USDA shuts down school meat supplier

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture has shut down a Chino, Calif., slaughterhouse that supplies beef to public schools, a report said Wednesday.

Authorities were investigating claims that the Hallmark Meat Packing in Chino was butchering at-risk cattle and treating weak animals cruelly, The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

A video from the Humane Society of the United States allegedly showed slaughterhouse workers at the Southern California facility forcing so-called "downer" cows to their feet using sticks, electric prods and water hoses, the report said.

The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Tuesday that it was suspending inspections at Hallmark, a move that prevents the slaughterhouse from producing meat.

USDA undersecretary for food safety Richard Raymond said in a statement that the facility violated "federal regulations and the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act," the newspaper reported.