we are providing optimal care and humane treatment of every calf that enters our facility."

The Humane Society said a loophole in federal policy "allows the slaughter of 'downed' veal calves — those too sick or injured to walk on their own — and does not give calves the same protections as adult cattle."

Tony Catelli said the firm's "established practices strictly prohibit the processing of any downed calves."

Contributing: Asbury Park Press reporter Jim Walsh