Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 11/20/17


Case Farms has acknowledged that some of the bird handling standards at its Morganton, N.C., plant were not met, but the company is insisting that it has “a committed responsibility to ensure the well-being and humane handling of all animals in our care.”

The statement followed the release last week of a report from the Animal Welfare Institute that showed USDA cited the facility for 33 violations between 2015 and 2016. The plant had the second-highest number of violations listed for all of the poultry plants the agency inspects.

The activist group collected the information under the Freedom of Information Act, and the figures update a previous report the group issued covering similar animal handling practices at U.S. plants between 2006 and 2014. The latest report from the group listed the 33 violations at Morganton and another 26 violations at a Case Farms poultry processing plant in Winesburg, Ohio.
USDA inspectors found Case Farms employees throwing and kicking chickens, chickens that had been run over by a truck, birds that drowned in a stunner because of a power outage and birds being improperly shackled, according to the report.

“We have zero tolerance for inhumane, cruel and unethical treatment of birds. If an incident of inhumane treatment occurs, the responsible employee will be terminated,” the company’s statement said. “Case Farms will continue its responsibility to promote humane treatment through training and reinforcement of company and industry standards.”

The company added that it has installed cameras in the plant where live birds are involved, and employees have been given access to a third-party hotline where they can anonymously report instances of inhumane treatment, the statement said.

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