Mahard Egg Farms said in a statement that animal abuse at its facilities will not be accepted, and that it is taking steps to assure workers are properly trained on appropriate bird care.
The company released a statement following the release of a video circulated by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which showed hens being mistreated. PETA alleged that the footage was filmed at Mahard’s facility in Sulphur, Oklahoma.
The statement from Mahard Egg Farms reads:
“Assuring the health and well-being of our flocks is always a priority, and we take any claims of animal abuse on our farms very seriously.
“We have viewed this video, taken by an activist from PETA working undercover at our farm in Sulphur, OK. Like others, we find some of the behavior and images to be disturbing and unacceptable. This mistreatment of hens is inconsistent with our high standards and our clearly defined policies for the care of our flocks, and our team has moved swiftly to respond.
“We have conducted a detailed internal review of our farm operations, and our compliance team is onsite in Oklahoma retraining our employees in proper care of our flocks. Abuse is absolutely unacceptable on our farms, and we will take further disciplinary action as warranted.
“Our entire Mahard family will continue to be vigilant in ensuring our employees fully understand and abide by our stringent expectations.”
In the video and in a corresponding press release, PETA targeted Kroger, a supermarket chain that is supplied by Mahard Egg Farms, and urged the chain to re-evaluate its business relationship with Mahard.
Kroger, in a statement, mentioned that Mahard Egg Farms had notified the company of its internal review of farm operations, and said Kroger was “taking steps to suspend supply from the facility shown in this video.” Kroger also stated it had asked Mahard to share its comprehensive corrective action plan and timeline with us, which we will review in partnership with animal welfare experts."
According to the WATTAgNet Top Poultry Companies Database, Mahard Egg Farms is headquartered in Prosper, Texas, and has egg laying facilities in both Texas and Oklahoma, as well as a feed mill in Texas. As of the end of 2016, the company had a flock of 4 million hens.
