McDonald's cuts ties with chicken supplier (Photo : REUTERS/MAXIM SHEMETOV)
A supplier lost its big contract with McDonald's and Tyson Foods after a gruesome video footage shot by animal rights activists that showed farm where workers were seen clubbing and stabbing chickens emerged.
The footage was revealed recently at a media briefing in Los Angeles by animal rights organization Mercy For Animals. The video captures the cruelty being meted out towards the birds at the T&S Farm in Tennessee which has been contracted to supply chicken to multinational corporation Tyson Foods.
The company in turn supplies chicken to McDonald's for its popular McNuggets which is part of the menu at the world's largest hamburger restaurant chain.
According to Reuters, Worth Sparkman, a spokesman for Tyson Foods, was quoted as saying the well-being of animals is a priority for the company and animal cruelty as demonstrated in the video is unacceptable by the company's standards.
In addition, Sparkman said a team is investigating operations at the farm and they have already terminated their contract.
According to USA Today, McDonald's issued a statement in support of Tyson Food's decision adding that the behavior by the workers at the farm is "completely unacceptable."
Furthermore, the company said it will work together with Tyson to investigate claims depicted in the footage.
The film by the animal rights group was taken over a period of three weeks where workers are seen stepping on birds and pulling their bodies to break their necks, beating them with spiked clubs to stuffing them in cramped cages.
At the news conference, President for Mercy For Animals, Nathan Runkle, said the farm kept more than 100,000 chickens. He went on to tell the gathering that Tyson Foods had awarded this same farm for five years in a row for its facilities.
Countering these claims Sparkman said the Farm had not been given an award since 2008 and for the years that it had been recognized it was on the basis of regional recognition.
