Tyson Foods dumped millions of pounds of toxic pollutants directly into American rivers and lakes over the last five years, threatening critical ecosystems, endangering wildlife and human health, a new investigation reveals.
Nitrogen, phosphorus, chloride, oil and cyanide were among the 371m lb of pollutants released into waterways by just 41 Tyson slaughterhouses and mega processing plants between 2018 and 2022.
According to research by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), the contaminants were dispersed in 87bn gallons of wastewater – which also contains blood, bacteria and animal feces – and released directly into streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands relied on for drinking water, fishing and recreation. The UCS analysis, shared exclusively with the Guardian, is based on the most recent publicly available water pollution data Tyson is required to report under current regulations.
Last year Governor Jim Pillen, whose family owns one of America’s largest pork companies, was widely criticized for calling a Chinese-born journalist at Flatwater Free Press a “communist” after she exposed serious water quality violations at his hog farms. Earlier this month, the Nebraska supreme court ruled that the state environmental agency could charge the same investigative news outlet tens of thousands of dollars for a public records request about nitrates.
Everywhere I look there’s a huge problem affecting all of us, and a republican doing everything in their power to make it worse.
calling a Chinese-born journalist at Flatwater Free Press a “communist” after she exposed serious water quality violations
This tactic works. “Chinese Disinformation! Don’t trust it!” Americans eat this kind of dismissal up with a spoon, because its easier to believe in a sinister outside force that’s trying (and failing) to threaten you than it is to realize the killer is in your own backyard and there’s nothing you can do to stop his cleaver from claiming another victim.
Earlier this month, the Nebraska supreme court ruled that the state environmental agency could charge the same investigative news outlet tens of thousands of dollars for a public records request about nitrates.
The only thing amazing about the TikTok ban is that it didn’t happen much sooner.
and what’s the solution? ____ all conservatives for the sake of humanity
Banish to Antarctica
Why make the penguins suffer?
That’s just the processing plants for Tyson. Realize that they control their whole production chain. They hatch the chicks, sell or rent them to farmers, produce and sell the farmers the feed, then transport the grown chickens back to be processed.
They are truly a monstrous polluter.
Great timing on this article and a new episode about Tyson from one of my favorite podcasts
We can start right at the beginning with what happens with all the chicken shit.
Tyson isn’t quite as an oppressive powerhouse in the Delmarva areas, but Perdue and Moutaire operates the same way.
Their claim to fame on the eastern shore is actually when they pulled out of Maryland and closed their feed mill and processing plant instead of competing. Everyone that was dependent on their chicken contracts got left holding their loans from starting their operations. Less pollution in the bay that way though.
The entire industry is designed to force externalities (like pollution and farmer loans) onto other people while ensuring a healthy margin at all points. Even if you don’t look at the animal rights angle it’s exploitative as fuck.
Can I get a list of companies that aren’t pieces of shit? I think it’ll be shorter.
Thank you for posting.
I am not surprised they did this, but I am surprised people are willing to eat Tyson foods. They have been awful for as long as I can remember.
Go. Vegan.
It is perfectly moral to spoil Tyson products at the grocery store. They are rife with animal abuse, human rights abuse, and illegally dumping toxic waste. Nobody will fault you for accidentally ripping open their products and tossing them in the garbage.
That type of vandalism just fucks over the store owner. Vote with your wallet instead
It’s an incentive for them to not carry Tyson’s garbage anymore or at the very least, charge more.
It’s still vandalism though
