For immediate release:
January 24, 2022
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Talladega County, Ala. – After the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) disclosure documents that workers at the Marble City Meats slaughterhouse outside Sylacauga leaving 16 turkeys dead from apparent heat stress Last summer, PETA sent a letter today to Talladega County District Attorney Steven D. Giddens, urging him to review the matter and, if appropriate, file an animal crime complaint against with those responsible.
According to reports, a USDA inspector found dead, dying turkeys and stood on top of other people’s carcasses in a trailer outside the abattoir on August 16, 2021, and notified slaughterhouse staff — but instead of unloading these birds, the workers went on to slaughter nine boxes of ‘value of chickens (up to 108 birds). In the end, 16 of the 45 turkeys packed inside the trailer were found dead, which the slaughterhouse owner attributed to the hot weather and crowded conditions. The owner also admitted that workers should have prioritized removing the turkeys.
PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch said: “If anyone left more than a dozen dogs dead in a hot trailer, they would face multiple animal cruelty charges, and turkeys should do the same. and also protected by law. “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 speciesism, a human worldview – supremacy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebookor Instagram.
PETA’s letter to Giddens follows.
January 24, 2022
The venerable Steven D. Giddens
District Attorney
29order Judicial Circuit
Dear Mr. Giddens:
I am writing to request that your office (and local law enforcement agency, as you deem appropriate) investigate and file applicable criminal charges against Marble City Meats, LLC and its companies. The man responsible for 16 turkeys died of apparent stress while crammed on a trailer at 514 Odena Rd. N., near Sylacauga. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) documented the incident in an attached report that it has just made available to the public.
According to reports, on August 16, 2021, an FSIS inspector found dead turkeys — and others dead and standing on dead birds — on a trailer at the property and informed Notify Marble City Meats staff. Despite knowing the plight of these birds, the workers proceeded to slaughter up to 108 chickens. In the end, 16 of the 45 turkeys on the trailer were found dead, which the abattoir owner said was severely crowded on a particularly hot day. The owner also told federal officials that workers should prioritize removing the turkeys.
This conduct may violate Alabama Rule § 13A-11-14. Please note that FSIS action does not relieve state law of criminal liability for slaughterhouses or their workers who commit acts of animal cruelty.
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
