USDA inspects chicken abuse

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Federal compliance officers have been sent to the West Virginia processing plant where workers are accused of torturing chickens before slaughtering them, and a government spokesman said Friday it’s unclear how long the investigation will take.

Pilgrim’s Pride fired 11 of its employees, including several managers, on Wednesday and pledged to hold accountable anyone who knew of the abuse at the plant in Moorefield. The Texas-based company also put quality assurance monitors in place and said it re-educated workers at all its North American plants about humane treatment.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals this week released secretly recorded video of workers stomping, kicking and slamming chickens against walls between October and May.

A federal veterinarian and two investigators will remain in Moorefield until they have interviewed everyone who was present when the abuse occurred, said Steven Cohen, spokesman for the food safety and inspection division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The USDA has inspectors at the processing plant year-round, but Cohen said their work is mainly indoors. They may not have been in the receiving areas where some of the videotaped abuse appeared to have occurred. Cohen said the compliance officers will interview those inspectors.

Pilgrim’s Pride is among the largest poultry producers in the United States and Mexico, with more than 40,000 employees.