N AL friends help chicken farmers

[Jenn]

The Department of Justice and the USDA are holding hearings across the country on the issue of contract chicken farmers' conditions- and the near monopoly many of them work under with the few chicken companies. The Normal, AL (Huntsville) hearing starts at 9:00 a.m. Friday May 21, with public comment likely toward the end of the day.

Help us get the word out about the Normal, AL hearing:
http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/...riend_KEY=7058

Wish I could go- and complain that it's unfair for my neighbors who farm chickens that the company sells them the feed, the chicks, sets the sale price, on and on, and even at short notice changes whether or not to have them start a new barn full of chicks so the farmer, not the company, carries the risk of decreased demand for chicken. As in- chicken houses all cleaned out ready for next batch, but company says oh gee no chicks for an extra 3 weeks, take (unpaid!) extra unplanned vacation. IMO they should be paid as laborers not as independent farmers!

[Randy Rooster]

I feel sorry for the chickens, not the people who perpetuate the miserable hellish conditions they spend their very short lives in.

ever been down wind of one of these chicken "farms"?

[TheMartianChick]

I may not like the way the chickens are kept on those farms, but I do believe that the deck is stacked against those farmers. They are not allowed to make the basic decisions that any other entrepreneur can make and they have none of the protections afforded to employees. Most other business owners (in other industries) are not told that they must to spend money to upgrade equipment. They really are employees of the chicken companies because they are not allowed to control their own businesses.

[fishhead]

Sounds like unregulated capitalism to me. Everyone except the corporation loses. Just wait until the recent Supreme Court decision really takes hold of our election and lawmaking. These may be the good old days.

[Randy Rooster]

No one is forcing these people to manufacture chickens for perdue or one of the other companies. By doing their bidding they are acting as prostitutes. In the mean time they are torturing millions of animals and polluting our ground water and surface waters with the runoff that invariably happens. I have no sympathy - these operations have scarred the eastern part of my state, maybe forever. if these folks want to farm then farm, but dont take a manufactuing job in a meat factory and then complain when the plant manager decides how much he is going to pay you for your labor.