Their product may be lethal.<\/p>\n
Human Rights Watch<\/a> has released a report<\/a> on worker conditions in the U.S. pork and poultry industries.<\/p>\n In meat and poultry plants across the United States, Human Rights Watch found that many workers face a real danger of losing a limb, or even their lives, in unsafe work conditions. It also found that companies frequently deny workers? compensation to employees injured on the job, intimidate and fire workers who try to organize, and exploit workers? immigrant status in order to keep them quiet about abuses. <\/p>\n Field research for the report examined beef packing in Nebraska, hog slaughtering in North Carolina, and poultry processing in Arkansas. The report looks closely at companies such as Tyson Foods Inc., Smithfield Foods Inc., and Nebraska Beef Ltd.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Smithfield Foods, “the world’s largest hog producer and pork processor<\/a>,” which merged with Murphy Family Farms in 1999<\/a>, has been in litigation ever since with the attorney<\/a> generals<\/a> of several<\/a> states<\/a> over its desire to acquire Murphy Farms Inc. and Tyson pork producing facilities.<\/p>\n From FLAG<\/a>‘s Top 10 Ag Law Cases of 2004<\/strong> (pdf<\/a>) via Agribusiness Center<\/a>:<\/p>\n Corporate Farming Restrictions<\/strong><\/p>\n Smithfield Foods v. Miller, 367 F.3d 1061 (Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals May 21, 2004). In 2003, the Eighth Circuit struck down an anti-corporate farming amendment to the South Dakota Constitution?so-called ?Amendment E??because it was held to violate the dormant Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. This put other states? corporate farming restrictions in question. In this case, Smithfield Foods challenged Iowa?s law banning packer ownership of livestock. Smithfield challenged the law under the dormant Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution and won at the district court. After the district court?s ruling, however, the Iowa Legislature amended Iowa?s law. The Eighth Circuit decided the district court should take another look at the law in light of the legislative changes and sent the case back to the district court. A trial is expected to begin in early 2005.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n “Director<\/a> Wendell Murphy and his family own 15% of the company.”<\/p>\n Wendell<\/a> became the nation’s largest pork producer by passing “laws worth millions of dollars to his company and his industry” as a Democrat serving in North Carolina?s General Assembly from 1982-1992.<\/p>\n Now he’s the director of a human rights violating, union-busting monopoly, one that is so keen<\/a> on<\/a> Republicans<\/a> it makes the top ten in agri donor lists, no doubt using the profits<\/a> it harvests slicing and dicing its way through family-owned farms, illegal workers, and the environment.<\/p>\n George has been a very good friend<\/a>. So good<\/a> that according to The Consumer Federation of America<\/a>‘s December 2004 report Not “Ready-To-Eat”<\/strong>(pdf<\/a>): <\/p>\n By the end of August 2004, agribusiness companies had doubled the contributions made to Bush in 2000, from $2.3 million to $4.6 million. For the first time in history, the NCBA this year formally endorsed a presidential candidate (President Bush). Two months before the 2004 Presidential election, the National Pork Producers? Council presented George W. Bush with their “Friend of the U.S. Pork Producer” award, because his ?tireless work protecting the nation’s livestock herd has made him a true friend to the industry.?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Unfortunately for Matthew Wysocki, “born several weeks premature by emergency cesarean due to Listeria food-poisoning”(pdf<\/a>), there was no one in gov’t protecting him. He died.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Their product may be lethal. Human Rights Watch has released a report on worker conditions in the U.S. pork and poultry industries. In meat and poultry plants across the United States, Human Rights Watch found that many workers face a … Continue reading