Butterfield Foods targeted after 9,000 hens froze to death last winter
Apr. 14—BUTTERFIELD — An animal-rights group is asking Watonwan County to pursue criminal charges against Butterfield Foods Co. for an incident in February 2020 when more than 9,000 hens froze to death in truck trailers parked outside in a loading shed as the wind chill fell to minus-32 degrees.
An inspector from the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service responded to the plant and filed a final report on May 20 outlining what was found.
The report said the trailers left an Ohio plant, where the temperatures were 30-40 degrees, and arrived at the Butterfield facility between midnight and 4 a.m. Feb. 20 when temperatures were as low as 17-below zero with wind chills up to minus-32.
"I observed many hens frozen to the metal cages in the trailer. I also observed significant numbers of dead hens. Nearly every hen visible from the outside of the trailer on the bottom two rows was frozen solid, as were many hens throughout the trailer on the outside layers," the inspector wrote.
"The hens throughout the trailer were quiet and still. Some birds were observed shivering. The hens had almost no feathers."
There were reportedly nearly 26,000 hens delivered on three trailers, although there were only two trailers in the loading area when the inspector arrived.
The report says a Butterfield Foods official said that if there were not transportation improvements from the company, they may discontinue accepting birds from that producer.
The inspector said Butterfield Foods officials were told, "Agency regulations require that live poultry be handled in a manner that is consistent with good commercial practices and that they not die from causes other than slaughter."
The report does not indicate if there were any regulatory actions taken by USDA. The Free Press left messages with the Food Safety and Inspection Service and with Butterfield Foods Co. seeking comment.
The USDA report was obtained by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals under a Freedom of Information request. PETA released the report to media outlets this week and sent a letter to Watonwan County Attorney Stephen Lindee urging him to review the matter "and file whatever criminal charges are warranted against the facility management and workers responsible for the birds' suffering and deaths."
Lindee said he got the PETA email Monday and is reviewing whether his office has any authority in the matter and what, if any, actions might be pursued.
The Butterfield Foods Co. website says it has "a long heritage of delivering quality ready-to-cook whole chickens to the food industry. Since 1970 we have provided wholesome dressed light hens for use in America's most popular meals. Our flavorful and lean chicken is found in prepared meals nationwide and is also exported across the globe."
This is not the first time Butterfield Foods has come under fire from animal rights groups.
In 2015 the Humane Society of the United States spent 57 days working undercover at the Butterfield plant, which slaughters hens that are no longer suitable for egg laying.
The Humane Society alleged the chickens were treated and killed inhumanely.
"At Butterfield, after being removed from crates and shackled upside down, the birds are moved through an electrified trough of water designed to stun them, past a blade to cut their throats and kill them, and through scalding water to loosen their feathers. HSUS alleges that birds regularly made it through this process still alive."
The Humane Society asked for criminal charges and for the USDA to tighten regulations on the slaughter of chickens. At the time an attorney for Butterfield Foods told the Star Tribune that the plant followed all guidelines.
"There are industry guidelines, and we are in compliance with all of them. There are government rules, and we follow them," the attorney said.
