Animal Welfare Organization Sues Cargill
Plus, registration for Illinois Specialty Crop Conference closes Friday
Murky Monday Morning
Somehow the last Monday of this year should look like this. Carl Sandberg wrote that fog “comes on little cat feet,” but there wasn’t anything subtle about this heavy layer this morning. We could barely see across the street.
Hope you had a great holiday with fun, food and high visibility.
Food Animal Concerns Trust Sues Cargill
Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT), a Chicago-based nonprofit, has sued Cargill, alleging that the huge global food corporation’s turkey brands employ practices that are cruel to animals, unsanitary and environmentally destructive.
The organization’s press release follows. Local Food Forum will follow and report on developments.
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Food Animal Concerns Trust ("FACT") has sued Cargill, Inc. ("Cargill") for misleading consumers by representing that its Honeysuckle White and Shady Brook Farms turkey products are environmentally friendly, and that the turkeys are treated humanely and raised by "independent family farmers."
FACT is a national nonprofit consumer group that promotes policies to hold industrial agribusinesses accountable for the harms they cause, advocates for environmental sustainability, and helps consumers make informed food choices by working to promote truth in advertising.
The lawsuit complaint alleges that Cargill is a major polluter employing industrial poultry practices that are inherently hazardous and contribute to the growth of harmful antibiotic-resistant pathogens. The complaint also alleges that Cargill sources its turkey from facilities where birds are confined in unsanitary, overcrowded, and barren industrial warehouses. Finally, the complaint alleges that Cargill raises turkeys on large, industrial, corporate-controlled farms.
The action was filed Tuesday, Dec. 14, on behalf of FACT by Richman Law & Policy in D.C. Superior Court under the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act. FACT is not asking the court for damages, but seeks to end Cargill's unlawful conduct directed at D.C. consumers.
"Cargill knows consumers care about buying poultry products that are produced sustainably and humanely. That's exactly why the company uses greenwashing techniques, claiming its 'independent' farmers are 'good stewards of the land' when in fact Cargill imposes unsustainable practices upon farmers," said FACT's Executive Director Harry Rhodes.
The lawsuit alleges that Cargill's industrial poultry production practices lead to pollution of the surrounding soil, air, and water, with significant impacts on public and environmental health. The 24-page complaint also notes:
USDA testing at Cargill turkey plants detected Salmonella strains that are resistant to highly important antibiotics and commonly associated with illness.
Scientists have found that the extreme deprivation and overcrowding typical on such poultry farms causes psychological distress, leading to harmful behaviors, including feather-pecking and cannibalism.
The suit also alleges that consumers will pay more for animal products advertised as humanely raised. A 2015 survey found that 84% of consumers believe it is important to improve living conditions for animals.
SOURCE: Richman Law & Policy
Register by Friday for Specialty Crop Conference
The Illinois Specialty Crop Conference & Trade Show — focused on production of vegetables, fruit, herb and flowers — is scheduled for January 5-7, and the deadline to register is this Friday (December 31).
This is a hybrid live-virtual conference, with the live portion taking place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield and the webinar version accessed through a password-protected section of the Illinois Specialty Growers Association website.
The conference’s program tracks include Urban Agriculture, Business Development and Marketing, Tree Fruit Production, Flower and Herb Production, Agritourism, and Vegetable Production
Click the button below for more information and to register.