Tyson Probe Welfare Allegations
US - Following recent allegations of animal cruelty in two of Tyson's poultry plants an investigation has been launched by the meat company's Office of Animal Well-being
18 January 2008
3 minute read
Tyson came under attack when PETA, an animal welfare group reported they had someone pose as a worker last fall to obtain undercover video of chicken slaughter operations at Tyson plants in Cumming, Georgia, and Union City, Tennessee.
* "This person was employed at each plant for about a month last year and signed a document confirming he had completed the company’s animal welfare training program." |
Tyson statement.
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In response to the allegations Tyson have said that they are "committed to proper animal handling in all aspects of our operations and are conducting our own investigation into the claims by PETA"
Tyson claim to be fully cooperating with USDA's investigation into this matter and some of the videotaped activities seen on-line do warrant investigation; however, others, Tyson claim, are being misrepresented and sensationalized by PETA.
They say, "Our investigation into this matter is being led by Dr. Kellye Pfalzgraf, who manages Tyson’s Office of Animal Well-Being. Dr. Pfalzgraf has more than 30 years of experience in food animal veterinary practice. His responsibilities include performing random animal handling audits at the company’s meat production plants, developing and implementing training programs for Tyson Team Members and advising company executives on all animal welfare areas.
"Animal welfare audits are conducted by the company on a weekly, monthly and annual basis at all of our slaughter facilities, including our Cumming and Union City plants. These operations have also been subject to audits by third parties, including some of our customers. In addition, Dr. Temple Grandin has been to both facilities in recent years to conduct training. These audits and training sessions have not previously turned up any animal well-being issues at the two plants.
"We believe we know the identity of the PETA supporter who posed as a worker to take undercover video. This person was employed at each plant for about a month last year and signed a document confirming he had completed the company’s animal welfare training program. The training emphasizes that workers must immediately tell management of any animal abuse they observe. However, this individual apparently chose to secretly videotape activities rather than report them as required by Tyson's training and policy."
