Cruelty charges for owners of poultry farm seen in video

Criminal charges have been filed against the owners of a Tennessee poultry farm where footage for a Mercy for Animals video depicting chickens being abused and inhumanely killed was allegedly filmed.
Thomas and Suzanne Blassingame, owners of T&S Poultry have both been charged with animal cruelty in the General Sessions Court of Weakley County, Tennessee. According to an Associated Press report published on the WRCBTV website, the incidents occurred between July July 28 and August 23 at a T&S farm near Dukedom, Tennessee.
Mercy for Animals circulated the video online in late August. The animal rights organization in the video never mentioned T&S Poultry in the video, but did identify Tyson Foods, the poultry company with which the farm had a contract, and McDonald’s, which purchased poultry products from Tyson. Once the video went public, Tyson Foods initiated an investigation and terminated its contract with T&S Poultry.
“Animal well-being is a priority at our company and we will not tolerate the unacceptable animal treatment shown in this video. We’re especially concerned about the inappropriate methods used to euthanize sick and injured chickens,” Tyson Foods said in a statement.
The video showed farm workers clubbing chickens and stabbing them with a pole with a spike attached to the end, as well as breaking birds’ necks by standing on their heads and pulling their bodies.

Unsafe conditions at Tyson Foods plant alleged in video

Tyson Foods has been targeted in a video released by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), which claims that line speeds at a Tyson plant were too fast and created both animal welfare and worker safety issues.
The video was allegedly filmed at Tyson’s plant in Carthage, Texas, by an undercover investigator who gained employment at Tyson Foods. The video contains comments from the investigator about the working conditions at the plant, although her face is shaded and her name is not offered.

Tyson Foods responds to allegations

Officials from Tyson Foods stated the company is still reviewing the video, but added that Tyson Foods is “absolutely committed to proper animal handling and workplace safety.”  The company stated that it operates all plants within the line speed limits set by the federal government, and continuously monitors its facilities to assure workplace safety.
Responding to allegations of improper animal handling, Tyson Foods stated it did not receive any complaints of that nature during the time frame when the video was believed to have been filmed.
“Everyone who works with live animals in our plants – including the person who secretly shot this video – is trained in proper animal handling and instructed to report anything they believe is inappropriate. They can report to their supervisor, the Tyson Foods compliance and ethics hotline and even one of the USDA inspectors who have access to all parts of the plant, including live animal handling areas. During the timeframe we believe this video was shot, we have no record of any employees reporting claims of animal handling violations,” the company stated. “In addition to training, we regularly conduct our own internal animal handling audits in our plants. Our operations are also subject to third party audits.”

Complaints filed against Tyson Foods

ALDF, in a press release, stated it has recently filed three related complaints against Tyson Foods. Those complaints include:

• A complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, claiming unsafe working conditions for employees
• A complaint with the USDA, alleging inhumane handling practices and food safety violations
• A complaint with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, accusing Tyson Foods of overstating the priority it puts on animal welfare in corporate and investor materials

Pig abuse video prompts firing of Seaboard Foods workers

• 

  Andrea Gantz

  Seaboard Foods has terminated 7 employees after animal abuse was caught on film at a company pig farm in Colorado.

  From WATTAgNet:
  Seaboard Foods has fired seven employees at a pig farm in Phillips County, Colorado, after an undercover video released by animal rights group Mercy for Animals depicted animal cruelty at the facility.
  The video, which showed workers hitting animals with boards and cans, was turned into the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office. The law enforcement agency then started an investigation and contacted the company, which is headquartered in Shawnee Mission, Kansas.
  “In the limited undercover video made available to us, we identified instances that depict improper handling while loading pigs on trucks, which does not adhere to Seaboard Foods’ training and best practices for moving pigs and ensuring they are comfortable and healthy so we can deliver safe, nutritious and delicious pork to our customers. As seen in the undercover video, the handling is unacceptable and inexcusable,” the company said in a statement.
  At the time the company’s statement was released, Seaboard Foods officials had not seen the entire video.
  While Seaboard Foods deplored the actions shown by its former employees, it was also critical of the tactics Mercy for Animals used.
  “We are disappointed the organization that made the complaint and took the undercover video, which purports to be concerned about animal welfare, did not report the allegations to us directly through our toll-free hotline as is required by any employee, especially after acknowledging Seaboard Foods’ comprehensive animal care program and commitment to the proper and humane treatment of animals and our zero-tolerance policy in the complaint to the Sheriff’s Office,” the company stated.
  Of the seven people terminated, two were management supervisors.

4 teens arrested in Foster Farms chicken killing case

Deputies from California’s Fresno County Sheriff’s Office have arrested four teenagers in connection with the violent killing of 920 chickens at a Foster Farms facility near Caruthers, Califronia. Arrested were Gabriel Quintero, 18, Riverdale, two juvenile males, ages 15 and 17, from Caruthers, and a third juvenile male, 17, from Lemoore. The names of the three underage suspects were not released.
Foster Farms commends officers, public
Foster Farms, which assisted with the investigation, in a statement commended law enforcement officers and the public for their swift action leading to the arrests, and reiterated that animal cruelty like that is completely unacceptable.
“As an American Humane Association-certified chicken producer, Foster Farms has a zero tolerance policy for animal cruelty. Our chicken ranches adhere to humane standards 24/7, 365 days a year and it is the express policy of Foster Farms to treat its birds humanely and with compassion. Any intentional act to the contrary is absolutely unacceptable,” said Ira Brill, director of communications for Foster Farms. "Foster Farms actively worked with law enforcement to facilitate the arrest of the individuals charged with this unconscionable act of animal cruelty."
Suspects taken into custody without incident
On the morning of September 20, patrol deputies responded to the Foster Farms facility in Caruthers after workers discovered the dead chickens. It was determined the suspects pulled back a portion of a wall and entered one of the chicken sheds. Once inside, the suspects used a golf club and another similar type of instrument to kill the birds.
Foster Farms officials reported 920 birds were killed with an estimated value of around $5,000. Foster Farms also offered a reward in the case.
Information regarding the investigation was put out to local media on September 30. The coverage generated several calls to the sheriff’s office, Ag Task Force, and CrimeStoppers.
The coverage also caused some animal rights groups to also offer rewards, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office.
One tip in particular, identified the suspects as three male juveniles who lived at a residence located in the 3500 block of West Elkhorn Ave. Detectives also learned the information regarding the incident and possible suspects had been spread via social media.
Deputies and Ag Task Force detectives responded to the Elkhorn address, where they contacted two juveniles. Evidence linking the juveniles to the crime was discovered at the home, and both were taken into custody without incident.
While there, detectives also developed information on two other possible suspects, one of which had been identified in the original tip. They located the third juvenile, who was also taken into custody without incident. Detectives then tracked Quintero to an apartment in Fresno, where he was taken into custody.
Further evidence tying the suspects to the crime was discovered after returning to the scene.
Quintero was transported to the Fresno County Jail where he was booked on charges of burglary and felony cruelty to animals. The three juveniles were all transported to the Fresno Juvenile Justice Center where they were also booked on charges of burglary and felony cruelty to animals.

920 Foster Farms chickens killed by intruders with golf club

Authorities in Fresno County, California, are searching for suspects who allegedly broke into a Foster Farms poultry house and killed 920 birds with a golf club.
According to a press release issued by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office on September 30, deputies responded to a report of a burglary on September 20, shortly before 8:30 a.m. The investigation revealed that the suspects pulled back a portion of the fence and entered the building. Once inside, the suspects used a golf club, and possibly another similar type instrument to slaughter the chickens.  A piece of what appeared to be a golf club was found at the scene.
The property where the crime occurred is located in Caruthers, which is southwest of Fresno.
“Whoever did something like this is pretty sick,” Deputy Chris Curtice told the Los Angeles Times. “It would take a long time to do it. … People should be alarmed at something like that.”
Foster Farms has estimated the loss at about $5,000.
The company is offering a reward for information that would lead to the arrest and prosecution of the people responsible for the crime.
Foster Farms issued the following statement: “It is the express policy of Foster Farms to treat its birds humanely and with compassion.”

International court to judge animal cruelty?

"Humanitarian organizations worldwide should collaborate in setting up an international court to judge cases of animal cruelty and specifically to assess the culpability of governments," says ethicist Professor Andrew Linzey, director of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics.
In the Global Guide to Animal Protection, a collaboration between the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics and the University of Illinois Press, Professor Linzey argues that individuals and groups should be able to bring cases before the court where governments have failed to take reasonable steps to prevent systematic and widespread cruelty to animals.
"Although animal protection is obviously a matter of global concern, animal protectionists have sometimes been slow in recognizing this fact and have contented themselves with working on an issue-by-issue, country-by-country basis. But what this approach neglects is the need for international strategies to tackle what are global problems," Professor Linzey continues.
The author proposes that governments and industries found guilty, or failing to participate in hearings, would be named and shamed, as well as placed on a register, similar to Amnesty International's published list of countries that allow torture. 

Canada poultry facility has license pulled

Akme Poultry, Butter & Egg Distributors Inc. has had its license to produce poultry products pulled by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The action against the company, located in Saint-Eustache, Quebec, was effective May 6.
The Canadian agency determined that adequate controls for food safety are not being reliably and consistently implemented in the facility. It further ruled that the company has failed to correct deficiencies previously identified through inspections, including corrective action requests related to general hygiene requirements.
Akme will not be able to resume operations until it has fully implemented the necessary corrective actions and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is fully confident in the plant's capacity to effectively manage food safety risks. The company, in business since 1967, was licensed for boning, cutting and "other processing" of poultry and red meat, and for exports to the U.S., South Africa and Chile.   

Westland/Hallmark undercover video discussed five years later

"I have a professional and personal connection to Westland/Hallmark" said Steve Sayer, Former Food Safety Occupational Consultant at Westland/Hallmark (WHMC) at the start of the afternoon session of the Animal Agriculture Alliance's 12th annual Stakeholders Summit. "I want everyone in this audience to keep in mind that the toughest question I got about WHMC was from my nine year old son."
Dr. Richard Raymond, former Under-Secretary for USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
began the presentation by laying the regulatory groundwork behind the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act.
"I remember the day I got the phone call about the undercover videos at WHMC just like I remember the day President Kennedy was shot from when I was a child," said Sayer who gave a very frank presentation about exactly what occurred at HWMC. "For the first time, my nine year old who I coached in basketball and fed pizza came up to me when I got home that night and asked: 'Daddy, how could you let that happen to those cows?'"
Sayer, after playing the video which the Humane Society of the United States released direct to the Washington Post and others on January 29, 2008, told the audience that the footage still upsets him to this day.
While Raymond and Sayer offered two completely different perspectives of what occurred that day, both described the utter shock that occurred when they watched the video footage for the first time, live on the evening news.
Further, both Raymond and Sayer agreed that the record-setting Class II recall, of approximately 147 million pounds, was the right thing to do.  Although Raymond discussed that the health risk was extremely low, the recall was still a decision both Raymond and Sayer stood behind.
Raymond told the audience that his personal opinion is that these videos were meant to "repulse the meat consuming public," and that "for the most part, they (Humane Society of the United States) were very successful."
Both Raymond and Sayer continued to highlight the theme of transparency and communication that had been discussed during the day's previous presentations.
At the close of the presentation, Sayer read aloud a letter written by his son (now fourteen years old) to Dr. Raymond.
Said Sayer's son, "I was scared of my dad that night  (January 29, 2008) and he told me to go to bed and pray. Today my prayers have come true, thanks to my dad, and you [Dr. Raymond] and the people at this conference who do care about their animals every day.
The 12th annual Stakeholders Summit, themed "Activists at the Door: Protecting Animals, Farms, Food and Consumer Confidence," began May 1, 2013 in Arlington, Virginia. The audience included approximately 200 leaders from across the food chain. Complete videos of all presentations, including the questions the full text of Sayer's son's letter, are available here.

Former Butterball worker pleads guilty to animal cruelty

A man has pleaded guilty to charges of animal cruelty that stemmed from a December 2011 raid at a Butterball turkey farm.
Deputies raided the Shannon farm after animal-rights group Mercy for Animals provided a hidden-camera video that showed farm workers beating and stomping on turkeys.
Ronnie Jacobs, 58, Raeford, N.C., is the last of five workers charged in the case to be convicted, WRAL reported. All five also lost their jobs at the farm.
Dr. Sarah Mason, director of animal health programs in the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Poultry Division, also pleaded guilty to her role in informing a veterinarian for Butterball that Hoke County prosecutors were reviewing the undercover video. She was placed on probation for a year. 

Organizations join to promote pig, dairy cow well-being

The “See It? Stop It!” initiative provides tools for pig and dairy farms to educate all employees that animal abuse is not acceptable or tolerated. Farm workers will be encouraged to report abuse.
Reaffirming its strong commitment to animal welfare and well-being, the National Pork Producers Council joined with the National Pork Board, the dairy industry and the Center for Food Integrity – a not-for-profit corporation that builds consumer trust and confidence in today’s food system – to launch an initiative to encourage the immediate reporting of animal abuse, neglect, mishandling or harm.
“Animal well-being always has been the top priority of pork producers,” said NPPC President Randy Spronk, a producer from Edgerton, Minn. “The ‘See It? Stop It!’ initiative confirms that commitment and is a way to let animal caretakers know that it’s their moral responsibility to speak up to stop any animal abuse.”
In fact, as a condition of employment, many pork operations require workers to sign policy documents that confirm their roles and responsibilities for animal care, including the reporting of any animal abuse they witness. Such policies usually include disciplinary action, including termination, for failure to report abuse.
The initiative is an adjunct to the pork industry’s “We Care” program, which promotes pork producers’ long-standing commitment to responsible pork production and to continuous improvement in animal care, handling and transportation. It also bolsters the Pork Quality Assurance® (PQA) Plus® program, which outlines best practices for proper animal care, and the Transport Quality Assurance program, which certifies people who transport hogs in proper care and handling methods.
“I’ve been a pork producer for a long time, and I know for a fact that the overwhelming majority of producers and farm workers do what’s right for their animals every single day of the year,” Spronk said. “This initiative is more proof of that and of producers’ adherence to ethical principles, including protecting and promoting animal well-being.”
Both the U.S. pork and dairy industries provided funding for the initiative. Additional information about it, including an employer checklist, guidance for integrating the initiative into existing animal well-being programs, posters for use in barns and guidance on employee training is available at www.SeeItStopIt.org.

Arkansas may outlaw undercover farm investigations

The Arkansas Senate Judiciary Committee has tabled a bill aimed at outlawing undercover investigations of farms.
The bill would make it a misdemeanor to videotape livestock and poultry operations without permission from the owner. It would also make it illegal to apply for a job at a farm under false pretenses in order to gain access to the property. The committee also tabled a bill outlawing private investigations of animal cruelty.
Republican Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, who sponsored the bill, told the Associated Press he deferred action on both measures on January 16 because he didn't realize how complicated the issue was. 

McDonald's drops egg supplier Sparboe Farms

McDonald's recently dropped its egg supplier, Sparboe Farms, following citations from the Food and Drug Administration for "significant...and serious violations" in egg production, according to an ABC News report. 
The fast-food chain "will no longer accept" eggs from Sparboe Farms after the egg producer was issued an FDA warning letter and cited at five different locations with more than 13 FDA violations of the federal egg rule, which is meant to prevent Salmonella outbreaks. Sparboe's facility in Vincent, Iowa, was previously producing all eggs used by McDonald's restaurants west of the Mississippi River.
In its statement, McDonald's said its decision was based on concerns about "the management of Sparboe facilities," after a video by the group Mercy for Animals showed cases of animal cruelty at five of the company's facilities in Iowa, Minnesota and Colorado.
Target said it also dumped Sparboe as an egg supplier at its Super Target stores nationwide and was pulling Sparboe's eggs off store shelves immediately after "having been made aware of the unacceptable conditions in the company's egg laying facilities."
Sparboe has never had a single egg or chicken detected with Salmonella, said Ken Klippen, Sparboe's director of government relations, concluding that "there was no cause for any enforcement action."
"I was deeply saddened to see the video because this isn’t who Sparboe Farms is," said Sparboe President Beth Sparboe Schnell. "Acts depicted in the footage are totally unacceptable and completely at odds with our values as egg farmers. In fact, they are in direct violation of our animal care code of conduct, which all of our employees read, sign and follow each day."
According to a statement from Schnell, the company launched a comprehensive internal investigation upon learning of the video, and is working with an independent auditor from Iowa State University.

Campaign in India to end starvation force molting on egg farms

Humane Society International has launched a confidential whistleblower program in India to allow concerned citizens to anonymously report the practice of starving hens to induce molting. The program was launched after the Animal Welfare Board of India directed all poultry farms in the country to immediately discontinue starvation force molt regimes, stating that the practice is in violation of India’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, and a punishable offence.
HSI says that starvation force molting, widely practiced in egg production facilities throughout India, deprives egg-laying hens of food for up to 14 days and may be combined with one or two days of water deprivation to rejuvenate their reproductive tracts and stimulate additional cycles of egg production.
It continues that during forced molts, hens suffer greatly and may lose up to 35% of their body weight. Additionally, the HSI says, starvation force molting dramatically increases the risk of hens laying Salmonella-infected eggs.
Manager of HSI’s factory farming campaign, N G Jayasmimha, said, “Once HSI receives a report about starvation molting on a particular farm, we will work with the state animal husbandry department, SPCA, the Animal Welfare Board of India and the state animal welfare board to investigate the matter.”

HSUS expenditures questioned

The nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom has determined that the Humane Society of the United States used 50 cents of every donated dollar on non-welfare activities. The HSUS has a disproportionate cost for fundraising, overhead, lobbying and support of an $11 million pension plan.
The revelation was made following a review of the 2009 Federal income tax return submitted by the organization. The American Institute of Philanthropy has assigned a “D” rating to HSUS. Charity Navigator awarded only one star out of four to HSUS for organization and efficiency.
"Animal lovers need to know the difference between HSUS and real humane societies,” said Humane Watch spokesperson David Martosko. “The only way to be sure your donations will help homeless dogs and cats is to give to organizations in your own communities.”

Officials reject PETA protest in Colorado

The intent of PETA to erect a five-foot high fiberglass chicken with the inscription “McCruelty, I’m Hating It” directed against the McDonald’s Corporation was denied by Denver, Colo., authorities.
They ruled that the plastic sculpture was in fact a commercial sign and as such could not be placed in a public place.
PETA will continue pressing for its sculpture to be placed near a McDonald’s restaurant claiming that it is a piece of art and therefore in compliance with the city code.