Mercy for
Animals (MFA)
October 2012
House of Raeford, one of the largest poultry processors in the country,
was fined this week by the United States Department of Labor for illegally
employing underage workers at its chicken slaughter plant in Duplin County,
NC - its second violation in the past four years. The slaughterhouse also
made national headlines when it was exposed by an MFA investigation in 2007
that revealed horrific cruelty to chickens and turkeys.
Federal officials previously fined the company when a 2008 immigration raid
uncovered more than 300 undocumented workers and six underage employees,
including a 15-year-old girl, working 10-hour shifts slaughtering chickens.
The Charlotte Observer reported that over 20 former and current House of
Raeford employees told them that the company frequently hired underage
workers to "secure cheap, compliant labor." Because slaughterhouses are
among the most dangerous workplaces in the country, federal and state labor
laws prohibit anyone under 18 from working on a poultry process line.
House of Raeford has a long record of illegal activity. In 2009, the company
settled criminal charges by paying a $1.5 million fine for deliberately
hiring undocumented workers, and just two months ago, House of Raeford was
convicted on 10 counts of violating the Clean Water Act.
Mercy For Animals' 2007 investigation at House of Raeford Farms revealed
that in addition to flouting child labor and environmental laws, the poultry
processor has allowed a culture of cruelty and violence to flourish. Workers
were filmed violently punching turkeys for "fun," forcefully shoving their
hands into the vaginal cavities of live chickens, ripping the heads off live
turkeys, and slitting turkeys' throats while they were still fully
conscious. Animal welfare authority Dr. Temple Grandin declared upon
witnessing the footage: "This is a sloppy poorly managed plant where
employees are allowed to abuse animals. ...There are some management people
that need to get fired."
Each of us can take a stand against animal abuse, disregard for human
safety, and environmental degradation by boycotting animal agribusiness and
transitioning toward a vegan diet. Visit ChooseVeg.com for hundreds of
delicious recipes and instructional cooking videos.
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