Tyson appoints new animal welfare exec

A new leader has been selected to oversee the animal well-being efforts at Tyson Foods. Dr. Christine Daugherty has been named vice president-Animal Well-Being Programs and Technology, replacing Dr. Dean Danilson who is retiring after 26 years with the company, according to a Tyson Foods release on Monday (Dec. 15).

Daugherty will be responsible for leading the company’s commitment to proper farm animal treatment. This includes overseeing the Tyson’s FarmCheck program which includes third-party, on-farm animal well-being audits, working with an external Animal Well-Being Advisory Panel and commitment to additional research. She will also be responsible for managing Tyson Foods’ animal well-being staff as well as animal handling training and audits at the company’s processing plants.

“Chris has been involved in Tyson Foods’ animal well-being efforts over the past 11 years through the science, research and legal roles she’s had with the company,” said Mike Roetzel, group vice president for operation services for Tyson Foods. “I believe her education, experience, and leadership skills make her an excellent choice for this important job. In addition, her knowledge of cutting-edge technologies will help us further explore new and unique animal well-being innovations.”

A native of Iowa, Daugherty joined Tyson Foods in 2003 serving as an attorney and providing counsel in such areas as animal welfare, research and development, intellectual property and food safety. She was promoted to director of intellectual property and technology development for Tyson Foods in 2011 and two years later was appointed chief technology officer for Cobb-Vantress, a poultry breeding company owned by Tyson Foods.

Daugherty has helped provide strategic oversight for Tyson Foods’ poultry research farm. She is an internal committee member for the FarmCheck program and serves as executive committee member of the Cobb-Vantress Animal Welfare advisory program. She is also on the U.S. Poultry Foundation Research Advisory Committee that funds research projects that benefit the poultry and egg industry.

Daugherty has a doctorate in life sciences from Louisiana State University and a law degree from the University of Arkansas. She also has a master’s degree from Iowa State University and a bachelor’s degree from Central College of Iowa. Before joining Tyson Foods, she worked as a patent and trademark attorney for a northwest Arkansas law firm and was a research scientist at the University of Florida.