McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) and its food supplier Tyson (NYSE:TSN) have cut ties with an abusive chicken farmer.
Mercy for Animals has posted an undercover video showing chickens being hit with sticks and having their heads stepped on in overcrowded and filthy conditions before being shipped off to a Tyson Foods facility.
Tyson Foods Inc. said in a statement that it was investigating the situation, but that it terminated the farmer’s contract “based on what we now know”.
No Tyson chickens now are at the T&S facility, he said, and Tyson officials “don’t believe this video accurately depicts the treatment of chickens by the thousands of farmers who supply us”.
In a conference call with reporters, Mercy for Animals’ top investigator said it cited the McDonald’s connection prominently in its news release because the restaurant chain has enormous purchasing power and is able to demand higher standards from its suppliers.
McDonald’s released a statement saying the behavior depicted in the video is completely unacceptable. It also shows baby birds being bred to grow quickly, leaving them crippled under their own weight, and shows other sick and injured birds being left without veterinary care, according to the group. This includes the Tyson FarmCheck program that involves third-party auditors who check on the farm for such things as animal access to food and water, human-animal interaction and worker training.
“We’re committed to working with animal welfare and industry experts to inform our policies that promote better management, strong employee education and verification of practices”, the company said.
“This type of abuse runs rampant in the animal agriculture industry”, he said, “which seeks to maximise profit and minimise costs at the expense of animals, public health and the environment”. The birds are also trampled by workers and tossed violently into transport crates, breaking their bones. McDonald’s pressured its egg suppliers to stop that practice.
In June, proultry producer Foster Farms was targeted by the group after undercover video showed chickens being slammed upside-down into metal shackles, plucked and having their feathers pulled out while they were still alive. Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Utah and North Carolina have passed similar laws that are now on the books.
Rice said Mercy for Animals has requested meetings with Tyson, but said the company has declined its requests.
Rice says this isn’t the first time the fast-food chain has been under fire either. “What we’re asking McDonald’s to do is end animal abuse throughout its entire supply chain by adopting meaningful animal welfare requirements for all of its suppliers”.