Chickens: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

chickens

, basically turkeys with eating disorders. We love to eat chicken in this country, so we have to produce a lot of it. Over the past 25 years, the chicken industry has doubled its production and workforce, from 80 million

chickens

per

week

to around 160 million. chickens a

week

one hundred and sixty million chicks a week those are Warren Beatty's numbers but those are Rob Lowe's at st. The Elmo Fire Premiere Party numbers, you know, those are the numbers of clean-shaven Leonardo DiCaprio on a yacht anchored in front of the Cannes Film Festival, that's a lot of chicks, that's an unmanageable amount of chicks, we eat so much chicken that it has become our benchmark for what every other meat tastes pretty good, I'm telling you man, it doesn't taste like lizard, it tastes like chicken, raccoon, it's a delicacy in China.

I heard it tastes like chicken. You had those with crocodile meat, it tastes like mmm chicken, what does that mean? It tastes like um I really hate to say this, it really tastes like chicken, everything Medill Oh, have some hot chicken, think about that, that's amazing, there's no parallel for the other senses if I told you that everything looks like tables or everything looks like Feels like Koosh balls. I think he was crazy now, obviously, all of this has been great news for the poultry industry, which is dominated by four giant companies, the Pilgrims, Tyson Purdue and Sanderson Farms, and I know what you're thinking, you're thinking that all of this It will be just another story. about how horrible chickens are treated and I know we hear that many chickens and turkeys are possibly the most abused animals on the face of the planet, you probably have no idea what goes into making a KFC Chicken Bucket, sadly the ingredient main ingredient is cruelty, okay, Pam, look, let's be fair, the main ingredient in KFC chicken is not cruelty, it's chicken, the only thing we are cruelty about is that the main ingredient is child stars, it becomes cruelty, shine, child and then statistically chicken and yes, chickens can certainly be treated. terribly, but that's not what this story is about, it's about chicken farmers and, unfortunately, this is going to be a lot less pleasant than what you're seeing right there.

Poultry companies would have you believe that chicken farmers have done it by smiling in their promotional videos. always, no matter the company, to the rhythm of tinkling guitar music, it's a good feeling to have a flock of birds that are beautiful and healthy, you know you've done a good job, the best product you could produce just came out of your farm if someone called me tomorrow and said: Would you go back to being a poultry farmer? I would say yes, sometimes I don't understand it as well as I understand chickens. Yes, of course not. Your husband is a grown human being with a vibrant interior. life or washing infinite complexities and that's just a chicken, so yes, it's easier to understand, but despite those beautifully produced testimonials, it turns out that many farmers have a very different experience about it. heart attack fan since I've been in the chicken business the struggle has been very real and there have been many nights we haven't slept it's a little hard now a little hard it's hard and it's been hard for a long time multiple studies have shown that many producers whose only source of income was chicken and agriculture live below or near the poverty line, which sounds crazy, how is it possible that the people who make the meat we eat the most barely make a living?

We eat chicken when it's popped in popcorn, when it's touched with your fingers, and when it's in Disney's mouth-shaped nuggets, which by the way is a little legally suspect, listen, there may be a mouse in these, but technically you can't. We said, so you can't sue. This is all thanks to a system called contract farming. Contract farming is basically chicken daycare. Companies bring chicks to an independent farm, drop them off and pick them up. They upload them a little more than a month later, when they have fully grown. I guess that's how daycare works. 97% of chickens are raised this way and when poultry companies describe it again with jangly guitars, they make the system sound great to Tyson farmers.

Foods actually owns the feed and the feed containers and we actually own the chickens in the house, however, the property, the equipment, the labor, everything related to the business on the farm is actually farmer's property. You have to hand it to him. The jangly guitars just do. Whatever sounds more plausible here I'll show you, give me some music. Mickey Mouse Nuggets. Take the best chicken without a mouse and cover it with breadcrumbs. No mouse. I'm not, he's the epitome of Mouse. Without chicken. What that guy just said, you own the property and the equipment, we own the chickens, that essentially means you own everything that costs money and we own everything that makes money, because Normally farmers go into a lot of debt just to build chicken coops and leave. in the business and at the time you sign that contract, the poultry companies have a lot of influence over you, so all those horrible conditions that chickens are kept in at farmers may not interest those subject to the contract.

Craig is not even allowed to give them sun or fresh air if you get that natural sunlight and the birds will act out if they don't want to, they want him to sit down, get up, have the drink, have a bite to eat and sit back down, he gets fat, oh absolutely would remove, we saw the walls I would give them back the sunlight, letting in the sunlight and fresh air is number one, two birds will love it and number two, better for me, yes, but of course the companies chickens won't let you do it, because they know that chickens are like reality stars, so they are happier. are the less money they are worth, there's a reason I canceled keeping up with Alan and Arlene, senior partners and best friends for 15 years, and it's not because Allen was too good a listener and the problem is so fast.

As farmers try to pay off their debts, companies can rack up more by requiring them to make costly upgrades. Companies show up periodically, so all you have to do is make this or that improvement, and if you don't know, go get chickens. more we have to have this you have to have that you have to have that you know it started first it was nipple waterers and then it went to the tunnel houses and then it went to the blackout curtains on the south side and all these other things ended up costing more than our buildings originals and that must be frustrating raising chickens is like relating to James Franco, not James first, you wanted us to try nipple waterers, which was strange, but I put up with it, then it was the tunnel house, which was even worse and now you want me to Let's try blackout curtains no, James, no, I'm out, we're done, James, we're done.

If you think about it, at this point a farmer may have borrowed over a million dollars for houses and improvements, but they do this. because they are led to believe that they will have a constant source of income, except in reality they are paid according to a tournament or Gladiator system and, unfortunately, again, it is significantly less adorable than what you are seeing here because it looks at a business. the journalist explains it, the company takes, you know, there could be up to 100 farmers in an area and then ranks them against each other, those in the top half will get a bonus payment, extra money, those in the bottom half will get a deduction .

You receive a financial penalty and what that means is that you are competing against your neighbors, if they produce fatter chickens with less feed, your salary is reduced and not a cent, you can be paid almost half as much as other producers per pound for reasons that are not quite within the scope your control is like an agricultural Glengarry Glen Ross or hen Gary hen Ross if ABC always crows on the BBC do it and watch I don't apologize for that joke I stand by it I stand by it no no no - you had your chance here Jimmy get on board and watch losing a tournament and being labeled a bad producer can not only cost farmers their homes, it can cost them a lot more

last

Monday morning in North Carolina, one of these bad producers came out and He drove down a country road from which he was fired. his contract he was about to lose his house he took a gun and ended his life that's what we're talking about today here this is personal it's getting real for poultry farmers at this point you may be angry at the poultry industry but be careful you should Leave a little space because you're about to get even angrier.

A poultry industry spokesperson was asked why so many farmers live below the poverty line and this was his response. What poverty line are you referring to? It is that a national poverty line is a state. poverty line the poverty line in Mississippi and Alabama is different than New York City, what are you talking about? It doesn't matter, the poverty line is like the age of consent, if you find yourself passing exactly where it is, you've probably already done something very, very wrong and the thing is, chicken farmers can't even complain because one of the reasons you haven't heard of this story is that, hearing farmers tell it, companies take a hard line with complainers every time I.

I have spoken out against poaching companies and the evil actions they retaliate against by cutting my salary, reducing my chickens, reducing the quality of the chickens I get, they are ranked one to ten, number one is the best chicken that they got, the number 10 support chicken that comes out. sometimes, according to your mouth, you will get a lot of eight, nine and ten holy tickets when you control, you threaten your dependents with numerically inferior girls, that is not a responsible business model, that is an entourage, that is what it is, If you're hitting my band bra.

I'll make every girl in LA avoid you like you're a carb car king wait for the movie I can't wait for the movie it's going to be sick it's good the boys are back the boys are back the boys are back and remember if they give you lower chicks, you are going to suffer in the tournament and potentially lose your farm, now poultry companies claim they don't do that, although I will point out that in researching this story we have spoken to many farmers who believe it is real. and they are terrified of it happening to them a few years ago, the Obama administration tried to address many of these problems with new regulations, they held public meetings and there was something of a common theme, let me say that numerous producers do not attend these workshops because of be afraid of retaliation from their integrator.

In the

last

48 hours we have had producers who have been threatened not to attend this meeting and not to speak. I represent or help represent 650 chicken producers in the state of Alabama and I will be of all 650 there are two who were not afraid to come here. I'm not saying it's brains, I'm saying it's not. I am a proud American. I am a veteran and I need the right. to be able to speak to all of you today, but he is an impressive man now, if he works for the poultry industry, you would have to be an idiot to stand in that room and try to defend his behavior, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you. and idiots five years ago knowing what you know or at least I think you should have known why you got into a business that you feel the least for your comments that is not a very good business wait why did you let us through is not a defense against King , people just say there wasn't a farmer in that same room who was happy to explain things to them.

My comment is directed to the gentleman who said he wondered why Valerie Ruddell got into the business. I can tell you the reason she got into this is that the company lied when you wrote down numbers on a piece of paper to get the bankers to lend you the money and then doesn't follow up on how the bank payments are made. We have heard a lot of information here. today and I really didn't want to get up here and talk, but we really need these rules and we need them fast, we need rules and we need them fast, you know, this guy is serious because he talks like someone who just caught his roommate masturbating. in the living room house meeting house meeting I know it's just the two of us, but Gregg, this has to stop.

House meeting now, strike for Gregg, strike four for you, Brett, the good news is that the protection rules for poultry farmers have actually been written. The bad news is. They are not currently being enforced because every year since the rules were written, a clause has been inserted into the farm appropriations bill explicitly prohibiting the USDA from enforcing them, and in recent years this effort has been championed by the Rep. Steve Womack, so why not? doing this who knows maybe it's because his home district is the site of Tyson's world headquarters or the fact that he's received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from poultry companies or maybe he's just sexually attracted to chickens. and he's jealous that the farmers get to spend so much time with them, I don't know, I'm speculating here, the point is that he has thought thatefforts to protect farmers just last year, Rep.

Marcy Kaptur tried to pass an amendment that simply gave farmers protection to speak out without retaliation, that was it, and She made a compelling argument: the Department of Agriculture wants to enforce these regulations so that farmers have prestige and that their livelihoods are not taken away simply because they are allowed to speak about their conditions. What's wrong with that? What's wrong with that and what's wrong with this is that the companies in this situation have too much power; those who do the work in these houses do not have enough power; we need to give them equal standing in the courts and in their ability to come and see us and exercise their right to free speech, please support this amendment, which is the type of speech that usually has loud music behind it and proceeds to a victory that comes from behind at the end of a movie, but in real life this is what happened immediately after please support this amendment the question is about the Kaptur amendment all in favor say yes yes all those opposed will say no the nays seem to have it that's the most depressing ending since the movie Sex and the City Oh, big, big, better than that Carrie in any case you should have ended up with Aidan yes yes yes I don't bore Carrie but guess what you are too Carrie and look, look , I know this story has been depressing and you might be wondering what you can do, I mean.

You could stop eating chicken but you're not going to do that because chicken is delicious. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it now. Here hmm delicious, it tastes like armadillo. It could be said. It could be said. Well, I'm voting against Congressman Steve Womack. but you won't do it because you don't live there and also in the last two elections he hasn't had a major opponent. The only small satisfaction I can give you is to let Sean Connery express your feelings about Womack. Why doesn't he surprise me? It's a bit of a momentary visceral satisfaction, but it doesn't really change anything, but the truth is that there is actually a glimmer of hope that the same committee will meet again next month. marcy kaptur could try again to pass a provision that protects farmers from retaliation and if she does then let me use the poultry companies' weapon against them.

I'm talking, of course, about jangly guitar music to convince you that everything I'm about to say is true because get this, there are 51 voting members on the committee. These are their names and their states, if their representatives' names are up there and they vote against Captain Marcy's amendment it's because they and I can't emphasize enough this our chicken, they chickens, that's what they all do every day in all directions and unless they want that chicken. If a girl can follow them for the rest of their lives, they don't want to think too carefully about which way they're going to vote because chicken accusations don't come off a Wikipedia page easily, or if they do, they tend to keep coming back. because the poultry companies can retaliate against farmers for speaking out, but they can't stop us from screaming chicken at the top of our lungs if any of these people vote against the farmers on this little amendment, all the potential chickens because here I won't be one of them, that's all we say, that's our program, we're leaving next week, but we'll be back the week after that good night.