Thousands of Chickens Freeze to Death en Route to Greenville Slaughterhouse; PETA Demands Criminal Probe
For Immediate Release:
April 15, 2025
Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382
A just-released U.S. Department of Agriculture report reveals that thousands of chickens perished from cold exposure on trucks on one day in December—and hundreds of the survivors were found to have suffered wing injuries—while being hauled to the House of Raeford slaughterhouse on Rutherford Road near Greenville. In response, PETA today sent an urgent letter to W. Walter Wilkins, Solicitor of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, urging him to investigate and file appropriate criminal charges against those responsible.
According to the report, on December 4, a federal veterinarian saw “dying birds [who] were very cold and shaking, consistent with excessive cold exposure” being held on two trailers in 23-degree weather—and later that day, the official found that 3,089 chickens had died in transport. Furthermore, after examining the remains of some of the birds who had survived the trip only to then be killed at the slaughterhouse, the veterinarian discovered that about 575 of them had suffered broken or dislocated wings.
“The House of Raeford should have to answer for all the broken, frozen birds who suffered and died on these trailers in the dead of winter,” says PETA Vice President of Legal Advocacy Daniel Paden. “PETA is calling for a criminal investigation on behalf of these birds and urges everyone to please go vegan to help spare animals a horrific trip to the slaughterhouse.”
PETA is pursuing charges under state law because federal officials haven’t prosecuted any inspected slaughterhouses for acts of abuse since at least 2007.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness and free vegan starter kits for anyone thinking of making the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
PETA’s letter to Wilkins follows.
April 15, 2025
The Honorable W. Walter Wilkins
Solicitor of the 13th Judicial Circuit
Dear Mr. Wilkins:
I’m writing to request that your office (and a law-enforcement agency, as necessary) investigate and file applicable criminal charges against House of Raeford Farms, Inc. and/or the individuals responsible for the egregious suffering of 3,089 chickens who died in the cold—and at least 575 more whose wings were broken or dislocated—while being hauled last December to 1354 Rutherford Rd., near Greenville.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) documented the incident in reports that the agency recently made available to the public. (See attachment.) According to the report, early on December 4, 2024—when the temperature was 23 degrees—a federal veterinarian saw “numerous … dying birds [who] were very cold and shaking, consistent with excessive cold exposure,” on two trailers that lacked measures “to protect the birds during transportation.” Later that day, the veterinarian found that 3,089 chickens had died on these—and seemingly other—trailers.
Furthermore, the federal veterinarian examined the slaughtered remains of some of the chickens who had survived transport and noted that about 575 of these animals had sustained the fracture or dislocation of one or both wings. According to the FSIS veterinarian, “The fractures … were mostly compound with visible bruising and involved the radius, ulna, or wingtip. The dislocations were primarily located at the elbow, often with the distal humerus protruding through the skin and associated swelling and hemorrhage.”
Please note that FSIS’ action carries no criminal or civil penalties and does not preempt criminal liability under state law for acts of cruelty to animals. The transport described above appears to violate South Carolina Code of Laws § 47-1-50(A)(2), which prohibits anyone from carrying any animal in a vehicle in “an unnecessarily cruel or inhumane manner.” Unlike the state’s anti-cruelty statute—which absurdly exempts birds from protection against ill treatment—this law affords these 3,664 victims their only chance at a small measure of justice. We urge your office to seek it.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Daniel Paden
Vice President of Legal Advocacy
