The USDA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued a positive report on the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Humane Handling Enforcement report. The audit was in reaction to a 2010 Government Accounting Office (GAO) report that stated there were weaknesses in the USDA enforcement of humane slaughter methods. The Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA) of 1978 prohibits the inhumane treatment of livestock and requires that animals be rendered unable to feel pain before being slaughtered. There were charges of inhumane treatment leveled at two plants in this study, one in California in 2008 and a Vermont facility in 2009. The 2010 GAO report found that inspectors did not consistently enforce HMSA and that "inspectors did not suspend plant operations or take … [Read more...]
Missouri House Passes Ag-Gag Bill
The Missouri House of Representatives has passed H.B. 1860 on a vote of 108-32. The bill would make it a crime to record undercover pictures and videos on factory farms. Animal rights organizations have used these methods to expose animal cruelty and unsanitary conditions on farms and in slaughterhouses. Now it's up to the Missouri Senate. A Senate committee will hear the bill this week and is expected to recommend approval. The full Senate may vote on the bill later this week. Similar bills were passed in Iowa and Utah this year and was signed into law by the governors of those states, despite whistleblower statutes that are codified into law in the United States. The Missouri bill would create two new "crimes" in that state. "Agricultural Production Facility Fraud" would make it a … [Read more...]
Humane Society Complaint Filed Over Pork Council’s Ads
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) filed a legal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission last week, alleging that the National Pork Producers Council's (NPPC) ads are deceptive. The ads in question are titled: "We Care Initiative" and "Pork Quality Assurance Plus" programs. The issue centers around breeding sows raised in gestation crates. About 70% of these animals are confined in the crates, which are so small the animals cannot move freely. The trade group claims in its ads that the animals "receive humane care and handling." The NPPC stated that they will "analyze the complaint" and "vigorously defend against the absolutely false claims made by HSUS." An American Farm Bureau poll conducted in 2007 found that 95% of Americans think farm animals should be well … [Read more...]
National Interest Groups Sign Opposition to “Ag-Gag” Legislation
On April 30, 2012, Food Poisoning Bulletin told you about an "Ag-Gag" bill that passed the Iowa legislature and is going to the governor's desk for signature. The bill criminalizes anyone who lies to get a job at a factory farm, with the intent to expose animal abuse or other wrongdoing in agribusiness. Since that time, Utah has passed an ag-gag bill, and Missouri passed a watered-down version. Twenty-seven groups have signed a statement opposing this legislation, since it suppresses information about the treatment of animals. The statement reads, in part: "These bills represent a wholesale assault on many fundamental values shared by all people across the United States. Not only would these bills perpetuate animal abuse on industrial farms, they would also threaten workers' rights, … [Read more...]
Iowa Legislature Passes Ag-Gag Bill
Last night, the Iowa House and Senate passed legislation protecting the food industry against whistleblowers. The law would hamper the efforts of people who try to expose problems and wrongdoing in the food industry. The House version of the bill would have added criminal penalties against those who record undercover video at agricultural facilities, such as the video that exposed animal abuse at Butterball turkey farms. But that part of the bill would most likely have been unconstitutional, since the U.S. Supreme Court has found that "films exposing animal cruelty represent the exercise of free speech." In fact, The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) filed a lawsuit against Whole Foods last year under the Food Safety Modernization Act. That company fired an … [Read more...]
North Carolina Vet Suspended After Butterball Tip
Dr. Sarah Mason, the director of animal programs in North Carolina's agriculture department poultry division, has been suspended for two weeks without pay. She allegedly tipped off a veterinarian at the Butterball facility in Shannon, North Carolina about an upcoming raid. The group Mercy for Animals had videotaped workers at the plant beating and mistreating turkeys. Dr. Mason admitted she tipped off the plant about the raid, because she thought they would stop the abuse immediately. Dr. Mason released a statement on January 17, 2012, which said in part, "I deeply regret that actions I have taken have reflected poorly on the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services... My rationale for contacting Dr. Eric Gonder was to immediately curtail avian abuse." … [Read more...]
Ag Official Regrets Warning Turkey Farm
Last week, an official with the North Carolina Agriculture Department was accused of tipping off employees at the Butterball turkey plant that a raid was imminent. In late December, authorities used a search warrant to inspect the facility in Hoke County, North Carolina. Butterball was accused of animal cruelty after an activist went undercover and took videos of workers stomping on turkeys and kicking them. Dr. Sarah Jean Mason, who is the director of animal health at the Department, issued a notarized statement in which she said her actions have "reflected poorly" on the Agriculture Department. She stated that she wanted to end the abuse immediately and thought that the veterinarian working for Butterball, Dr. Eric Gonder, would quickly intervene. The sheriff's office searched … [Read more...]
Butterball Tipped Off About Raid
Remember the accusations of cruelty against animals at a Butterball turkey farm in North Carolina last month? As it turns out, the company officials were tipped off by a veterinarian who is employed by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture. The group Progress North Carolina wants the state Agriculture Commissioner, Steve Troxier, to answer to these allegations and the tip-off. If true, this would be tampering with a law enforcement investigation. The raid was undertaken after a group called Mercy for Animals had taken videos of workers kicking and abusing the birds. A member of the group went undercover at the Hoke County facility in December 2011. … [Read more...]
Cruelty Allegations Prompt Investigation at Turkey Breeding Farm
Law enforcement authorities used a search warrant this week to inspect turkeys at a Butterball turkey facility in Hoke County, North Carolina. The action was taken based on allegations of animal cruelty. Mercy for Animals reported that an activist went undercover at the facility for three weeks ending in mid-December. The activist witnessed "an ongoing pattern of cruelty to the turkeys." The group has a video that shows workers kicking and stomping on turkeys, as well as dragging the birds by their wings and necks. The search warrant included a court order allowing independent veterinarians to euthanize any birds that are determined to be suffering needlessly. Butterball released a statement, saying it has a "zero tolerance policy for any mistreatment of our birds" and said the … [Read more...]
