Birds are thrown, left on trucks at local slaughterhouses; PETA looking for crime detectors

For immediate release:
January 25, 2022

Contact:
Nicole Meyer 202-483-7382

Berks County, Pa. – After the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) documents revealed that workers left hundreds of dead chickens in trucks and threw ducks into the air at two slaughterhouses in Berks County, PETA sent a letter today to District Attorney John T. Adams, urging him investigate and, if appropriate, file criminal charges against those responsible.

According to the report, on July 26, 2021, a USDA inspector found that about 250 chickens had died from apparent heat stress at Birdsboro Kosher Farms Corp. and the survivors are “gasping for air.” The slaughterhouse representative admitted that poultry was left unattended for too long in crowded conditions under the heat of nearly 90 degrees. On the same day, a worker claimed to have picked up their chicken’s neck and “thrown” them into the cage. On September 9, 2021, federal inspectors found at least 200 dead chickens on a trailer.

On July 9, 2021, a federal agent saw workers at Joe Jurgielewicz & Son, Ltd., near Hamburg, throw ducks about 3 feet into the air, noting that he or she had previously We have talked many times with the management of the abattoir about the same issue. . Inspectors also witnessed workers “throwing” injured ducks into the truck.

PETA Senior Vice President Daphna said: “If anyone leaves hundreds of dogs dead in a hot trailer or releases cats into cages, they face animal crime, and so do chickens and ducks. must bear the same and also be protected by law”. Nachminovitch. “PETA is calling for a criminal investigation into the gruesome fate of these birds, who feel the same pain and fear as the animals that live in our house.”

PETA — in part, their motto that “animals are not ours to eat” — opposes ethnocentrism, a human worldview – supremacy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebookor Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Adams follows.

January 25, 2022

Honorable John T. Adams

Berks . District Attorney

Dear Mr. Adams:

I am writing to request that your office (and local law enforcement, as you deem appropriate) investigate and file applicable criminal charges against Birdsboro Kosher Farms Corp; Joe Jurgielewicz & Son, Ltd.; and workers responsible for leaving hundreds of dead birds on trucks and throwing them into local slaughterhouses. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) documented the incidents in attached reports, which the agency recently made publicly available.

According to reports, on July 26, 2021, an FSIS inspector discovered that approximately 250 chickens had died from apparent heat stress at Birdsboro Kosher Farms, located at 1100 Lincoln Rd., near Birdsboro. That day, the temperature reached 90 degrees, and the federal agent noted that survivors were “gasping for air.” An establishment representative told FSIS officials that “some trucks… were waiting too long” in the heat of the abattoir. On the same day, a worker at Birdsboro Kosher Farms said he had picked up their chickens’ necks and “thrown” them into the cage. On September 9, 2021, FSIS personnel found at least 200 dead chickens on a trailer, with only one out of 8 to 10 still alive in severely overcrowded cages.

On July 9, 2021, a federal agent saw workers Joe Jurgielewicz & Son “throw… ducks about 3 feet tall” in the company’s abattoir, located at 189 Cheese Ln., near Hamburg. The rep wrote, “This has happened so often, I have spoken to management many times about this exact issue.” Inspectors also witnessed workers “throwing” injured ducks into a truck.

This conduct may violate 18 Pa.CS § 5533 and 18 Pa.CS § 5532. Please note that FSIS action does not relieve state law criminal liability for slaughterhouses or their workers. cruelty to animals. To learn more about FSIS’s findings, please contact Acting Superintendent Michael Osifat. Please let me know if I can assist you. Thank you for your review and for the important work you do.

Best regards,

Daniel Paden

Vice President of Evidence Analysis

Crime investigation room