Secret video prompts Tyson to retrain chicken plant workers

Source: USA Today

By Aamer Madhani,

In the face of new allegations of ghastly animal abuse by its employees, Tyson Foods says it's retraining all of its live poultry workers on the company's animal welfare policies.

The move by one of the world's largest meat producers came as the animal rights group Compassion Over Killing released secretly-recorded footage on Thursday that shows Tyson workers stomping, kicking and suffocating breeder chickens at facilities in three Virginia counties. Tyson says it has fired ten workers who can be seen in the video, and a senior company executive, Christine Daugherty, described the employees' actions as "disgusting."

“The people shown in the video by Compassion Over Killing were all trained in proper animal handling, yet chose to ignore it and failed to alert management about the despicable treatment on these farms,” said Daugherty, vice president of sustainable food production for Tyson Foods. “Animals in our care deserve to be treated humanely. It’s our responsibility to ensure that everyone who works for our company behaves properly. Our management team is dedicated to continue fostering a culture of proper animal handling.”

The latest video marks at least the fifth time in roughly 13 months that advocates for various animal rights groups have been able to infiltrate Tyson-connected facilities and secretly record footage of workers abusing chickens and cramped living conditions for chickens before they are slaughtered. The activists typically apply for work at the facilities and are able to surreptitiously record the footage.

FULL story and video at link.

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2016/08/10/facing-animal-abuse-allegations-tyson-foods-retrain-poultry-workers/88544680/

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This is the only chicken we buy!


http://ethicalfoods.com/smart-chicken-nebraska-poultry-farm-goes-beyond-organic/

Smart Chicken: Nebraska Poultry Farm Goes Beyond Organic

16 Jan by Lindsey Coulter

What's the most humane way to kill chickens? Can chicken farming be environmentally sustainable? Is it better to buy local chicken or chicken raised close to the feed source?

A new take on “food miles” — killing chickens gently — thoughts about antibiotics and animal byproducts in feed — why air chilling matters.
Many companies are born out of a desire to do things bigger, better and faster than any other before. However, for Tecumseh Farms, a Nebraska-based certified organic chicken producer, bigger and faster weren’t nearly as important as doing things better. Since its founding, the company has remained steadfast in its goal of bringing flavor, humane treatment and sustainable environmental practices back to chicken production. Rather than adopting industry shortcuts that compromise worker, animal and environmental health — not to mention overall product quality — Tecumseh Farms has infused old- fashioned farming and animal husbandry techniques with first-in-the-U.S. technology.

Ethical Foods spoke with Jason Siebert, vice president of sales and marketing for Tecumseh Farms, about what separates the company from its big business counterparts and why it still values human hands over automation.

FULL story at link.