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On Sept. 8, a federal inspector saw the employee at Carteret Abattoir in Carteret hit the lamb on the back with a crowbar while driving the animals into pens, according to a report by the USDA.
"The employee raised the crowbar above his head before striking the animal," the USDA said. "When the crowbar struck the animal, the Consumer Safety Inspector (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 inspector stopped the employee from using the crowbar further, and then stopped production and took regulatory control. The incident was documented as a noncompliance for a humane handling violation.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on Tuesday, Sept. 26 sent a letter to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone calling for an investigation and filing of appropriate criminal charges against the Carteret Abattoir worker.
“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,” PETA Vice President of Evidence Analysis Daniel Paden said.
“PETA is calling for a criminal investigation on behalf of this lamb and urges everyone to help prevent all slaughterhouse violence by going vegan.”
A spokesperson for the MCPO said only that the incident was under investigation.
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