Tyson Foods subject of animal cruelty, workplace hazard claims by activists

Tyson Foods is under fire for the animal cruelty claims as well as harboring hazardous working conditions in its Carthage, Texas, poultry processing plant, according to an undercover video released Monday (Sept. 11) by the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

“Our undercover investigator who was hired by Tyson and worked 21 days in the east Texas plant reported serious violations regarding worker safety. She developed a heat rash on her body from hot and humid conditions. She sought treatment from the plant nurse and was given an over-the-counter treatment. The incident was not reported to federal regulators. The worker then sought treatment from her physician and was given a prescription for the rash. More seriously she developed a bacterial eye infection from a lack of protective eye wear,” said Jessica Blome, staff attorney for the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

Tyson Foods spokesman Gary Mickelson said the meat company is reviewing the video, but he reiterated to The City Wire that “we’re absolutely committed to proper animal handling and workplace safety.”

“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,” Mickelson said.

He also said during the timeframe Tyson believes this video was shot, the company has no record of any employees reporting claims of animal handling violations. The undercover worker said she did have a 2-day orientation before her shifts began at Tyson Foods.

OSHA CONCERNS
One of the more serious claims made by the ALDF was this lack of protective eyewear which was previously sighted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as a violation involving 98 previous instances to which Tyson Foods settled with a $3,000 fine. At that time Tyson also promised to ensure all workers had the proper eye wear to protect them from bacteria in the kill rooms.

Blome said Tyson Foods has not lived up to that promise based on their undercover report which is why the ALDF filed a new OSHA complaint citing unsafe work conditions for employees. The ALDF complaint also includes concern over repetitive motion stress injuries and the risk of being maimed and/or injured by the rapidly moving conveyor belts.

USDA COMPLIANT
The animal cruelty claims alleged by ALDF stem from the line speeds – 140 chickens per minute – that workers must hang as the birds come by on the conveyer belt. The undercover worker said in just 21 days she experienced motion-stress related carpal tunnel syndrome. She also said the conveyer belt routinely malfunctions at a curve in the line where hundreds of birds can pile up in a just two or three minutes time. ALFD also claims that some of these birds suffocate under the weight.

“Tyson’s expectations of line speeds are unrealistic to physically meet, leading workers to putting quotas ahead of animal welfare, food safety regulations, and their own personal safety,” Blome said. “This is a systemic problem, not an isolated incidence.”

Mickelson said Tyson Foods regularly conducts its own internal animal handling audits and its operations are also subject to third party audits. Furthermore, he said the U.S. Department of Agriculture has authority over production rates. 

“We operate our plants – including the one in Carthage – well within the limits set by the USDA. The safety of our Team Members is very important to us. We continuously monitor our facilities to make sure they’re safe. 

Mickelson reiterated that each Tyson worker is trained about job safety and daily safety meetings are held to keep safety top of mind. He said employees are also told they can report any workplace safety concerns to their supervisors, a member of management or by calling the compliance and ethics hotline. 

Blome said Tyson does a good job making promises on its website and through various Amimal Welfare funding initiatives but these allegations continue to service which is evidence to the contrary. She said the recent animal cruelty incident at T&S Farm in Dukedom, Tenn., involving a Tyson Foods’ chicken supplier for McDonald’s is more evidence that animal cruelty exists.

“We are happy to see that McDonald’s cut ties with this chicken supplier because consumers do care about animal cruelty and more transparency with regard to animal welfare, McDonald’s and Tyson Foods could and should do more,” she said.

Tyson said said in response to the T&S incident that it does not tolerate cruel acts toward animals and it was terminating the farmer’s contract.

Blome said there are also food safety concerns some of the dead animals crushed from conveyer belt malfunctions can end up in the food supply. She said dead animals on the conveyer belt all have to be removed from the line. They can not be hung up in the shackles once they are dead.

“This is a major violation of Food Safety Inspection Services that oversee the food supply. Dead animals can not enter the food chain, even though those that suffocate on malfunctioning conveyer belts. We have filed a complaint about this food safety issue as well,” Blome said.

SEC COMPLAINT
Lastly, ALDF filed 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. The complaint contends that Tyson Foods is well aware of the working conditions in its plants, as well as of blatant violations of welfare regulations covering poultry processing.

“Tyson Foods is putting profits over not only ethical standards, but state and federal laws,” said Stephen Wells, director for the ALDF.

The ALDF is among other animal activist groups that have asked Tyson Foods to adopt controlled atmosphere stunning as a more humane way to slaughter its birds. This alternative slaughter technique uses carbon dioxide or a blend of gases to cause the birds to lose consciousness before they are hung on the processing racks.

“We’re giving Tyson Foods an opportunity to be an industry leader in the humane treatment of chickens. These changes would ensure chickens are not being tortured when killed and protect their employees from injury,” Wells said.