Speak Up for Birds Today

Dear John, 

 

A recent review of USDA enforcement records has revealed that tens of thousands of birds annually suffer painful deaths caused by faulty equipment, neglect, and mistreatment at slaughterhouses. Many of these incidents appear to violate state animal cruelty laws and the Poultry Products Inspection Act, but the USDA does nothing to prevent them.

 

In the hundreds of incidents documented by the USDA annually, large numbers of birds suffer--often, hundreds or thousands at a time. In one case, more than 34,000 birds froze to death in unprotected trucks en route to slaughter. In another, a Jennie-O slaughter plant in Minnesota was cited 10 times in just four months when birds were seriously injured by malfunctioning equipment that caused large areas of their skin to be torn, resulting in hemorrhaging and muscle mutilation. At the Southern Hens facility in Mississippi, a USDA inspector cited the plant on 10 occasions in less than one month because workers were tossing crates with live birds inside.

 

In these cases, when birds die by causes other than slaughter, not only do the birds suffer tremendously, their carcasses are also considered "adulterated" under the law. Stress and suffering prior to slaughter can also result in lower meat quality, another type of adulteration. The USDA is aware of the fact that its failure to require humane handling of birds at slaughter results in the adulteration of millions of bird carcasses annually, but has done nothing to stop the mistreatment that causes it.

What You Can Do

Please contact Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and ask him to take action to prevent incidents of avoidable suffering and death of birds and adulteration of poultry products.

 

Be sure to share our "Dear Humanitarian" eAlert with family, friends, and co-workers, and encourage them to contact the secretary, too. As always, thank you very much for your help!

 

Sincerely,

 

Cathy Liss

President

 

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Photo by Mercy for Animals

Animal Welfare Institute

900 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20003
(202) 337-2332 | www.awionline.org

 

The Animal Welfare Institute is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 1951 and dedicated to reducing animal suffering caused by people. We seek better treatment of animals everywhere: in the laboratory, on the farm, in commerce, at home, and in the wild.