COK Investigation Exposes Chicken Industry Cruelty
Undercover Footage of Perdue Slaughter Plant Reveals Routine Abuse
Complaint
October 26, 2004
Joel Todd, State's Attorney
State's Attorney Office
One W. Market St., Court House, Room 208
Snow Hill, MD 21863
Dear Mr. Todd,
I hope this package finds you well and enjoying the Maryland fall. Enclosed
please find a seven-minute videotape of footage shot by a Compassion Over Killing
investigator who worked at the Perdue Farms slaughter plant in Showell, Md.,
from September 16, 2004 through October 1, 2004. In order to comply with Maryland's
taping law, there was no audio input into the camera, meaning no sound was recorded.
I have also enclosed documentation of our investigator's employment at this
Perdue plant in Showell, including photocopies of paychecks from the temporary
employment agency that handles the Perdue facility's hiring and a photocopy
of his Perdue employee identification badge. As well, enclosed please find his
daily investigation notes, compiled each day he worked at the Showell plant.
As you'll see, the videotape shows, among other clear cases of animal suffering,
the following:
- Workers violently throwing birds around the slaughter plant's hanging room;
- Birds—many who are dying—left unattended on the conveyor belt
during workers' lunch breaks;
- Dead and dying birds on the grounds outside of the plant; and
- Birds flapping violently after having their throats slit.
While Maryland's anti-cruelty to animals statute (Criminal Law Title 10, Subtitle
6) does exempt customary agricultural practices, it also states that in cases
where physical pain may unavoidably be caused to animals, one must use "the
most humane method reasonably available."
Clearly, throwing live birds like inanimate objects and leaving sick and injured
birds unattended and without care are not the "most humane method"
available to Perdue. As well, the legislative intent of Maryland's cruelty statute
explicitly includes farm animals.
Despite Perdue's claim on its website that "individuals handling poultry
must be trained in animal husbandry," our investigator did not receive
one moment of animal care training before working with live animals. On his
first day of employment, he watched videos pertaining to food safety and worker
safety, but not a single minute was devoted to animal care or proper handling.
Our investigator asked other workers in the hanging room if they had received
any training or guidance in animal welfare and learned that none did.
On behalf of Compassion Over Killing's 5,000 members, we are requesting that
Perdue Farms, Inc., be prosecuted for violating Maryland's animal cruelty statute.
I'm eager to receive a written response from you and appreciate your serious
attention to this matter. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Paul Shapiro
Campaigns Director
Enclosures
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