Tyson Foods has announced a huge initiative to improve
welfare in its chicken-processing plants, raising the bar for competitors
across North America.
In Canada, where the supply management system provides for regulation of all commercial-scale chicken farming, there could be pressure to match Tyson.
Also, in Ontario and Quebec where marketing boards ration chicken supplies for processors, they have clout to pressure processors to match Tyson.
The plan combines the latest technology with high-touch
monitoring and training to improve the care of chickens. The company is also
employing animal well-being specialists across all its beef, pork and poultry
operations.
It is creating an extensive third-party remote video auditing
(RVA) system, fielding what is believed to be the world’s largest team of
animal well-being specialists and introducing a pilot project for controlled
atmosphere stunning (CAS) at two of its poultry facilities this year.
The RVA program will be operating in 33 poultry plants,
including checks on live-bird handling.
Video feeds from cameras in Tyson Foods’ chicken plants are
analyzed by third-party off-site auditors and data feedback is provided daily,
weekly and monthly to plant management to monitor animal welfare practices.
Tyson Foods also is launching an RVA pilot project to assess
on-farm catching of birds for transport to processing facilities.
Video will be audited and analyzed by a third party for
adherence to humane treatment of animals, allowing immediate follow-up if any
concerns are identified.
In Canada, a catching crew operating in Chilliwack, B.C., was
caught on underground video captured by Mercy For Animals kicking and throwing
birds, pulling off a leg and having the birds perform sexual acts. The crew
chief and his staff of five have been fired and the company says it’s going to
be using videos from now on.
In addition to video monitoring, Tyson Foods is employing
animal well-being specialists across all its beef, pork and poultry operations.
The company has trained and deployed nearly 60 dedicated
full-time animal well-being specialists, including at least one at every
processing facility that handles live animals, to work collaboratively with the
company’s Office of Animal Well-Being and its plants to ensure best-in-class
training and practices.
Half of the specialists are also involved in supporting animal
well-being on the poultry farms that supply the company.
