Farmer Focus Under Fire for Wastewater Violations, Brand Owner Accused of Relabeling Meat

For Immediate Release:
May 28, 2026

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Newly obtained documents by PETA reveal that Harrisonburg-based chicken meat company Farmer Focus has racked up violations from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Regional Sewer Authority for overly acidic wastewater and excessive pollutant levels on 40 occasions between January and March 2026 alone. The company’s pollutants—which include animal body parts, fat, blood, and feces—can deplete oxygen and cause harm to aquatic life when released into the North River and introduce pathogens like E. coli into the public wastewater system. This comes as a whistleblower has reported to PETA that Farmer Focus submitted doctored wastewater samples to state authorities last year to avoid detection.

An inspection report triggered by the whistleblower’s claims reveals wastewater samples provided by Farmer Focus were vastly different—in at least one case, eight times lower—than those collected by the Sewer Authority, which issued Farmer Focus a warning against misrepresentation and advised the company to use a private, third-party laboratory to collect samples.

PETA has also obtained documentation showing that Shenandoah Valley Organic, which does business as Farmer Focus, bought more than 50,000 pounds of chicken from a massive non-organic producer, George’s, Inc., then—according to a plant whistleblower—repackaged and resold it as its own. Notably, the purchase invoice for 40,000 pounds of that chicken was not labeled as Halal-certified, despite every Farmer Focus product carrying an Islamic Services of America (ISA)–certified label. PETA has reported these claims to the Federal Trade Commission and to the ISA, which is investigating.

Public records obtained by PETA reveal that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has repeatedly warned George’s for incidents including workers violently abusing live birds, birds drowning in hot water, thousands dying of heat stroke on trucks, and a bird “buried up to the neck” in feces. 

Chickens on the kill line at Farmer Focus’s Harrisonburg slaughterhouse. Credit: PETA

“According to an industry insider, Farmer Focus submitted doctored water samples to state authorities and the company behind the brand orchestrated a repackaging scheme—more deception to go along with using fraudulent ‘humane’ labels to dupe people into paying more for the same horrific cruelty,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “One wonders what else Farmer Focus may be hiding from unsuspecting consumers, who would surely leave chickens off their plates if they knew the horror and violence each one suffers.”

Farmer Focus has built its brand on assurances that it operates differently from conventional factory farms—that its chicken can be traced back to specific farms and is halal and “certified humane.” Yet, veteran industry insiders at Farmer Focus have reported conscious birds drowning in overfilled “stunning baths,” chickens still alive when their heads were pulled off, employees often botching the manual cutting of birds’ throats, and alert chickens struggling frantically as they approached an automated blade, causing them to be slashed on their faces and bodies.

Farmer Focus supplies chicken meat to Sam’s Club, The Fresh Market, Target, Publix, Harris Teeter, and Hannaford. PETA is calling on these retailers to reexamine their relationship with the company.

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.