The two companies jointly sought an injunction to stop Tyson's ad campaign, arguing the "raised without antibiotics" claim misleads consumers by making it appear Tyson's chicken is safer or more healthful.

Sanderson and Perdue initially based their legal challenge on Tyson's practice of feeding chickens ionophores, an antibiotic used only in animals raised for food. Sanderson and Perdue also use ionophores.

Then during trial in federal court in Baltimore, Tyson officials acknowledged they also inject eggs several days before they hatch with antibiotics that are approved for use in humans. Dave Hogberg, Tyson's senior vice president for consumer products, said it is a common industry practice.

Hogberg said injecting eggs with antibiotics did not undermine the "raised without antibiotic" label because the term "raised" is understood to cover the period that begins with hatching.

According to Tyson's "Core Values," they are a bunch of well-meaning folks "engaged in the production of food, seeking to pursue truth and integrity." After the USDA initially cried foul over Tyson's health claims, the pursuit of truth led Tyson to instead boast that their chickens are "raised without antibiotics that impact antibiotic resistance in humans.” At the time, Tyson said:

“We once again turned to consumers for their guidance and they told us this label more clearly conveys our chickens are not raised with any feed ingredients that could contribute to antibiotic resistance in humans,” said Dave Hogberg, senior vice president of Consumer Products Marketing for Tyson Foods. “The new labeling enables us to continue producing Raised Without Antibiotics chicken, which nine out of ten consumers say is important to them.”

Wow, that statement is just leaking with truth and integrity. Who ever would have guessed a federal court would brand Tyson as dishonest?

Court Orders Tyson to Suspend Ads For Antibiotic-Free Chicken [Washington Post]
Court says Tyson chicken antibiotic claims must stop [BarfBlog]
Tyson to Use New Label for Raised Without Antibiotics Chicken; Company and USDA agree to more informative wording (Press Release) [Tyson Foods]

At the request of the chicken industry, the Senate farm bill would add chicken to the list of meats that would be labeled by country of origin beginning Oct. 1. Chicken producers have taken the opposite position of most beef and pork groups, which have opposed labeling. Richard Lobb, a spokesman for the National Chicken Council, said the industry asked Senate leaders to add chicken to the list because other countries have expressed an interest in exporting chicken to the United States and consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about the origin of food. Lobb noted that 95 percent consumed in the United States is domestically produced, but the Agriculture Department has granted Chile the right to export chicken to the United States and is considering an application from China.

Senate Slips Chicken Into COOL Farm Bill Provision [Cattle Network]
(Photo: foxypar4)

The Humane Society claims that Amazon.com's sale of the magazines Gamecock and The Feathered Warrior violate the federal Animal Welfare Act. Amazon's telling them to go hump a chicken if they're so in love with them: this is a first amendment, free speech issue.

We're with Amazon. "No one respects free speech more than we do, but inciting criminal cockfighting is not protected speech," claims the Human Society. Well, right, whatever... you should probably start waging campaigns against all those marijuana paraphernalia magazines like 'Magic Jay Bone Enthusiast' too. Except that doesn't fall within your one dimensional political purview, does it?

Humane Society urges Amazon.com to quit selling cockfighting mags [Seattle PI]