New Whistleblower Report Backs Allegations of Abuse and Decay at ‘Humane’ Meat Supplier to Safeway, Publix

For Immediate Release:
July 17, 2025

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

 Buyer beware: A meat industry insider is blowing the whistle, reporting cruelty and decrepit, unsanitary conditions at the chicken slaughter company Farmer Focus—a Virginia-based supplier whose products are deceptively labeled “Certified Humane” and marketed as “Animal Welfare Certified” and are sold as such to consumers for a premium at stores like Safeway, Publix, and The Fresh Market. The whistleblower reports that many chickens suffer from a painful disease triggered by stress that turns body tissue green, that their wings are frequently broken by rough handling, and that the facility itself is rotting in many places, has a collapsing roof, rusted pipes, and even black mold. Newly-obtained photos from the whistleblower are available here.

These allegations corroborate those of a previous whistleblower, including that the facility’s electrical “stunning baths” were mismanaged, causing the birds to suffer prolonged and painful deaths, and that live and dead mice were seen on the production floor. 

In response, PETA is calling on Humane World for Animals (formerly the Humane Society of the United States) and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) to step down from the board of the Global Animal Partnership—the group responsible for one of the sham “animal welfare” certifications touted by Farmer Focus, which dupes consumers into paying more for the same old cruelty. 

Additional allegations from the new whistleblower report include:

• So much meat fell to the floor that workers could not pick it up in a timely manner. The establishment allowed meat to be sold to consumers after it lay on the floor in high-traffic areas for more than 15 minutes.
• Pieces of metal and plastic—some from broken machinery—were found in meat.
• Quality assurance personnel who tagged spoiled meat would be overruled by operations managers who would smell the condemned meat and tell staff, “Just put it on ice, it doesn’t smell bad.”

“No one would keep eating chickens if they saw inside slaughterhouses like Farmer Focus, where chickens suffer myriad abuses and filth and decay abound,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on Humane World for Animals and the ASPCA to stop rubberstamping cruelty by cutting ties with this shameful ‘humane-washing’ scheme, and for kind consumers everywhere to please go vegan.”

In light of the new whistleblower report, PETA has also submitted additional complaints to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Federal Trade Commission requesting that they conduct full investigations of the facility and the company’s claims and bring all applicable charges for any violations of federal law.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free vegan starter kits for those looking to make the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.