Baby chicks buried alive at Costco chicken supplier, new investigation reveals
A new undercover investigation by Mercy for Animals has found baby chicks buried alive and chickens beaten at an organic farm supplying Costco, five years after the company promised reform.
Photo: Mercy for Animals
Baby chicks have been found crushed to death and buried alive while still chirping beneath the compost at an organic chicken farm supplying Costco, according to a new undercover investigation by animal protection organization Mercy for Animals.
Investigators also found chickens beaten with sticks and left alive in piles of dead birds, and birds bred to grow so large and fast that they collapsed under the weight of their own bodies.
Violations of organic certification requirements were also uncovered, along with falsified documents and biosecurity errors that could lead to potential public health risks.
This is not the first time Costco comes under fire for cruelty to animals - after a 2021 Mercy for Animals investigation revealed chickens living in inhumane conditions and suffering from sores and injuries, customers demanded change, alongside celebrities such as Ricky Gervais and Margaret Atwood. The company promised to make improvements. However, these new findings prove that conditions remain unchanged despite the organic certification.
Photo: Mercy for Animals
"This investigation exposes horrific suffering that Costco had the power to prevent," said Arash Yomtobian, president and CEO of Mercy for Animals. "After Mercy For Animals uncovered cruelty in Costco's chicken supply chain in 2021, the company publicly promised reform."
Yomtobian said the new findings showed those promises had not been kept. "Years later, our investigator found baby chicks crushed to death and buried alive while still chirping beneath the compost, while chickens were beaten with sticks and left alive in dead piles. Costco promised reform. Instead, Mercy For Animals found animals still suffering behind the label."
"What disturbed me most was realizing these birds spent their entire lives suffering inside barns, never able to express their most basic natural behaviors," said Sam, an undercover investigator with Mercy for Animals.
"Even though this Costco supplier farm had the infrastructure for outdoor access, these birds never felt fresh air, sunlight, a breeze, or grass beneath their feet,” Sam continued. “While investigating the facility, I documented chickens collapsing under the weight of bodies bred to grow unnaturally fast, while others were violently beaten and left alive in dead piles. The level of suffering these animals endured was heartbreaking."
The farm investigated by Mercy for Animals is estimated to raise 520,000 chickens, supplying up to 3.2 million pounds of chicken meat annually. Meaningful, significant changes to Costco’s animal welfare policy could improve the lives of 250 million chickens. Steps that the company could take include independent auditing, changes to animals’ living conditions, slower-growing breeds, and increased transparency.
“The solution is clear,” Yomtobian said. “Costco must adopt meaningful, enforceable chicken welfare standards with transparency and accountability across its entire supply chain. Animals cannot wait for another empty promise. Neither will we.”
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