People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) filed a petition against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), saying that the agency should amend its rules to it no longer approves labels regarding how animals were raised.
The animal rights group says FSIS does not regulate the on-farm treatment animals receive, and it bases approval of humanely raised claims by the company’s own submissions. PETA further asserted in its petition that FSIS does so without any audits or supporting evidence, so therefore the claims of humane animal treatment could be considered misleading.
PETA cited examples of alleged animal mistreatment centered around four poultry companies – two involving turkeys and two involving ducks. The group asserted that Butterball, Plainville Farms, Culver Duck Farms and Maple Leaf Farms all carry animal welfare-centered labels but allege that examples of mistreatment at facilities that raised birds for those companies occurred.
Plainville Farms and Culver Duck have both stated the allegations were being investigated and they were committed to animal welfare. Plainville Farms released the following statement in response to the alleged 2021 incident: “We are fully cooperating with law enforcement in order to investigate the PETA allegations, and fully support the prosecution of any individuals found to be involved in the mistreatment of any of our turkeys.”
At the same time, PETA questioned the standards required to carry the American Humane Certified, saying its standards regarding outdoor access, enrichment items, stocking densities and ammonia labels do not reflect “what any consumer would expect from a farm obtaining a ‘humane’ certification.
In a press release announcing the filing of the petition, Jared Goodman, the PETA Foundation’s general counsel for animal law, said “by signing off on meaningless humane labels, the FSIS is giving companies carte blanche to charge more for products” that may not specifically meet humane conditions. However, Goodman also pointed out that he opposes all animal agriculture, alleging “the only humane meal is a vegan one.”
