LOS ANGELES, CA – Some Tennessee slack-jaws were doing more than choking their chickens, but even that should have been enough to get them in trouble. It took an undercover video from an animal rights group to get something done about the abuses on a chicken farm.
And that something was an announcement from Tyson Foods and McDonald’s that they are ending their relationship with the T&S Farm in Dukedom, Tennessee which was under contract with Tyson.
“We are committed to animal well-being,” said Dr. Christine Daugherty of Tyson Foods. “This video is not an accurate portrayal of how our independent farmers and ranchers treat their animals and care for them on a daily basis.”
Mercy for Animals says the scene in the video are typical for factory-farm operations that sell to Tyson Foods, which is one of McDonald’s major suppliers.
Nick Cooney of Mercy for Animals says that throughout much of the US, state laws permit generally accepted industry practices like the ones taking place at the Tennessee farm.
“As a civilized society it is our moral obligation to protect all animals,” he told reporters at a Los Angeles news conference.
And yes, the group is all for a meatless diet. Even so, Mercy for Animals says stopping obvious abuse, like standing on birds heads, breaking necks by yanking wings, throwing them into stuffed crates, can make chicken farming more humane at little cost.
Humans may be at the top of most food chains, but that doesn’t mean we have to act like animals. People who enjoy this type of cruelty have nothing but chicken stuffing for brains.
