Animal rights group says chickens were abused, but Tyson Foods cut ties with the farm on its own

By JOSH FUNK
AP Business Writer

An animal rights group says a Virginia farm that raised chickens for Tyson Foods mistreated the animals. But Tyson says it cut ties with the farm in January after it uncovered animal welfare issues there on its own. The Animal Outlook group says it had an investigator working undercover at Jannat Farm from August to November of last year observing as 150,000 birds were raised. The group said it documented instances of physical abuse and filthy conditions at the farm. And at times chickens went without feed. A Tyson spokesman denounced the conditions Animal Outlook documented in video and pictures shot at the farm and said the company ended its contract with the farm because it wasn’t meeting Tyson’s animal welfare standards.