Tyson Backs Out of Plans for KS Plant as Thousands Protest, Officials Pull Support

In a victory for a Kansas community and for animals, Tyson Foods — the nation’s largest chicken producer — has backed down on plans to build a $320 million chicken processing plant in the town of Tonganoxie, following protests by more than 2,000 people.

Residents expressed concerns over the feared impacts the massive operation would have on animals, workers, and the environment — and the fact that the plans were moving forward without being opened to public discussion.

In response, Leavenworth County Commission has pulled its support for the proposed plant, with officials voting 2-1 to withdraw a resolution to provide over $500 million in funding.

Tyson has stated that it may look to build the plant in another state, but for now, the concerns of thousands have prompted this chicken industry giant to reconsider.

As Tyson continues its fast growth, rapid growth remains a cause of suffering for the millions of birds raised and killed by Tyson each year. Genetically modified to grow unnaturally large and fast, broiler birds can suffer crippling deformities and heart attacks. In order to limit the food intake of its male breeder chickens, Tyson was using cruel “nose bones” — dull plastic rods stabbed through the birds’ nostrils.

COK’s gut-wrenching video filmed inside multiple Tyson facilities (the first investigative look inside broiler breeder factory farms) — which recently prompted unprecedented charges and convictions for cruelty to chickens — documented this cruel practice for the first time on hidden camera, prompting Tyson to immediately end its use of nose bones, quickly followed by Perdue and Wayne Farms.

But the root of the problem — fast growth — remains. Sign & share our petition to ask Tyson to STOP starving birds.