Source: Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE, 6/18/15


Foster Farms late yesterday released an update on its investigation into allegations of abuse at its Fresno, Calif., facility, saying the company had “suspended five employees that were either directly involved in abusive behavior or witnessed the incidents without reporting the violations to management.”

The investigations, by the company and by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department, were prompted by the release Wednesday of an undercover video by Mercy for Animals (MFA).

Also in its statement, Foster Farms said it is “Foster Farms’ policy to take disciplinary action against animal welfare violations up to and including termination of employees … . Foster Farms is reinforcing animal welfare training companywide on its ranches and in its plants.”
MFA also used the video as a platform for criticizing American Humane Certified, which had audited Foster Farms and licensed it to use its seal indicating the company used humane handling practices. In the video, the animal activist group called American Humane Certified a “scam.”

“This is an extremely rare situation for us, and as you can imagine, we are thoroughly investigating this matter,” American Humane Certified Director of Communications Mark Stubis said in a statement emailed in response to Meatingplace’s inquiry. “We will work with the producer to make sure corrective actions are taken so this doesn’t happen again.

“We have very stringent animal welfare standards and we hold our producers to a high standard of humane treatment," Stubis added. "The negative things being said about our program by MFA, a group that works to eliminate meat, dairy and eggs from American dinner tables, are preposterous and false. … [T]hey are attacking the wrong target in going after certification programs. Instead of attacking humane groups that are working to improve life for farm animals, MFA should be working on behalf of the 8 billion animals that aren’t being raised under any independent standards.

“Our certification program, which was the first independent, third-party farm animal welfare program in the country, [uses] 200 species-specific, science-based standards created by an independent Scientific Advisory Committee consisting of veterinarians and top animal welfare experts including Dr. Temple Grandin and are based on the internationally accepted Five Freedoms … . The implementation of these standards is regularly verified by independent, third-party auditors.

“We’ve been working for 138 years to improve the welfare of farm animals and we have a zero tolerance for animal abuse. While a certification program can’t stop one or two rogue employees who break the rules, we expect any certified farm to take immediate corrective action against anyone who abuses animals.”

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