PETA objects to felons processing poultry
by The Associated Press

STILLMORE, Ga. - An animal protection organization has raised objections to convicted felons being used to process chickens at a south Georgia poultry plant whose workforce was decimated by a crackdown on illegal immigrants working there.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said Wednesday that it was concerned that criminals with violent pasts could be among the workers being bused from a probation center.

PETA said it wanted to point out ``that chicken slaughterhouses are notorious for animal abuse and that staffing the plant with violent criminals is begging for violations of Georgia's cruelty-to-animals laws.''

Federal immigration officials began visiting Crider Poulty plant in Stillmore in May, estimating that about 700 workers were using false identification. Many employees were confronted and fired. Some left on their own.

Over Labor Day, federal agents raided the plant and rounded up more than 120 illegal immigrants working at Crider or living in surrounding counties. That left the plant with a huge labor gap.

In late November, Crider officials said the plant was busing in felons on probation and homeless men to fill the jobs. About 40 convicted felons from the Macon Diversion Center and 16 men from the Garden City Rescue Mission in Augusta had worked in the plant, they said.

Crider President David Purtle said that left the plant operating at 450 employees, less than half of the 1,000 workers there before the immigration crackdown.

PETA said in a news release that it had written the superintendent of the Macon Diversion Center, urging him to halt the program.

The organization said PETA had documented cruelty in poultry slaughterhouses by normal workforces, including workers tearing off the heads of live birds, throwing live chickens in scalding water, and using the birds as punching bags.

In its letter, PETA said it also asked Emanuel County Sheriff J. Tyson Stephens, District Attorney Steve Askew, and state Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin to conduct unannounced inspections at the plant, at the least.

``Placing animals in the care of convicts with violent histories is like putting children in the care of child molesters,'' PETA vice president Bruce Friedrich said.

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