Shareholder Resolution Asks Meat Giant to Reduce Animal Suffering

For Immediate Release:
September 1, 2009

Contact:
Stephanie Corrigan 757-622-7382

Springdale, Ark. -- PETA, which owns stock in Tyson Foods, has submitted a shareholder resolution encouraging the Springdale, Ark. based meat producer to advance the welfare of chickens by phasing in a less cruel method of poultry slaughter called "controlled-atmosphere killing" (CAK). Tyson is one of the largest chicken producers in the U.S. Since purchasing beef and pork producer IBP Fresh Meats, the company has become a giant in the worldwide meat-processing industry, serving more than 90 countries.

Currently, Tyson kills chickens via a method in which the birds are dumped onto conveyors and hung upside down by their legs in metal shackles, often causing broken bones. The birds' heads are run through an electrified bath that gives them painful shocks without rendering them insensible to pain. They are still conscious when their throats are cut, and many are scalded to death in defeathering tanks.

In CAK, the oxygen that chickens and turkeys breathe is slowly replaced with inert, nonpoisonous gasses such as argon and nitrogen, putting the birds "to sleep" quickly and painlessly--and there is no live dumping, live shackling, or live scalding of birds. Studies conclude that CAK is the least cruel form of poultry slaughter and that it also improves working conditions.

Restaurant chains Burger King, Popeye's, Wendy's, Hardee's, and Carl's Jr. are giving purchasing preference to suppliers that use CAK. Also, KFCs in Canada and grocery chains Safeway, Harris Teeter, and Winn-Dixie are already purchasing birds killed by CAK or have committed to doing so. McDonald's also has suppliers in Europe that use CAK.

"Controlled-atmosphere killing is far better for the millions of birds killed each year by Tyson," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Consumers care about animal welfare, so the last thing the company needs is to be associated with animal abuse."

For more information, please visit PETA.org. 

PETA's resolution follows.

2010 Shareholder Resolution Regarding Poultry Slaughter

RESOLVED, that to advance both Tyson Foods' financial interests and the welfare of its birds, shareholders encourage the Board to phase in controlled-atmosphere killing (CAK), a less cruel method of slaughter, within a reasonable timeframe.

Supporting Statement

Tyson Foods' current slaughter method is cruel and inefficient; please consider the following:

*  Tyson Foods uses electric immobilization in all its slaughterhouses. This involves shackling live birds, shocking them with electrified water, cutting their throats, and removing their feathers in tanks of scalding-hot water.

*  Birds routinely suffer broken bones, bruising, and hemorrhaging during the shackling process, which lowers product quality and yield.

*  Because the current in the "stun" bath is kept too low to effectively render birds unconscious, they are merely paralyzed and have their throats cut while still able to feel pain.

*  Birds are often scalded to death in defeathering tanks. When this happens, they defecate in the tanks, further decreasing yield and increasing contamination of the next birds to enter the tanks.

*  Frenzied birds flap their wings, kick, vomit, and defecate on workers, leading to increased worker injuries and illness and poor overall ergonomics.

CAK improves the working environment for personnel, improves bird welfare, and provides carcass quality advantages. Consider the following:

*  With CAK, birds are placed in chambers while they are still in their transport crates, and their oxygen is replaced with inert gasses (levels are monitored via sophisticated computers), efficiently and gently putting them "to sleep."

*  Every published report on CAK concludes it is superior to electric immobilization in regard to animal welfare, as do numerous meat-industry scientific advisors, including Drs. Temple Grandin, Mohan Raj, and Ian Duncan.

*  Because there is no live shackling or live scalding, product quality and yield (and animal welfare) are greatly improved. The manager of a CAK turkey plant in Ohio told Poultry USA says that since switching to CAK, his company is "starting to quantify the improvements in yield and labor, [and] see the benefits in wings, wing meat, and breast meat."

*  Because workers do not handle live birds, ergonomics improve, injury and illness rates decrease, and opportunities for workers to abuse live birds are eliminated. The turnover at a Nebraska poultry plant dropped 75 percent after it installed CAK. "Before, every week there was a new person. Now, it's one of the nicer jobs in the plant," said the owner.

Many poultry retailers are moving toward CAK, including the following:

*  Burger King, Popeye's, Wendy's, Hardee's, and Carl's Jr. give purchasing preference or consideration to chicken suppliers using CAK.

*  Safeway, Harris Teeter, KFCs in Canada, and Winn-Dixie are already purchasing birds killed by CAK or have committed to doing so.

*  McDonald's already has suppliers in Europe that use CAK.

CAK is the future--and as an industry leader, Tyson must get on board with this method or be left behind. We therefore urge shareholders to support this socially, ethically, and fiscally responsible resolution.