THE DISEASED CARRION CHICKEN INDUSTRY HALAALIZED BY SANHA AND MJC
THE PUNISHMENT IN THIS WORLD FOR HARAAM CARRION IS DISEASE, AND IN THE HEREAFTER THE FIRE OF JAHANNUM
Tyson Foods
Injects Chickens with Antibiotics Before They Hatch to Claim "Raised
without Antibiotics"
Sunday, November 09, 2008 by: David Gutierrez, staff writer
(NaturalNews) Tyson Foods, the world's largest meat processor and the second largest chicken producer in the United States, has admitted that it injects its chickens with antibiotics before they hatch, but labels them as raised without antibiotics anyway. In response, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) told Tyson to stop using the antibiotic-free label. The company has sued over its right to keep using it. The controversy over Tyson's antibiotic-free label began in summer 2007, when the company began a massive advertising campaign to tout its chicken as "raised without antibiotics." Already, Tyson has spent tens of millions of dollars this year to date in continuing this campaign.
Poultry farmers regularly treat chickens and other birds with antibiotics to prevent the development of intestinal infections that might reduce the weight (and profitability) of the birds. Yet scientists have become increasingly concerned that the routine use of antibiotics in animal agriculture may accelerate the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that could lead to a pandemic or other health crisis. After Tyson began labeling its chicken antibiotic-free, the USDA warned the company that such labels were not truthful, because Tyson regularly treats its birds' feed with bacteria-killing ionophores. Tyson argued that ionophores are antimicrobials rather than antibiotics, but the USDA reiterated its policy that "ionophores are antibiotics." Because ionophores are not used to treat human disease, however, the poultry company suggested a compromise, accepted by the USDA in December, whereby Tyson would use a label reading "raised without antibiotics that impact antibiotic resistance in humans."
Tyson's
competitors Perdue Farms Inc., Sanderson Farms Inc. and Foster Farms
sued, under the banner of the Truthful Labeling Coalition. In May 2008,
a federal judge ruled in their favor and told Tyson to stop using the
label. Not long after, on June 3, USDA inspectors discovered that in
addition to using ionophores, Tyson was regularly injecting its chicken eggs
with gentamicin, an antibiotic that has been used for more than 30 years
in the United
States to treat urinary tract
and blood infections. The drug is also stockpiled by the federal government
as a treatment for biological agents such as plague. "In contrast
to information presented by Tyson
Foods Inc., [inspectors]
found that they routinely used the antibiotic gentamicin to prevent
illness and death in chicks, which raises public health concerns,"
said USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety Richard Raymond. "The
use of this particular antibiotic was not disclosed to us," said
USDA spokesperson Amanda Eamich. The agency told Tyson that based on
the new discovery, it would no longer consider the antibiotic-free label
"truthful and accurate." It gave the company 15 days to remove
the label from all its products, although that deadline was eventually
extended to July 9.
Sources for this story include: uk.reuters.com; www.msnbc.com; www.lancasterfarming.com.
