Was that undercover video of abused chickens a staged event?
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Last week, the Associated Press reported that Trader Joe’s announced it will stop carrying eggs from a Central California farm where an animal rights group shot undercover video showing chickens being mistreated by workers. But it seems this story isn’t over.
Now the AP is reporting that the farm is accusing an animal rights group of staging an undercover video that shows its workers mistreating chickens.
A statement released Monday by Gemperle Farms claims an activist affiliated with Chicago-based Mercy for Animals coerced Gemperle employees into violating the farm’s animal welfare standards. Footage released last week by the group showed hens confined in crowded metal cages with rotting bird corpses. Monrovia-based Trader Joe’s announced after the video was released it would stop carrying Gemperle eggs. Mercy for Animals executive director Nathan Runkle told The Modesto Bee the video was authentic and said the group would sue Gemperle for libel if it did not retract its statement.