March 26, 2003
John Tyson, CEO/Chairman
Tyson Foods, Inc.
PO Box 2020
Springdale, AR 72765-2020
Request for Bird Welfare Improvements & Employee Policies
Prohibiting Deliberate Cruelty to Birds
Dear Mr. Tyson:
United Poultry Concerns, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that
addresses the treatment of domestic fowl in food production, science,
education, and entertainment and promotes the compassionate and
respectful treatment of domestic fowl. I am writing to you on behalf
of our organization to urge you to develop significant bird welfare
standards and to formulate policies regarding employee conduct to
birds owned by your company. On January 30, 2003, Virgil Butler,
a former Tyson employee for five years, signed a statement in which
he described the repetitive sadistic cruelty to chickens practiced
by five Tyson employees, including a superintendent and a supervisor,
at your slaughter facility in Grannis, Arkansas. He documented the
intentional scalding of chickens who suffered and struggled so much
in the tanks that their eyeballs came out of the sockets, the intentional
suffocation of chickens, the deliberate breaking of the legs of
larger chickens to fit the shackles instead of adjusting the shackles,
the deliberate dismemberment of chickens for fun and running over
them with a forklift for fun, and blowing them up with dry ice bombs
for fun. Mr. Butler wrote that this sadistic behavior was “just
a part of a regular night’s work.”
There is reason to believe that the deliberate cruelty Mr. Butler
described is commonplace in the poultry industry, including Tyson
Foods, and we therefore urge Tyson Foods to develop standards for
its employees to abide by in their conduct to the birds. We urge
you to make these standards an integral part of all employee training
programs, to post these standards prominently in the slaughter plants
and in all other relevant facilities, in the appropriate languages,
and to recommend that employees who torture chickens, turkeys, or
any birds owned by your company in the ways Mr. Butler has described
be fired immediately and prevented from working ever again in the
poultry industry. You have a particular obligation to ensure that
your company incorporates ethical standards of conduct into the
training of supervisors and superintendents in the slaughterhouses
and to encourage industry-wide standards of conduct by your example
and influence.
John Tyson, CEO/Chairman United Poultry Concerns, Inc. March 26,
2003
Tyson Foods, Inc.
We continue to urge you to provide natural light and fresh air
in the poultry houses, along with adequate space for each bird to
walk and exercise freely in fresh litter instead of in ammoniated
excrement and poisonous gases as is now the case, and to eliminate
the forced rapid growth of chickens and turkeys. At just a few weeks
old, most of these birds can barely walk without trembling, or even
stand up, and none can move normally, due to the lameness, pain,
and metabolic pathologies induced by the poultry industry; yet the
February 2003 issue of WATT Poultry USA states that “[t]he
rate of broiler growth and final market weights continue to increase,”
and the same magazine stated in February 2002 that "[t]he yearly
average body weight of 18-year-old toms continued to rise from 1966
to 2001,” with a projection of even greater live weights imposed
on these birds in the next decade. This is a monstrous cruelty,
as noted by a Simmons Foods chicken contract grower in Siloam Springs,
Arkansas, whose “birds at 5 weeks can hardly stand because
their legs are so weak and with no natural light or exercise their
joints are too soft to carry the weight” (via email to UPC,
2/20/03).
Please tell us what steps, specifically, if any, Tyson Foods is
taking to eliminate forced rapid growth, improve overall bird welfare,
and set standards prohibiting the sadistic conduct documented by
Mr. Butler in his affidavit. What, if any, punitive action was taken,
or is being taken, by Tyson Foods against the five men he named
in his affidavit? What steps are you taking to create work environments
that are less conducive to the outbreaks of employee rage and displaced
aggression that contribute to birds being personally tortured as
well as systematically abused in your facilities by people in your
company?
In the latter regard, we would like to know what steps Tyson Foods
is taking to replace the surpassingly inhumane electrical-shock
equipment, which is currently being used to paralyze more than 20
million fully conscious chickens and turkeys every day in U.S. slaughterhouses,
with an argon gas-based technology that will mercifully kill the
birds in the transport crates prior to shackling. We would appreciate
a response from you as soon as possible. We look forward to your
reply and thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
Karen Davis, PhD
President
Phone: 757-678-7875
Fax: 757-678-5070
March 26, 2003
David Novak, Chair & CEO
KFC – Yum! Brands
1441 Gardiner Lane
Louisville, KY 40213
Request for Bird Welfare Improvements & Mandatory Supplier
Policies Prohibiting Deliberate Cruelty to Chickens
Dear Mr. Novak:
United Poultry Concerns, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that
addresses the treatment of domestic fowl in food production, science,
education, and entertainment and promotes the compassionate and
respectful treatment of domestic fowl. I am writing to you on behalf
of our organization to urge you to develop significant bird welfare
requirements and to formulate policies regarding supplier conduct
to birds purchased by your company, in particular, Tyson Foods,
your largest supplier. On January 30, 2003, Virgil Butler, a former
Tyson employee for five years, signed a statement in which he described
the repetitive sadistic cruelty to chickens practiced by five Tyson
employees, including a superintendent and a supervisor, at the slaughter
facility in Grannis, Arkansas. He documented the intentional scalding
of chickens who suffered and struggled so much in the tanks that
their eyeballs came out of the sockets, the intentional suffocation
of chickens, the deliberate breaking of the legs of larger chickens
to fit the shackles instead of adjusting the shackles, the deliberate
dismemberment of chickens for fun and running over them with a forklift
for fun, and blowing them up with dry ice bombs for fun. Mr. Butler
wrote that this sadistic behavior was “just a part of a regular
night’s work.”
There is reason to believe that the deliberate cruelty Mr. Butler
described is commonplace in the poultry industry, including Tyson
Foods, and we therefore urge you to impose strict regulations on
Tyson Foods and your other suppliers to abide by in their conduct
to the birds. We urge you to require that supplier standards be
an integral part of all employee training programs and that your
suppliers post these standards prominently in the slaughter plants
and in all other relevant facilities, in the appropriate languages.
We urge you to require that employees who torture chickens, turkeys,
or any birds owned by your suppliers in the ways Mr. Butler has
described be fired immediately. You have an obligation to demand
that ethical standards of conduct be incorporated into the training
of your suppliers’ supervisors and superintendents in the
slaughterhouses and to encourage industry-wide standards of conduct
by your example and financial influence.
David Novak, Chair & CEO United Poultry Concerns, Inc. March
26, 2003
KFC – Yum! Brands.
Please require that your suppliers of poultry products provide
natural light and fresh air in the poultry houses, along with adequate
space for each bird to walk and exercise freely in fresh litter
instead of in ammoniated excrement and poisonous gases as is now
the case. Require that they eliminate the forced rapid growth of
chickens. At just a few weeks old, most of these birds can barely
walk without trembling, or even stand up, and none can move normally,
due to the lameness, pain, and metabolic pathologies induced by
the poultry industry; yet the February 2003 issue of WATT Poultry
USA states that “[t]he rate of broiler growth and final
market weights continue to increase.” This is a monstrous
cruelty, as noted by a Simmons Foods chicken contract grower in
Siloam Springs, Arkansas, whose “birds at 5 weeks can hardly
stand because their legs are so weak and with no natural light or
exercise their joints are too soft to carry the weight” (via
email to UPC, 2/20/03).
Please tell us what steps, specifically, if any, KFC – Yum!
Brands is taking to eliminate forced rapid growth, improve overall
bird welfare, and set standards prohibiting the sadistic conduct
documented by Mr. Butler in his affidavit. What, if any, punitive
action have you urged Tyson Foods to take against the five men he
named in his affidavit? What steps are you taking to encourage your
suppliers, and in particular Tyson Foods, to create work environments
that are less conducive to the outbreaks of employee rage and displaced
aggression that contribute to birds being personally tortured as
well as systematically abused in facilities owned by your suppliers
of chicken products?
In the latter regard, we would like to know what steps you are
taking to get Tyson Foods to replace the surpassingly inhumane electrical-shock
equipment, which is currently being used to paralyze more than 20
million fully conscious chickens and turkeys every day in U.S. slaughterhouses,
with an argon gas-based technology that will mercifully kill the
birds in the transport crates prior to shackling. We would appreciate
a response from you as soon as possible. We look forward to your
reply and thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
Karen Davis, PhD
President
Phone: 757-678-7875
Fax: 757-678-5070
March 26, 2003
George Watts, President
National Chicken Council
1015 15th Street, NW, Suite 930
Washington DC 20005-2605
Request for Bird Welfare Improvements & Employee Policies
Prohibiting Deliberate Cruelty to Chickens
Dear Mr. Watts:
United Poultry Concerns, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that
addresses the treatment of domestic fowl in food production, science,
education, and entertainment and promotes the compassionate and
respectful treatment of domestic fowl. I am writing to you on behalf
of our organization to urge you to develop significant bird welfare
standards and to formulate policies regarding employee conduct to
birds belonging to your member companies. On January 30, 2003, Virgil
Butler, a former Tyson employee for five years, signed a statement
in which he described the repetitive sadistic cruelty to chickens
practiced by five Tyson employees, including a superintendent and
a supervisor, at the company’s slaughter plant in Grannis,
Arkansas. He documented the intentional scalding of chickens who
suffered and struggled so much in the tanks that their eyeballs
came out of the sockets, the intentional suffocation of chickens,
the deliberate breaking of the legs of larger chickens to fit the
shackles instead of adjusting the shackles, the deliberate dismemberment
of chickens for fun and running over them with a forklift for fun,
and blowing them up with dry ice bombs for fun. Mr. Butler wrote
that this sadistic behavior was “just a part of a regular
night’s work.”
There is reason to believe that the deliberate cruelty Mr. Butler
described is commonplace in the chicken industry, and we therefore
urge the National Chicken Council to develop industry-wide standards
for employees to abide by in their conduct to the birds. We urge
you to make these standards an integral part of all employee training
programs, to post these standards prominently in the slaughter plants
and in all other relevant facilities, in the appropriate languages,
and to recommend that employees who torture chickens in the ways
Mr. Butler has described be fired immediately and prevented from
working ever again in the poultry industry. You have a particular
obligation to ensure that your member companies incorporate ethical
standards of conduct into the training of supervisors and superintendents
in the chicken slaughterhouses.
George Watts, President United Poultry Concerns, Inc. March 26,
2003
National Chicken Council
We continue to urge you to pressure your member companies to provide
natural light and fresh air in the chicken houses, along with adequate
space for each chicken to walk and exercise freely in fresh litter
instead of in ammoniated excrement and poisonous gases as is now
the case, and to eliminate the forced rapid growth of chickens.
At just a few weeks old, most of these birds can barely walk without
trembling, or even stand up, and none can move normally, due to
the lameness, pain, and metabolic pathologies induced by your industry;
yet the February 2003 issue of WATT Poultry USA states
that “[t]he rate of broiler growth and final market weights
continue to increase.” This is a monstrous cruelty, as noted
by a Simmons Foods contract grower in Siloam Springs, Arkansas,
whose “birds at 5 weeks can hardly stand because their legs
are so weak and with no natural light or exercise their joints are
too soft to carry the weight” (via email to UPC, 2/20/03).
Please tell us what steps, specifically, if any, the National Chicken
Council is taking to eliminate forced rapid growth, improve overall
bird welfare, and set standards prohibiting the sadistic conduct
documented by Mr. Butler in his affidavit. What, if any, punitive
action was taken, or is being taken, against the five men he named
in his affidavit? What steps are you taking to create work environments
that are less conducive to the outbreaks of employee rage and displaced
aggression that contribute to birds being personally tortured as
well as systematically abused in your facilities by people in your
industry?
In the latter regard, we would like to know what steps the National
Chicken Council is taking to replace the surpassingly inhumane electrical-shock
equipment, which is currently being used to paralyze more than 20
million fully conscious chickens every day in U.S. slaughterhouses,
with an argon gas-based technology that will mercifully kill the
birds in the transport crates prior to shackling. We would appreciate
a response from you as soon as possible. We look forward to your
reply and thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
Karen Davis, PhD
President
Phone: 757-678-7875
Fax: 757-678-5070
United Poultry Concerns, Inc.
PO Box 150
Machipongo, VA 23405-0150
757-678-7875
FAX: 757-678-5070
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