Live Chicken Hurled Against Wall at Harrisonburg Slaughterhouse; PETA Demands Criminal Probe
For Immediate Release:
November 25, 2024
Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382
A just-released U.S. Department of Agriculture report reveals that a worker at George’s Foods slaughterhouse in Harrisonburg was caught “forcefully” throwing a live chicken against a wall. In response, PETA sent a letter today to Rockingham County Commonwealth’s Attorney Marsha Garst urging her to investigate and file criminal charges against the man.
According to the report, on April 12 a senior federal veterinarian witnessed the employee throwing the chicken, who then lay motionless on the floor, breathing heavily. This callous act of violence follows a January incident at the same slaughterhouse in which a worker ran over a chicken with a forklift, leaving the bird alive with their breast exposed and abdomen torn open.
“A chicken suffers the same as a dog or cat would if they were violently hurled against a wall by a heartless human,” says PETA Vice President of Legal Advocacy Daniel Paden. “PETA is calling for a criminal investigation on behalf of this abused bird and urges everyone to please, go vegan to spare animals from the horrors of the slaughterhouse.”
PETA is pursuing charges under state law because federal officials haven’t prosecuted any inspected slaughterhouses for acts of abuse since at least 2007.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness and free vegan starter kits for anyone considering making the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
PETA’s letter to Garst follows.
November 25, 2024
The Honorable Marsha L. Garst
Rockingham County Commonwealth’s Attorney
Dear Ms. Garst:
I’m writing to request that your office (and a law-enforcement agency, as you deem appropriate) investigate and file applicable criminal charges against the individual responsible for throwing a chicken against a wall at the George’s Foods LLC slaughterhouse located at 501 N. Liberty St. in Harrisonburg. The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) documented the incident in the attached report, which the agency just made available to the public.
On April 12, an FSIS senior veterinarian “observed a live hang employee forcefully throw a live chicken against the wall behind him. After being thrown against the wall, the chicken lay in sternal recumbency on the floor behind the live hang belt with a rapid respiration rate, appearing to be in respiratory distress. This is an instance of mistreatment of live poultry.”
FSIS’ simple report on the incident carries no criminal or civil penalties and doesn’t preempt criminal liability under state law for cruelty to animals. This willful conduct is not an example of otherwise-exempt “farming activities” and appears to violate Code of Virginia § 3.2-6570. Virginia law affords this victim her only chance at a small measure of justice. We urge your office to seek it.
Thank you for your time and consideration and for the important work that you do.
Sincerely,
Daniel Paden
Vice President of Legal Advocacy
Cruelty Investigations Department
