Humane Society Says Tyson Has Suspended Business with Farm Accused of Abuse
By: Amanda Ashley
Updated: May 9, 2012
The Humane Society of the United States says Tyson Foods has suspended its purchase of animals from Wyoming Premium Farms after the farm was accused of animal abuse Tuesday.
Video shot by the Humane Society of the United States in April 2012 shows workers kicking living piglets, swinging piglets in circles by their hind legs, striking mother pigs with their fists and repeatedly kicking them as they resisted leaving their young.
On Tuesday, Springdale-based Tyson Foods is distancing itself from a company fending off in-humane treatment allegations of live stock.
On Tuesday, the Humane Society of the United States called for action from Tyson, The company is said to be distancing itself from a company fending off in-humane treatment allegations of live stock.
An undercover operation by the Human Society at a Wyoming Farm, showed evidence of animal cruelty and the use of gestation crates.
The Humane Society came forward Tuesday with video evidence from April of extreme animal cruelty in a Wyoming farm called "Wyoming Premium Farms."
It's a pig factory, the same farm Tyson buys pigs from.
The Humane Society has taken the video to authorities in an effort to file charges.
"Piglets are callously waved in the air by their back legs," claimed Director of Corporate Policy for The Humane Society of the United States, Josh Balk.
He added, "Piglets were routinely violently thrown throughout the facility... and kicked... and workers would gang up on the pig and together beat them."
The Humane Society said the video shows shocking abuse of pigs at the Wyoming facility.
It's this abuse they said is the reason so many Americans are calling for reforms in the pork industry.
The Humane Society said they don't understand why Tyson Foods hasn't followed suit with other large corporations in removing this kind of operation from its supply chain.
"Perhaps most importantly, Tyson should follow the lead of it's competitors and demand that it's suppliers move away from gestation crates," said Balk.
The Humane Society is cracking down on the use of gestation crates, where according to them, and seen in the video, pigs are confined in two foot wide metal cages, too small for the animal to turn around, which apparently leaves them unable to move for nearly their entire life.
"Any person should be appalled when they see this level of cruelty to animals," Balk said while watching the video in front of a room full of people.
Tyson does do work with the farm, buying aged sows, but it said the animals are sold to other companies and are not used in Tyson's pork processing business.
The issued a statement, reacting to the video, saying, "We've seen the video and we are appalled by the apparent mistreatment of the animals. We do not condone for any reason this kind of mistreatment of animals shown in the video."
To that Balk said, "Tyson should bear responsibility in limiting gestation crates in their supply chain." The Humane Society is hoping these corporate relationships end tomorrow.
We also contacted the Arkansas Farm Bureau for its reaction to the video.
This is Arkansas Farm Bureau's statement in response to the Humane Society of the United States undercover video.
"The vast majority of farmers and ranchers are outstanding stewards, caring for the land and their animals. Fortunately, cases of animal abuse on the farm are rare. Farmers could not be in business long if they didn't provide their livestock with a safe, healthy environment in which to grow.
"Those who make poor decisions with regard to animal care should be held accountable to local laws. But let's be sure we don't indict an entire industry based on somebody who is acting recklessly, when we have thousands of farmers and ranchers who are doing things correctly.
"And a word of caution when dealing with the Humane Society of the United States; Though they cloak their argument with powerful imagery and emotional rhetoric, their argument is not about cruelty to animals. Their ultimate disagreement is over animal agriculture and the right of farmers to raise animals for consumption."
Video shot by the Humane Society of the United States in April 2012 shows workers kicking living piglets, swinging piglets in circles by their hind legs, striking mother pigs with their fists and repeatedly kicking them as they resisted leaving their young.
On Tuesday, Springdale-based Tyson Foods is distancing itself from a company fending off in-humane treatment allegations of live stock.
On Tuesday, the Humane Society of the United States called for action from Tyson, The company is said to be distancing itself from a company fending off in-humane treatment allegations of live stock.
An undercover operation by the Human Society at a Wyoming Farm, showed evidence of animal cruelty and the use of gestation crates.
The Humane Society came forward Tuesday with video evidence from April of extreme animal cruelty in a Wyoming farm called "Wyoming Premium Farms."
It's a pig factory, the same farm Tyson buys pigs from.
The Humane Society has taken the video to authorities in an effort to file charges.
"Piglets are callously waved in the air by their back legs," claimed Director of Corporate Policy for The Humane Society of the United States, Josh Balk.
He added, "Piglets were routinely violently thrown throughout the facility... and kicked... and workers would gang up on the pig and together beat them."
The Humane Society said the video shows shocking abuse of pigs at the Wyoming facility.
It's this abuse they said is the reason so many Americans are calling for reforms in the pork industry.
The Humane Society said they don't understand why Tyson Foods hasn't followed suit with other large corporations in removing this kind of operation from its supply chain.
"Perhaps most importantly, Tyson should follow the lead of it's competitors and demand that it's suppliers move away from gestation crates," said Balk.
The Humane Society is cracking down on the use of gestation crates, where according to them, and seen in the video, pigs are confined in two foot wide metal cages, too small for the animal to turn around, which apparently leaves them unable to move for nearly their entire life.
"Any person should be appalled when they see this level of cruelty to animals," Balk said while watching the video in front of a room full of people.
Tyson does do work with the farm, buying aged sows, but it said the animals are sold to other companies and are not used in Tyson's pork processing business.
The issued a statement, reacting to the video, saying, "We've seen the video and we are appalled by the apparent mistreatment of the animals. We do not condone for any reason this kind of mistreatment of animals shown in the video."
To that Balk said, "Tyson should bear responsibility in limiting gestation crates in their supply chain." The Humane Society is hoping these corporate relationships end tomorrow.
We also contacted the Arkansas Farm Bureau for its reaction to the video.
This is Arkansas Farm Bureau's statement in response to the Humane Society of the United States undercover video.
"The vast majority of farmers and ranchers are outstanding stewards, caring for the land and their animals. Fortunately, cases of animal abuse on the farm are rare. Farmers could not be in business long if they didn't provide their livestock with a safe, healthy environment in which to grow.
"Those who make poor decisions with regard to animal care should be held accountable to local laws. But let's be sure we don't indict an entire industry based on somebody who is acting recklessly, when we have thousands of farmers and ranchers who are doing things correctly.
"And a word of caution when dealing with the Humane Society of the United States; Though they cloak their argument with powerful imagery and emotional rhetoric, their argument is not about cruelty to animals. Their ultimate disagreement is over animal agriculture and the right of farmers to raise animals for consumption."
