Trey Patterson shared 2022 National Beef Quality Audit data that revealed a significant problem: 100 percent of non-fed slaughter plants reported finding foreign objects in beef, with half experiencing customer complaints about items like shotgun pellets. This is an all-cattle issue happening predominantly in the production phase, whether it be cattle gathering techniques or treating cattle.
Beyond the obvious animal welfare issues, millions of pounds of ground beef are thrown away each year because of foreign material contamination.
Source: Drovers, May 13, 2025. Link. Hidden hazards webinar [1:14] <Link>.
Talk to your friends, your family, your neighbors, anybody that you can about moving cattle with shotguns . . . it should never happen in our industry.”