I was once an undercover investigator, so I’ve seen some of the worst things animal agriculture can do to animals. I’ve worked inside dairies and an aquaculture facility and, in 2017, I worked inside a Tyson Foods contracted facility. The video evidence I obtained during this investigation led to a conviction for animal cruelty.
Now, we're releasing our newest investigation of Tyson cruelty, which reveals a level of suffering even I am surprised by. This investigation documented extreme acts of violence towards animals and systemic cruelty and neglect resulting in massive suffering and death. But, in addition, it uniquely exposed admissions that the Farm Manager and Tyson's representative knew about mass suffering. Cruelty and suffering are not exceptions in animal agriculture, they are the rule, and this investigation shows that large companies know exactly how cruel their operations are.
In our latest investigation, our undercover investigator worked at Jannat Farm in Virginia, a facility contracted by Tyson Foods to raise chickens for meat, documenting a flock of 150,000 birds from the time they were newborn chicks until they were sent to slaughter.
What these birds had to endure simply to end up on someone’s plate is horrifying. During the months our undercover investigator worked inside Jannat Farm, they documented:
Violence against birds - our footage shows one “chicken catcher” ripping the head off a bird and others throwing and kicking chickens. The manager is also seen killing birds by holding them upright and tugging sharply down on their heads multiple times.
Untreated illness and injuries - birds with deformities, wounds and illness were left to suffer, and many were unable to walk or stand. Footage shows one chick, with an exposed skull and a severely injured eye, still alive and standing.
Birds without access to water - the water lines were kept out of reach of many birds. Our footage shows multiple chicks jumping in a desperate attempt to access water.
No food for up to 52 hours and bugs crawling through the feed - Food ran out in chicken houses because Tyson failed to deliver feed on schedule and a Tyson representative commented that the bugs would deprive the birds of nutrition and would bite and hurt them.
Filthy and dangerous housing conditions - rat corpses and activity were seen throughout the facility, and dead, decaying chickens were left in and around food trays. Waterlines leaked, leaving muddy floors and damaging birds’ footpads.
Veterinarian Sherstin Rosenberg, who has cared for thousands of chickens in her work as Executive Director of Happy Hen Animal Sanctuary in California, told Vox, after viewing the footage for an article published this morning, "I have reviewed footage of diseased, injured birds denied food, water, and veterinary care on dozens of poultry farms, but the footage I just watched is by far the worst on-farm animal neglect and abuse I have seen.” She also said, "You almost couldn’t design a more torturous setting."
All of this suffering happens for one reason only - so large corporations like Tyson can make money. Despite Tyson marketing itself as upholding a “moral or ethical obligation” of “proper animal handling” and claiming to have “zero tolerance to animal abuse,” our most recent investigation, as well as those conducted in 2016 and 2017, show that Tyson’s claim that it cares about its birds is utterly false.
Left: A large pile of dead chicks removed from the inside of a chicken house
Right: A small chicken who is unable to access water or food due to a leg injury
You can fight back against Big Ag by not buying into its lies. By refusing to purchase their products and by leaving animals off your plate, you can make a difference for farmed animals. To find out more about living a cruelty free life visit TryVeg.com.
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