Video at Tyson chicken farms prompts firings

NORFOLK, Va.

An animal-rights group on Thursday released an undercover video that shows Tyson Foods workers abusing and cruelly killing chickens at Virginia breeding facilities, prompting the company to fire 10 employees.

“We’re disgusted by a video showing improper treatment of birds,” the Arkansas company tweeted to its nearly 50,000 followers.

Christine Daugherty, a Tyson vice president, wrote in a statement that she was “outraged.” She said the workers “were all trained in proper animal handling, yet chose to ignore it.”

The company said it will “aggressively re-emphasize” its animal welfare policies to workers and end a practice known as “boning.” It involves inserting a piece of plastic in a male bird’s nostrils to stop it from accessing a female chicken’s feeder.