GREENBACK, Tenn. (WATE) — A Greenback butcher shop has been reprimanded by the USDA after an inspector witnessed a pig being inhumanely slaughtered earlier this month, according to Food and Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) documents.

A letter dated June 13 from the FSIS states that it was withholding the federal marks of inspection and at the Butcher Shop at Hyde Farms because it had been determined that the establishment had failed to handle or slaughter animals humanely. Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act, all meat products sold commercially in the U.S. must be inspected by the FSIS.


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According to the letter, around 2 p.m. on June 13, the FSIS Consumer Safety Inspector observed plant owner and stun operator Mitchell Hyde move a swine into the knock box and prepare to stun the animal with a .22 rifle. The inspector exited the room while the stun was made, but when they returned, they witnessed that the attempted stun was ineffective and the animal was standing and vocalizing, the letter states. Hyde then reportedly put the gun away and stuck the pig’s neck with a knife twice while it was still conscious before it died.

In the letter, the FSIS stated that humane methods of slaughtering prevents needless suffering and results in better working conditions for those in the slaughtering industry and improves products, among other benefits. The letter continues to request a written response from the butcher shop to evaluate the incident and describe measures that would be taken, including corrective measures and monitoring activities.

On June 24, The USDA sent a notice of suspension held in Abeyance, which denotes that the butcher shop submitted three written responses with corrective actions and preventative measures to meet regulatory requirements. Cornell Law School explains the term means the establishment will be allowed to operate under conditions agreed upon between the FSIS and the butcher shop.


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The notice continues to state that the suspension of inspection at the butcher shop will remain in Abeyance pending verification by the FSIS that the proposed corrective actions and preventative measures have been implemented and are effective.

This is not the first time that the USDA has reprimanded the butcher shop for how an animal was handled and slaughtered. According to a 2021 report, inspection at the butcher shop was previously suspended after a stun operator failed to stun a single bovine six times before the owner of the slaughterhouse, Gerald Hyde, got a handgun that was put onto the head of the cow and fired.

WATE has reached out to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, which confirmed that neither the farm or butcher shop are under investigation.

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