According to Garance Burke, super AP reporter, USDA records show  that Beef Packers, Inc., that recalled tons of hamburger meat due to salmonella fears was slapped with humane handling violations in a government review of meatpacking plants last year.

At least 28 people in three Western states have reported salmonella-related illnesses since Fresno-based Beef Packers Inc. (Cargill) recalled nearly 826,000 pounds of ground beef last Thursday.

U.S. Department of Agriculture auditors visited there in March 2008. Inspection records show some cattle there were being electrically stunned and rendered unconscious so they could be pulled through an area inside the slaughterhouse.