Source: MEATINGPLACE, 7/9/15

 An animal activist group is calling on Tyson Foods to adopt meaningful animal welfare policies after releasing a secretly recorded video of sick, injured and dead chickens at a Tyson contract farm in Delaware.

In a news conference, the group, Mercy for Animals, called for the poultry industry to adopt video monitoring to prevent abuse, improve living conditions for the birds, and end use of growth enhancers and selective breeding to prevent growth-rate problems.

Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson, in a statement emailed to Meatingplace, said the company does not tolerate improper animal treatment and is investigating the matter.

“At the time this video was shot this past spring, this farm had birds that were sick with a respiratory illness. As a result, what was shown in the video is not typical for this or any other farm. It was also not a food safety issue,” Mickelson said.

Tyson uses third-party auditors to check on its farms for such things as animal access to food and water, human-animal interaction and worker training, Mickelson said.

“We’re continually looking for ways to improve how we operate and this includes animal well-being. We’re constantly researching new ways to keep our chickens healthy and safe,” he said.

For more stories, go to www.meatingplace.com.