Animal Outlook Footage Prompts Cruelty Convictions

chickindustry

August 2017 update: In a groundbreaking series of cases prompted by Animal Outlook’s (then Compassion Over Killing) undercover footage from several Tyson Foods broiler breeder facilities in Virginia, nine former Tyson employees have been convicted on 22 counts of cruelty to animals. These convictions are a monumental victory in achieving justice for farmed animals.

Our 2016 investigation documented Tyson workers punching and kicking live birds and birds being crushed to death by transport crates and run over by forklifts. Among those convicted of cruelty was the owner of a farm contracted by Tyson, sentenced to 30 days (suspended) and barred for two years from supervising a chicken production crew.

Our undercover footage also revealed, for the first time on hidden camera, the barbaric practice of nose “boning”–in which a dull plastic rod is stabbed through male breeder birds’ nostrils to restrict food intake. Now, this unprecedented footage has led to the conviction of a former Tyson worker for engaging in this cruel practice.

Tyson and several other major chicken producers have stopped using nose “bones” due to our investigation, but Tyson has yet to address the root problem: that this poultry giant still breeds birds so unnaturally large and with such insatiable appetites that they must be starved so they’ll live long enough to breed.

These convictions are a landmark moment for farmed chickens, sending a clear message that those who commit cruelty to animals will be held accountable for their actions. Yet millions of birds are still suffering in darkness at Tyson facilities right now. Help end this suffering: Share our Change.org petition and tag @TysonFoods on social media today.