A federal judge struck down Iowa's ag gag law last week. Those laws make it illegal for animal rights advocates to go undercover to expose animal abuse at farms and puppy mills. The 2012 law was approved by Iowa lawmakers, and carried a fine of up to year in jail. ACLU legal director Rita Bettis Austen said the ruling was "an important victory for free speech." She also said that the law was an example of government using its power to protect those in power. She added, "Ag gag clearly is a violation of Iowans' First Amendment rights to free speech. It has effectively silenced advocates and ensured that animal cruelty, unsafe food safety practices, environmental hazards, and inhumane working conditions go unreported for years." The Animal Legal Defense Fund was one of the … [Read more...]
Humane Society Files Complaints Against Costco’s Egg Supplier
The Humane Society of the United States has filed complaints with the FDA and FTA over Costco's egg supplier Hillandale Nearby Eggs. The complaints call for asking the feds to investigate potential "violations of federal false advertising and health and safety laws." The complaints allege that Hillandale farms "deceived consumers concerned about animal welfare and that the filthy and unsanitary conditions at Hillandale present serious food safety concerns." An undercover investigation found that hens were locked in cages so tightly they couldn't spread their wings. Live birds were forced to be in the same cages as dead birds, and fly infestations were common throughout the facility. The depiction of the farm on Hillandale's Nearby Eggs cartons show hens roaming in a pasture. The … [Read more...]
HSUS Exposes Animal Abuse at Plant in Butterfield, Minnesota
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is exposing animal abuse at a "spent" egg-laying hen slaughter plant in Butterfield, Minnesota. The undercover investigation was conducted at Butterfield Foods. Video showed hens scalded alive, forced upside down into tanks of hot water, where they drown. Hens are not covered under the federal Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, even though chickens and turkeys make up 90% of the animals killed for food in the U.S. The spent hens are egg-laying birds that are no longer profitable as egg producers. They are used for cheap meat, often so unsafe that these battery cage facilities can't sell it for human consumption. In addition to the scalding alive, the hens arrived at the plants packed in so tightly they could barely move. Many birds had … [Read more...]
Senators Ask FDA to Collect More Antibiotic Data
Four U.S. Senators have written a letter to the FDA to ask that agency to increase tracking of antibiotics used in food animals. They want the agency to propose a rule that improves collection of data on farm antibiotic use and its connection to bacterial resistance. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) all wrote the letter. It states, "we applaud your agency's recent step to issue improved, more transparent reports on annual food animal antibiotic drug sales and distribution data. However, we are disappointed to learn that your agency has decided to delay proposing a rule that would further enhance data collected on this topic until next year, when the OMB estimated the rule would be released in 2014." Foodborne … [Read more...]
Humane Society Launches Whistleblower Program
The Humane Society of the United States has launched a whistleblower program for factory farm workers. The hotline will let employees at those farms, in slaughterhouses, and at livestock auctions report cruelty and animal abuse. The hotline (1-888-209-7177) offers a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of people who have committed acts of cruelty to farm animals. The hotline will be distributed to factory farm workers with the help of the United Farm Workers union. Hotline callers can remain anonymous if they want. Paul Shapiro, vice president of farm animal protection for the HSUS said in a statement, "the bleak conditions endured by animals on factory farms are often made worse by overt violence an neglect. Pigs are often beaten. Chickens are … [Read more...]
Perdue and HSUS Reach Settlement over Chicken Labeling
The Humane Society of the United States and Perdue Farms have reached a settlement of two federal cases over Perdue's "humanely raised" claim on its Harvestland chicken labels. HSUS will dismiss their claims with prejudice, in exchange for Perdue removing the label claim. Peter Petersan, Director of Animal Protection Litigation for HSUS said in a statement, "we are pleased to see the claim removed from Harvestland's packaging, which we view to be misleading. We will continue to work to protect both animals and consumers." HSUS sued Perdue twice. The first was in New Jersey. Perdue tried to have a similar case dismissed, which paved the way for that action to proceed. The second lawsuit, a class action matter, was filed on behalf of Florida consumers and alleged that Perdue raised … [Read more...]
Animal Abuse Recorded in Canada at Western Hog Exchange
Mercy for Animals Canada has recorded inhumane treatment of pigs at a Canadian processing facility. Workers at Western Hog Exchange in Red Deer, Alberta were forcing animals to walk with electric prods and using bats to force pigs to move through crowded pens. That facility is federally monitored, and inspectors from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are on the footage. In fact, some inspectors gave the workers electric prods to use on the animals. One inspector said "if anybody has a camera, this'll be on the internet." The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has released a statement about "allegations" of inhumane treatment of the animal at that facility. They say, "Animal abuse is unacceptable, and we do not tolerate it under any circumstances." An internal review has begun at the … [Read more...]
USDA Whistleblower Speaks Out Against Idaho’s Ag Gag Law
Dr. Daryl Jacobs, a USDA whistleblower from Idaho, has spoken out against that state's ag gag law, which was signed by the governor last week. He has made a statement to Food Integrity Campaign about why undercover videos are needed to protect animals and to keep the food supply safe. He said, "as a former veterinarian for the USDA, I have seen a lot of unfortunate things come out of Idaho dairy farms. Broken bones, cows sick with cancer, and loaded with antibiotics. I understand why some farms would want to keep their abuses hidden, but a few bad apples shouldn't get the benefit of a bad law. Undercover investigation is important for exposing all kinds of illegal and immoral activities, not just problems at dairy farms, and whistleblowers need video to validate and substantiate what … [Read more...]
Ag Gag Bill Signed into Law in Idaho
This week, Idaho Governor C. L. Otter signed the latest ag-gag bill into law. The law was created, promoted, and passed in retaliation to undercover videos that exposed animal abuse at Idaho's Bettencourt Dairy farm in 2012. That video showed workers caning, beating, and sexually abusing cows. Employees were fired and prosecuted as a result of the exposure. [Warning: the video is very disturbing.] Matt Rice, the director of investigations at Mercy for Animals, said in a statement, "Governor Otter has decided to keep corrupt factory farming practices from the public. He's created a safe haven for animal abuse. These facilities that supply food to the entire country. No other industry has that kind of immunity. Not only will this ag-gag law perpetuate animal abuse, it endangers workers' … [Read more...]
Piglets Fed to their Mothers at Iron Maiden Hog Farm in KY
The Humane Society has released a disturbing undercover report about conditions at the Iron Maiden Hog Farm in Owensboro, Kentucky. The investigation, which was conducted in early 2014, found that more than 900 piglets died from a diarrheal disease in a two-day period. The piglet's intestines were ground up and fed back to their mothers and other sows, which is a practice prohibited by state law. The Humane Society statement said, "this practice appears to be fairly widespread within the industrial sector of the pig industry." In addition, Iron Maiden Hog Farm's practices are harsh and inhumane. HSUS is asking the Kentucky Livestock Care Standards Commission to end gestation crate confinement of pigs and to examine the practice of feeding diseased piglets to surviving pigs. The … [Read more...]
