Video Exposes Animal Cruelty at Tyson Poultry Plant

Yesterday, animal-rights group Compassion Over Killing (COK) released undercover video footage revealing rampant animal cruelty at a Tyson Foods chicken breeding farm. As a result, Tyson, the nation’s largest poultry producer, fired 10 employees caught on camera punching and kicking birds, running chickens over with forklifts, crushing them to death underneath transport crates, and killing birds by stepping on their heads. “This blatant disregard for the welfare of these birds not only violates basic animal protection laws, it also violates consumer trust,” said Erica Meier, executive director at Compassion Over Killing. “We’re calling on local authorities to file charges, making it clear that animal abuse is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.” COK’s investigator also documented, perhaps for the first time up close on video, a common broiler breeder farm practice called “boning,” in which a plastic rod is inserted into birds’ nostrils to limit their food intake. After the video was made public, Tyson announced it will end this painful procedure throughout its operations.